Majority of Filipinos think govt not doing enough against corruption

MANILA, Philippines - Nearly eight out of 10 Filipinos believed that the government's effort in reducing corruption in the Philippines was ineffective. The business sector warned that the current global economic crisis would further exacerbate the adverse impact of corruption in the country. The 2009 Global Corruption Barometer Report from Berlin-based Transparency International showed that 77 percent out of 1,000 Filipino respondents graded the government's effort in its fight against corruption as lacking. Only 21 percent said Manila's effort was effective and one percent said the campaign against corruption was neither effective or ineffective. Compared with other nations in the Asia-Pacific region, the Philippines had the second-highest number of respondents which perceived that government's fight against corruption was barely making a dent, following South Korea's 81 percent. The number was even higher than the 56-percent average of respondents in the region saying their government's effort to stop corruption was lacking. Citizens of countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, perhaps the poorest region in the world, had given a better grade to their government's campaign against graft, with only 72 percent of respondents from Senegal marking the fight against corruption as ineffective. "...The perception of government effectiveness appears to have decreased in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Malaysia, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela," TI said. Governments were considered to be ineffective in the fight against corruption – a view that has remained worryingly consistent in most countries over time Perceived as most corrupt in the Philippines were public officials or civil servants, with 40 percent of Filipinos tagging them as most likely to have participated in anomalous transactions. This was followed by political parties, 28 percent; and parliament and legislature with 26 percent. Seven percent of the respondents said the Judiciary was the most corrupt, with three percent pointing to the business or the private sector as the most graft-ridden in the society. Media were perceived to be the least corrupt with only one percent of respondents saying they engaged in corrupt practices. Political parties and public officials were given a score of 4.0 by respondents from the Philippines in the level of corruption. Under the score card, 1.0 meant an agency was not corrupt and 5.0 as extremely corrupt. Parliament and legislature got a score of 3.9 followed by Judiciary's 3.4; businessmen and private sector, 3.0 and media with 2.0. In the past 12 months, about 11 percent of Filipinos said they paid a bribe, above the 10-percent average for the region and slightly lower than the 13 percent for the worldwide average. "Results indicate that respondents from low-income households are more likely to pay bribes than those from high-income households when dealing with the police, the judiciary, land services or even the education system," TI added. Despite the prevalence of corruption worldwide, TI said most of the respondents did nothing to report of the misdeed. “The general public does not use formal channels to lodge bribery-related complaints: three quarters of people who reported paying bribes did not file a formal complaint. About half of bribery victims interviewed did not see existing complaint mechanisms as effective. This view was consistent regardless of gender, education, or age," the group said. Alberto Lim, Makati Business Club executive director, said the Arroyo administration is ranked the second-most corrupt administration in the Philippines, following Marcos' regime. “This administration is worse, although Marcos' is really major (in terms of corruption. Compared to this, (the administration of deposed President Joseph Estrada) Erap's is petty," said Lim in an interview. “The list of (anomalies) goes on. The NBN-ZTE deal, bribery during the impeachment hearing against President Arroyo, the fertilizer scam and others. He noted that governance was one of the more important issues among businessmen in their decision to invest in a country or not. “At the economy's peak in 2007, we had $3 billion in foreign direct investments. That was way lower than Vietnam's about $11-billion FDIs. Last year, our FDIs dropped to $1.5 billion, and this year, it is seen to be halved again to $750 million," Lim added. Meager government resources, needed to boost the domestic economy and provide protection for the vulnerable sector of the society, Lim said, would further be reduced because they were wasted on corrupt practices. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto conceded that the government must redouble its efforts in its fight against corruption. “Clearly, the government can do much more in terms of reducing wastage and inefficiency. You have to look at it both ways. the survey is based on perception and individual experiences. it may be partly true but i believe we're not the worst among our neighbors. but, clearly, we can improve," he said. The Philippine study was made between November 3 and November 3 last year. The Global study took place between October last year and February this year.

GMA richer by P44.9 million

MANILA, Philippines – President Arroyo has more than doubled her wealth since she replaced deposed President Joseph Estrada in 2001.

Mrs. Arroyo’s latest sworn statement of assets and liabilities and net worth (SALN) filed with the Office of the Ombudsman on April 30 showed her P44.9 million richer than in the previous year.

Her total declared assets in 2008 stood at P177.179 million but her liabilities in the form of net payables amounted to P33 million, leaving her with P144.539 million.

In 2007, the President’s SALN showed her total assets at P99.616 million, or P11 million higher than in 2006.

When she assumed the presidency in 2001, her declared net worth was only P66.747 million. As president, her annual salary is P693,000.

Her shares of stocks, declared under the category of personal and other properties, stood at P110.437 million last year.

Mrs. Arroyo declared only six real properties in 2008 as against seven in 2007, including a house and lot in Baguio worth more than P67 million with cost of improvement at P645,287; a residential lot in Antipolo worth P1.7 million; a commercial lot in Tayabas, Quezon worth P2.4 million; an agricultural lot in Nasugbu, Batangas, P1.5 million; raw land in Coron, Palawan which she bought in 2005 for more than P2 million; and a fish pond in Malolos, Bulacan purchased in 2007 for P507,800.

Her declared real properties last year amounted to more than P5 million as against the P6.8 million reported the previous year, during which she declared ownership of another agricultural land in San Rafael, Bulacan.

For 2007, Mrs. Arroyo’s SALN declared “no business interests and financial connections” but for 2008, she identified La Vista Investments and Holdings Inc. as a business interest run by her husband, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.

La Vista holds office on the 8th Floor of LTA Building in Legaspi Village, Makati City.

As required by law, the President listed the names of six relatives who are also in government.

They were led by her two congressmen-sons Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel M. Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado M. Arroyo who, based on their own SALNs released by the House of Representatives in May 2008, are among the richest congressmen with net worth of P96.7 million and P83.7 million, respectively.

Her brother-in-law Ignacio T. Arroyo Jr., the richest among Arroyo relatives in Congress with a reported net worth of P145.8 million, was third on her list.

The President identified the rest as Ma. Lourdes T. Arroyo, her sister-in-law working at the House of Representatives; Erlina M.B. de Leon, a cousin working at Malacañang; and Carlos L. de Leon, a cousin-in-law connected with the Office of the President.

Noli’s SALN

Vice President Noli de Castro also grew richer, by more than P3.8 million in 2008 based on his sworn SALN filed with the Ombudsman.

The broadcast journalist-turned-politician declared his total assets at P60.902 million and liabilities at P2.5 million.

De Castro, who receives a monthly salary of P46,200, declared ownership of five houses and lots and three lots worth more than P29 million.

The properties include a house and lot in Lagro, Novaliches, Quezon City worth P40,000 with an improvement cost of P200,000; a house and lot in Tierra Pura Homes, Tandang Sora, Quezon City worth P3.5 million; houses and lots in Pasong Tamo, Quezon City worth P1.4 million and P7.7 million; and a house and lot in San Antonio Heights, Batangas worth P695,000.

De Castro also declared ownership of lots in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan worth P2.7 million; a lot in Mindoro, P300,000; and a lot in Forrest Hills, Antipolo, P3.8 million.

He also declared ownership of several pieces of jewelry worth more than P2 million; appliances and furniture, P2.060 million; paintings and other artworks, P480,000; three vehicles – a Suburvan, a Ford Expedition and a Chrysler – worth P8.4 million; shares of stocks in ABS-CBN worth P1 million; and P17.5 million bank deposit.

His SALN report in 2008 also showed five more relatives joining the government namely Marives de Castro, his niece-in-law who is a municipal officer of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Oriental Mindoro; Perla Lauterio-Barcelon, his cousin who is clerk at the Department of Public Works and Highways also in Oriental Mindoro; Rey Leuterio, a cousin and a Master Teacher at the Oriental Mindoro High School in Calapan; Danilo Leuterio, a cousin and the principal of the same school’s Bucayao Annex; and Lourdes Leuterio-Ledesma, a teacher the Adriatico Memorial School also in Calapan.

In his 2007 SALN, De Castro identified only five relatives working in government, namely Dr. Grimaldo Catapang, a nephew and the provincial veterinarian of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro; Veronidia Catapang, a niece working for the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s National Capital Region office in Quezon City; Dr. Florecita Catapang, a niece who is a revenue collection officer based in Socorro, Oriental Mindoro; Janice Anne Pasco, also a niece who works in the Office of the Vice President; and Allan Leuterio, a cousin and a director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region IV-A.