(Eagle News) — The Palace on Wednesday, Jan. 30, attributed the country’s improved anti-corruption rating to the measures implemented by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo noted Duterte’s dismissal of government officials for corruption, and Duterte’s launch of the 8888 hotline for complaints on corrupt government employees and officials, and his issuance of a freedom of information order for compliance by the executive department, among others.
“The President has truly displayed leadership by example and we expect to see further progress in our ranking and make the country’s score at par with the Asia-Pacific regional average [of 44],” Panelo said.
Panelo urged the public to continue reporting any irregularity in government transactions and processes, saying “it is only through our collective efforts that we can entirely eliminate corruption from our country’s institutions.”
He said that while corruption “cannot be obliterated overnight for it has significantly developed within our country’s system of governance through the years,” the government commits “not just to improve our country’s ranking but to stay on track in combating the iniquities of corruption as we vow to end its culture in government.”
“We see this issue as a “constant battle which entails more work on our part..,” he said.
The country garnered a score of 36 in the 2018 corruption index of Transparency International, up from the 34 it got in 2017.
In the list of countries, the Philippines ranked 99th, up from its ranking of 111 in 2017, with rank number 1 being the country with the least corruption (Denmark).
