Sa Wakas, nag No. 1 na rin ang pilipinas...... wow proud ako......
read the article.......
The Arroyo Government has something to be proud...as The Philippines is listed NUMBER ONE as the most corrupt country in Asia (see article below). As expected, Arroyo once again gave her spin... saying that the study was derived from older statistics. Once again, she has insulted the intelligence of the pinoys with her idiotic spin. I can't wait to hear Bunye's idiotic spin on this recent findings.
How can we stop corruption when all of the government branches are corrupt, and it starts from the executive branch? Some people would say... "kahit naman sinong ilagay mo sa pwesto wala pa rin pagbabago dahil mangungurakot din sila kaya okay na si Arroyo." That is the lamest and most ignorant, if not stupid, statement that one can make. To simply surrender and accept the fact that ANYBODY you put in office is corrupt is beyond stupidity. I hear these comments from the elististas and from people who are benefiting from the Arroy government. What a shame! And no, ERAP and his likes are also out of the question. Erap is not only corrupt, he is also as stupid as a ten legged frog.
HK group rates RP as most corrupt in region
By : AFP with Sam Mediavilla | Manila Times
14 March 2007 | 7:10 AM
SINGAPORE: The Philippines is perceived by foreign businessmen as Asia’s most corrupt economy, according to a survey Tuesday that also found countries were failing properly to tackle corruption.
President Arroyo dismissed the survey, saying the perceptions were outdated.
The Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) said in a summary made available to Agence France-Presse Singapore and Hong Kong were seen as the cleanest economies, while China, Indonesia and Vietnam posted improvements.
Perception of corruption in Thailand worsened, with the military junta now in power after last September’s coup seen as little better than the government it ousted.
“The Philippines has the distinction of being perceived in the worst light this year,†PERC said after polling 1,476 expatriate business executives in 13 countries and territories across the region in January and February.
In a grading system with zero as the best possible score and 10 the worst, the Philippines got 9.40, worsening sharply from its grade of 7.80 last year. Indonesia had been deemed Asia’s most corrupt country in 2006.
PERC, which provides advice to private firms and governments, said it had not noted a worsening in the actual situation in the Philippines despite its deteriorating score.
“It is bad and has been bad all along. People are just growing tired of the inaction and insincerity of leading officials when they promise to fight corruption,†it said.
The protracted corruption trial of deposed President Joseph Estrada “is an example of the problem and probably explains why respondents to our survey were so negative in their assessment†of the country.
Thailand and Indonesia, both on a grade of 8.03, shared the spot as Asia’s second most corrupt nations.
Thailand’s image worsened slightly on last year while Indonesia’s score was better.
The junta that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra as Thailand’s prime minister last September promised to fight corruption “but there is no reason to be confident that its behavior will be any cleaner,†PERC said.
On Indonesia PERC said President Susilo Bambang YudhoyoÂÂÂÂno’s campaign to crack down on corruption has “produced some positive results, but he is still swimming against the current.â€ÂÂÂ
The rankings of the 13 economies put Malaysia mid-table, marginally worse than last year.
“One of the big disappointments for many Malaysians is that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has not been able or willing to follow through effectively with his campaign promise to reduce corruption,†PERC said.
China and Vietnam bettered their scores, but PERC said the improved perception was because corruption was not being discussed openly.
“The media in both China and Vietnam is subject to tight censorship. The only bad news the governments want published is news that they see fit for public consumption,†it said.
China was the seventh most corrupt nation, according to the survey table, up two places from last year. Vietnam was in 10th place out of 13, also up two.
India was in ninth place. PERC said the Indian government must accelerate reforms, warning that corruption can limit companies’ expansion plans.
Singapore again just beat regional rival Hong Kong as the cleanest economy, although the latter posted a sharp improvement from its image in 2006.
PERC’s managing director Robert Broadfoot said this may have resulted in a perception that “the differences between Hong Kong and [mainland] China are even starker now.â€ÂÂÂ
Singapore is becoming increasingly vulnerable to corruption elsewhere, the PERC report said, citing the soured investment by state-linked investment firm Temasek Holdings in Thai telecom giant Shin Corp.
The tax-free sale of Shin Corp. to Temasek by the Thaksin family fuelled the political crisis that led to the military taking power in Thailand.
Another problem, the report added, is that foreigners “who have profited from corruption elsewhere in Asia sometimes seek a haven for their ill-gotten gains†in Singapore, where rich Indonesian families hold massive assets.
President Arroyo said the index was based on “old data†that was no longer accurate.
“Our credit ratings are fine,†she told Business News Asia magazine. “The political analysis, they work on old data.
Constancia de Guzman, head of the Philippine Antigraft Commission, insisted the Philippines was taking action.
“The government is doing something,†she told journalists, “but the people want to see actual results like convictions, dismissals and the like.â€ÂÂÂ
De Guzman admitted that although she dismissed the recent PERC report it has a downside on the government’s attempt to advance the economy. “I would not say that there’s no downside many of these as i said is because of my popularity, but as I said it’s a price worth paying,†she said.
The President reiterated her commitment to continue to implement measures that would trim the national debt following the report of the Bureau of Treasury that the total debt has been reduced by almost one percent to P3.851 trillion in December 2006 from P3.888 trillion in 2005.
She said the country’s declining debt proves the government is on track in its plan to balance the budget by 2008 despite attempts by some quarters to put the brakes on the country’s economic growth.
At Least, no. 1 tayo...............
