No significant decline in corruption levels

THE Berlin-based Transparency International conducts an annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) that monitors the level of corruption in various countries.

It ranks countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, with 0 being “highly corrupt” and 100 being “very clean.”

What’s the verdict for the past year? The Philippines ranks 116th out of 180 countries in the global corruption index.

Transparency International included the Philippines again in the list of countries identified as “significant decliners” in AsiaPacific, with its score dropping five points from 38—the country’s highest—in 2014, when it ranked 85th out of 175.

What that means is that our country is among the most corrupt in the world, not that we have posted a significant decline in corrupt activities in our bureaucracy.

This also means that the current administration should be on the look-out for those intent on dipping their grubby hands in the proverbial cookie jar when no one is looking.

Since 2014, our ranking slipped to 95th in 2015 (with a score of 35), 101st in 2016 (35) and 111th in 2017 (34). It improved to 99th in 2018 (36) then dropped again to 113th in 2019 (34), 115th (34) in 2020 and 117th in 2021 (33).

The TI report lamented that in recent years, democracy has been on the decline in some of the most densely populated countries in Asia, such as India (40), Philippines (33) and Bangladesh (25).

“Regimes are consolidating power by curtailing space for dissent with more draconian laws that restrict free speech or criticisms of the government – and face no accountability for jailing those who allegedly defy them,” it added.

Transparency International noted that even some of the countries in the top 10 least corrupt countries have reported declines in their scores.

“Global peace has been deteriorating for 15 years. Corruption has been both a key cause and result of this. Corruption undermines governments’ ability to protect people and erodes public trust, provoking more and harder to control security threats. On the other hand, conflict creates opportunities for corruption and subverts governments’ efforts to stop it,” the group said.

Transparency International emphasizes the need for governments to open up space to include the public – from activists and business owners to marginalized communities and young people – in decisionmaking to root out corruption.

No stopping US Peace Corps volunteers from coming back

Don’t look now, but people in rural areas throughout the country will soon see the presence of American Peace Corps volunteers doing community development work in their midst.

A total 37 volunteers of the 279th US Peace Corps arrived in the Philippines for community development work and assistance across Luzon and Visayas, according to the United States Embassy in Manila.

The Peace Corps volunteers will be engaged in various activities at the community level, such as co-teaching the English language in public elementary and secondary schools, serving as youth development facilitators in the Department of Social Welfare and Development-accredited organizations, and supporting local governments in establishing marine protected areas and implementing coastal resource management plans.

But before they are deployed in mostly rural communities in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales, La Union, Laguna, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Camarines Sur, Bohol, Cebu, Capiz, and

Negros Oriental, the volunteers will undergo two months of language, technical and cultural training.

More volunteers will arrive in the Philippines in May, August, and September, said the US Embassy.

The US Peace Corps pulled out its volunteers after suspending its global operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Peace Corps is an international organization formed in 1960 by then US President John F. Kennedy. Its members carry out its mission of service by living and working in the developing world.

Prior to their withdrawal in 2020, the Peace Corps had established the largest foreign volunteer presence in the Philippines.

Volunteers who take part in Peace Corps’ regular programs—like teaching or helping build service infrastructure such as water pumps in remote villages—normally serve for two years.

But there are also specialists among them who serve for six months to a maximum of one year.

More than 8,000 American Peace Corps volunteers have served in the Philippines since 1961, working side-by-side with Filipinos to promote friendship and help build better lives for their communities.

Many Peace Corps volunteers in the Philippines have been recognized for having a long-term impact on their host communities through the development projects they initiated.

The Peace Corps wants the incoming volunteers to form small clusters and be assigned in remote areas near health facilities.

Because of the health crisis and the country’s vulnerability to calamities, the organization will “focus on supporting economic livelihood and recovery from the pandemic.”

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

More than 8,000 American Peace Corps volunteers have served in the Philippines since 1961, working side-byside with Filipinos to promote friendship and help build better lives for their communities