Philippines Ranks 115th in Corruption Perception Index

The Philippines' response to corruption is "mostly stagnant" according to global watchdog Transparency International, as reflected by the country's ranking in its corruption perception index.

The country scored 34 out of the 100 possible points, unchanged since 2012. However, its ranking fell two notches to 115th out of 180 countries, compared to 113th in 2019. In 2018, the Philippines ranked 99th.

"With a score of 34, efforts to control corruption in the Philippines mostly appear stagnant since 2012," Transparency International said. "It's response to COVID-19 has been marked by "abusive enforcement," the watchdog group said.

Here's how other Southeast Asian nations ranked on the index:

"A lack of transparency in the allocation of resources—a practice positively associated with corruption—weakens the efficiency of crisis responses," it added.

Corruption all around the world undermined efficient responses to the dual health and economic crises brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Corruption diverts funds from essential services such as healthcare, leaving countries around the world vulnerable and under-prepared to deal with public health crises," Transparency International said.