[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’PH scores low in corruption index’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY PRINCE GOLEZ
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
Foreign investment pledges drop, too
MANILA – Members of the opposition party expressed concern over the Philippines’ drop in the 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index rankings and the decline in foreign investment pledges.
The Philippines scored only 34 in the index by Transparency International and thereby ranked 111th – 10 ranks lower than in the previous covered year.
The index uses a scoring scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.
“Nakaka-alarma ang balitang ito dahil bumagsak tayo ng sampung puwesto mula noong 2016,” said Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, a member of the Liberal Party.
“Hindi ito magandang senyales lalo pa’t kasabay nito ng pagbagsak ng pangakong investment sa atin ng iba’t-ibang bansa,” Aquino said.
Foreign investment pledges slipped 51.8 percent to P105.6 billion in 2017 from P219 billion in 2016, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.
Corruption drives foreign investors away, Aquino said.
“Habang umaangat tayo sa ranking at gumaganda ang pagtingin ng buong mundo sa atin mula 2010 hanggang 2016, pasama naman ang nangyayari ngayon,” said Sen. Francis Pangilinan.
“Nakakapanghinayang naman ang pinagtrabahuan sa nakalipas na apat na taon. Kasabay ng paglaban ng pamahalaan kontra ilegal na droga, dapat ding pagtuunan ng pansin ang giyera kontra katiwalian,” the Liberal Party president added.
Erin Tañada, the party’s vice president for external affairs, believes issues such as the P6.4-billion shabu smuggled from China and the allegations of hidden wealth against President Rodrigo Duterte contributed to the high perception of corruption in the Philippines.
“Mawawala lang ang duda sa pamilya ng Pangulo kung ilalabas nila ang buong katotohanan tungkol dito sa pamamagitan ng pagpirma sa waiver,” said Tañada.
Critics have been urging Duterte to sign a waiver to allow scrutiny into his bank records. The President has refused to do this./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
