Corruption in RP is everyone's concern - Palace exec

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ ten-notch drop in the latest study on global corruption of watchdog group Transparency International should be everyone’s concern, Presidential Management Staff Secretary Cerge Remonde said Wednesday. In an interview with reporters, Remonde said that the prevalence of corruption in the country is a wake up call for all sectors of society – government or non-government. "This is a challenge to all Filipinos … regardless of being with the government, with the administration or the opposition, (and) all colors and political stripes. It is a challenge we must collectively confront," Remonde said. Remonde added that the religious sector should multiply its efforts as guardians of the public’s morals. On Tuesday, Transparency International released its 2008 Corruption Perception Index survey in which the Philippines scored 2.5 points out of 10 and ranked 141st from its 131st ranking in 2007, scoring 2.3 points. There were 180 countries included in the poll both this year and in 2007. The CPI measures the perceived levels of public-sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on different expert and business surveys. The 2008 CPI scores on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 10 (highly clean). Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden shared the highest score at 9.3, followed immediately by Singapore at 9.2. Also included in the top 10 least corrupt countries were Finland, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada. Besides Singapore, the Philippines' other peers in the Southeast Asian region got better ratings with Malaysia, 47th; Thailand, 80th; Vietnam, 121st; and Indonesia, 126th. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV