PH ranks 115th in global corruption index

The Philippines ranked 115th in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, a one-notch improvement from its previous 116th ranking, the Transparency International disclosed.

According to the global organization, the Philippines obtained a score of 34 out of 100, which was an increase from its score of 33 in 2022.

The Transparency International said that the 2023 CPI has shown that corruption is thriving across the world. It ranks 180 countries and territories around the globe by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

The global group noted that more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50 out of 100, which strongly indicates that they have serious corruption problems.

It said that the global average was stuck at only 43, while the vast majority of countries have made no progress or declined in the last decade.

GMA News Online has reached the Presidential Communications Office for comment on the Philippines' ranking but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

The latest CPI has indicated that the global trend of weakening justice systems has reduced accountability among public officials, which later allows corruption to thrive.

It further stated that both authoritarian and democratic leaders are undermining justice.

''This is increasing impunity for corruption, and even encouraging it by eliminating consequences for criminals. Corrupt acts like bribery and abuse of power are also infiltrating many courts and other justice institutions across the globe,'' the group said.

''Where corruption is the norm, vulnerable people have restricted access to justice while the rich and powerful capture whole justice systems, at the expense of the common good,'' it added. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News