BUSINESSMEN see the fight against corruption as having made “radical progress” but both the government and private sector need to take the campaign further, speakers at yesterday’s 2nd Integrity Summit said.
Preliminary results of an ongoing survey of enterprises were released by Social Weather Stations (SWS) President Mahar K. Mangahas, who said that 71% — up from 64% in May — claimed corruption had been reduced.
Only 2% said there was more corruption under the Aquino administration compared to the Macapagal-Arroyo government, an improvement from 5% four months earlier.
The number of executives who claimed to have seen “a lot” of corruption in the public sector, meanwhile, fell to 42% this year from 64% in 2009, and the SWS stressed that while the survey’s coverage was changed, the improvement was seen in all areas included three years ago.
Those who said that “most/almost all” firms in their sector gave bribes to win government contracts also fell to 41% this year from 48% in 2009, while those who claimed to have personal knowledge of corruption having occurred in the last three months dropped to 32% from 37%.
Seventeen of 20 government institutions improved their net sincerity ratings, led by the Office of the President that scored an “excellent” +81 from a “bad” -37 in 2009.
Those that didn’t improve were the city government, which fell to a “moderate” +24 from a “good” +35, the Supreme Court (+23, “moderate”, from a “good” +40) and the Commission on Elections (-14, “poor”, from a “neutral” -8).
The sole agency with a “bad” score, a -45, was the Bureau of Customs, which still improved from 2009’s “very bad” -69.
Cases such as those filed against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the respondents said, were being conducted fairly but too slowly.
Executives who said they were solicited for bribes, meanwhile, fell to 48% from 60% in 2009 and the 2010 peak of 71%, but the rate of reporting solicitations stayed very low at 9%.
Corruption in the private sector is less than in government, the respondents said, but the situation remained serious. And while they said profits would increase by a median of 20% if corruption was identical to Singapore’s, spending/contributions to the cost of fighting corruption remains low.
The extent of honest business practices “remains unsatisfactory,” the respondents also said.
The SWS survey results, which currently comprises the responses of executives from 826 firms (the target is 920), also found 74% claiming that business prospects for the next two years are either excellent or good.
Speaking at the Integrity Summit, President Benigno S. C. Aquino III said his government remained committed to “ensuring a level playing field: one that is stable, rules-based, and whose outcomes are predictable.”
Both private sector and government officials said the integrity campaign should be expanded, reiterating plans to bar firms that have not signed pledges from bidding for government contracts.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno said reforms would also be implemented in the judicial system.
THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION HAS RADICALLY PROGRESSED FROM 2009
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Source: BusinessWorld. (18 September 2012)
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