Businessman says: Gov't Corruption has Dropped

According to the survey conducted to 826 companies executives from July 16 to Sept. 14. by
Social Weather Stations (SWS) it says that,

•  Only 42 percent of respondents see "a lot" of corruption in the public sector this year, 
• Business executives who said that "most or all" businesses pay bribes to win government contracts also slid to 41 percent in 2012 from 48 percent in the previous survey.
• Those who admitted to having personal knowledge of corruption, meanwhile, dropped to 32 percent this year from 37 percent in 2009.
• "When executives compare the present administration to the past one, 71 percent see less corruption now, and only 2 percent see more corruption now," the SWS said.

• The Office of the President, meanwhile, posted an "excellent" score in terms of sincerity in its fight against corruption.
• Its "net sincerity rating," which is the difference of the percentage of respondents who find it "insincere" and those who find it "sincere," rose to +81 from -37 in 2009.
• Bagging "very good" ratings after being rated "good" in 2009 were the Health department with +60 in 2012 versus +37 in 2009, and the Trade department with +59 versus +38.
• Three institutions were meanwhile rated "good" this year from neutral in 2009. These are the Education department, with ratings rising to +49 from zero in 2009; the Senate, +38 from -1; and the Office of the Ombudsman, +38 from -8.
• Posting "poor" but improved net sincerity ratings, meanwhile, were the Bureau of Internal Revenue, with -18 in 2012 from -57 in 2009; the Public Works department, -23 from -65; Land Transportation Office, -26 from -39.
• The Commission on Elections was also rated as "poor" at -14 this year, dropping from a "neutral" -8 in 2009.
• Only the Bureau of Customs was rated "bad" with a net sincerity rating of -45 in 2012, up from a "very bad" of -69 in 2009.
• "There is no longer any agency with a Very Bad rating in 2012," the SWS said.
• Majority of business executives meanwhile think "big fish" corruption cases are "being conducted fairly, but at too slow a pace," the SWS noted.
• These include the NBN-ZTE deal case against former Pres. Gloria Arroyo and former COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos; the police helicopter case against former first gentleman Mike Arroyo; and perjury against Virgiliano Garcillano in relation to the "Hello Garci" scandal.
• "Although executives see less corruption in the private sector than in the public sector, the situation is also serious, and has not improved," the SWS said.
• "The tendency of companies in their own sector to give bribes to win private contracts is more or less unchanged," it added.
• The rate of reporting of bribe solicitations also remains at a low 9 percent, with the SWS noting that the "main excuse is still the feeling of futility in doing so."
• Business executives also refuse to spend for the fight against corruption although they expect their profits to rise by a median of 20 percent if corruption in the Philippines is reduced to the level of Singapore, the SWS said.
• The SWS survey was supported by Australian Agency for International Development and done in partnership with the Makati Business Club’s Integrity Initiative program and the National Competitive Council.

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