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Bacolod City, Philippines Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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Editorial

The Philippines -
a topnotcher again

Daily Star logo
Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.
NINFA R. LEONARDIA
Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ
Editor

GUILLERMO TEJIDA III
Desk Editor
NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER
Busines Editor

CEDELF P. TUPAS

Sports Editor (On Leave)
RENE GENOVE
Bureau Chief, Dumaguete
MAJA P. DELY
Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA
Administrative Officer

Once again the Philippines has topped a survey, but it is not a distinction that we can brag about.

The results of the one conducted by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy that were released to the international media yesterday showed our country as Asia's "most corrupt economy". In its report, PERC said, not without a touch of irony,

"The Philippines has the distinction of being perceived in the worst light this year." Although our officials promptly scoffed at the disclosure as inaccurate, or based on passé information, PERC also reported that it had polled 1,476 expatriate business executives in 13 countries and territories all over Asia in January and February.

The release of the PERC report just now is dismaying because we have been trumpeting our accomplishments finance-wise and our supposedly favorable responses from investors from other countries whom we have invited to come here. No matter how we try to gloss over the PERC study, it cannot be denied that it will affect the decisions of those who might have been contemplating on bringing their capital over.

It might be some consolation to hear another comment in the PERC report which says the situation has not really worsened because "It is bad and has been bad all along. People are just growing tired of the inaction and the insincerity of leading officials when they promise to fight corruption."

Although Indonesia also ranked poorly, PERC noted that the efforts of its president to crack down on corruption has produced some positive results.

Perhaps we should follow the example of China and Vietnam whose tight censorship prohibits the publication of bad news so investors do not know what is happening. But let us hope our government does not take a cue from this, because there is already a perception that is where we might be leading.*

 
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