Malacañang said the Philippines’ six-place drop in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was expected, stressing that the decline reflects President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s decision to openly confront corruption in government.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the administration anticipated a dip in the country’s ranking after investigations were initiated, bringing previously hidden issues to light.
“Expected po iyan dahil binuksan po ng Pangulo ang isyu tungkol sa korapsyon… Lahat ng dumi ng nakaraan, nililinis ngayon,” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
She explained that probing corruption would naturally surface unresolved issues from the past, but emphasized that this was part of the President’s push to clean up governance. Castro, however, did not specify what she referred to as the “dirt of the past.”
The Philippines scored 32 in the latest CPI, below the global average of 42, placing the country at 120th out of 182 nations. This marks a one-point drop from its 2024 score of 33, when it ranked 114th out of 180 countries.
Within Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranked behind most of its neighbors, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and Thailand. Only Cambodia and Myanmar placed lower.
The CPI is released annually by Transparency International and measures how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived by experts and business leaders.