Philippines sinks to new low in corruption perceptions index

By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Senior Reporter

THE PHILIPPINES fell six spots to its worst-ever ranking in 2025 in a global corruption perceptions index by Transparency International, as the country grappled with a corruption scandal that slowed economic growth and weighed on investor and consumer confidence.

In the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Philippines ranked 120^th out of 182 countries and territories with a score of 32 out of 100. It ranked 114^th place with a score of 33 in the previous index

This was the country’s worst showing since the index began using the 0-100 scale in 2012.

The country’s score for the 2025 CPI was also lower than the regional average score of 45 and the global average score of 42.

The index ranks countries based on perceptions of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). It uses data from 13 external sources, including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, private risk and consulting companies, and think tanks.

“In the climate-change-impacted Philippines, citizens were outraged by allegations that a substantial amount of public funds were lost to a fake flood relief project,” Transparency International said.

The country was rocked last year after allegations that government officials, lawmakers and contractors received billions of pesos in kickbacks from substandard or nonexistent flood control projects. This has triggered widespread protests, slowed government spending, and hurt investor and consumer sentiment.

Transparency International said that corruption continues to pose a serious threat in the Asia-Pacific region.

“With an average regional score of 45 out of 100, high levels of corruption appear to have remained largely unaddressed over the past decade,” it said.

“Frustration within the region at weak governance and limited accountability was clearly felt in 2025, with a surge in young people taking to the streets to demand action and accountability from their governments,” it added.

Among Asia-Pacific economies, Singapore had the highest score (84) and ranked third in the overall index. It was followed by New Zealand (81), Australia (76), Hong Kong (76), Japan (71), Taiwan (68), Brunei Darussalam (63), South Korea (63) and Malaysia (52).

Other Asia-Pacific economies that had scores below 50 include China (43), Vietnam (41), Indonesia (34), Laos (34) and Thailand (33).

The Philippines had one of the lowest scores among Asia-Pacific countries, only better than Mongolia (31), Pakistan (28), Papua New Guinea (26), Bangladesh (24), Cambodia (20), Myanmar (16), and North Korea (15).

“In many countries across Asia-Pacific, good governance is being undermined by weak law enforcement, unaccountable leadership, and opacity in political funding,” said Ilham Mohamed, Asia-Pacific advisor of Transparency International.

“With young people demanding better, leaders must act now to curb corruption and strengthen democracy. Meaningful reforms can rebuild public trust and show those in power are finally listening,” she added.

With a score of 32, the Philippines tied with Angola, El Salvador, and Togo.

For the eighth year in a row, Denmark had the highest score on the index with 89, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84). The United States logged its lowest-ever score of 64 on the index.

FLOOD CONTROL SCANDAL
Analysts said that the Philippines’ worst showing in the index could be attributed to the revelations of widespread corruption linked to flood control projects last year.

“This lower ranking in the CPI is closely linked to the government’s handling of the ongoing flood control issues and the creation of a weak ICI (Independent Commission for Infrastructure),” Arjan P. Aguirre, an assistant political science professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said via Facebook messenger.

“Reliance on testimonial evidence and insufficient documentary support has undermined efforts to address the problem effectively,” he added.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. had created the ICI as part of his anti-graft drive following his exposé of corruption in flood control projects during his fourth address to Congress in July. The ICI was tasked to examine infrastructure projects over the past decade.

Mr. Aguirre said the current situation is becoming more complicated due to political maneuvering, “with some key Duterte allies derailing proceedings in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings.”

Ranjit Singh Rye, an OCTA research fellow and an assistant political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said the worsening perception of corruption in the country reflects the “perceived abuse of power for private interest at the expense of public welfare.”

“The report highlights public outrage over allegations that substantial public funds were lost  to a ‘fake flood relief project,’ a particularly damaging issue given the country’s vulnerability to climate change,” he said in a Viber message.

“This incident, coupled with a broader sense that those in charge are failing to deliver stable economic opportunities and quality public services, has fueled a surge in citizen frustration and social unrest across the region,” he added.

Mr. Aguirre said that the Marcos administration should prosecute accountable individuals and implement meaningful reforms to address concerns over corruption.

“The Marcos administration must step up its efforts to hold individuals accountable by rigorously collecting documentary evidence, identifying all those truly responsible — not just those initially named — pursuing proper prosecution, and implementing meaningful reforms to prevent systemic corruption from recurring,” he added.

Joy G. Aceron, convenor-director of transparency group Government Watch, said that she expected the drop in the index to be worse given the extent of the corruption in the flood control mess.

“It is clear that anti-corruption in all governance is imperative. Anti-corruption is a challenging and complex undertaking, and political will is central. Leaders in national and local governments should work hand in hand with civil society and the private sector to undertake comprehensive and sustainable anti-corruption efforts,” she said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

Ms. Aceron also said that the government should aim for broader public participation to “stop the normalization of corruption.”

For Mr. Rye, the Philippines will need to prioritize structural reforms that will break monopolies of discretion and strengthen oversight institutions.

“It is critical to improve the prosecution of corruption, including increasing conviction rates, and to commit to integrity in the funding of political parties and candidates to prevent private interests from capturing public policy,” he said.