Sandiganbayan: Caraga, WVisayas have fewest gov’t scalawags; NCR has most

MANILA, Philippines – The Caraga Administrative Region and Western Visayas have the least corrupt government employees in the Philippines and Metro Manila has the most corrupt, at least according to three decades' worth cases filed with the Sandiganbayan, the country's special anti-graft court. From 1979 to 2008, only 41 cases were filed against government officials from Caraga. That region, also called Region 13, is composed of the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur; and the cities of Cabadbaran, Bayugan, Butuan, Surigao, and Bislig. The country’s second cleanest region is Western Visayas, or Region 6, composed of the provinces of Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental. It posted only 936 cases filed in the last 30 years. As can be expected, Metro Manila, where most of the government offices are located, posted the most number of public officials indicted for criminal charges at 6,841. Sandiganbayan records listed the five least corrupt regions as: • Caraga (Region 13): 41 cases • Western Visayas (Region 6): 936 • Bicol (Region 5): 1,303 • Davao (Region 11): 1,362 • Central Mindanao (Region 12): 1,385 The four most corrupt regions are: • Metro Manila (National Capital Region): 6,841 • Central Visayas (Region 7): 3,313 • Southern Tagalog (Region 4): 2,935 • Central Luzon (Region 3): 2,154 The Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera Autonomous Region were not included in the Sandiganbayan report. The same statistics from the court showed malversation cases were the most prevalent in government offices all over the country, accounting for 9,237 cases or 31.48 percent, followed by graft charges with 6,296 indictments or 21.45 percent, and falsification cases with 5,480 or 18.67 percent. - GMANews.TV