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Govt fight vs corruption improving - grant-giving body


The Philippines is now better at controlling corruption as shown in the scorecard of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent foreign aid agency giving grants to developing countries.

PASSING MARKS
The MCC scorecard showed the country received passing marks for Political Rights (53%), Civil Liberties (62%), Government Effectiveness (79%), and Voice and Accountability (59%). Under “Economic Freedom," the Philippines passed in five categories, namely, Regulatory Quality (74%), Land Rights and Access (58%), Trade Policy (65%), Inflation (48%), and Fiscal Policy (56%), but failed in Business Start-Up (34%). Under the second broad category “Investing in People," the country showed a passing mark for Natural Resource Management (84) but failed under Immunization Rates (41%), Girls’ Primary Education Completion (44%), Health Expenditures (19%) and Primary Education Expenditures (32%).
In the latest MCC report, the Philippines showed an improved ranking from 39 to 33 in the Control of Corruption (CoC) indicator. Although the country showed below the median scores in several indicators, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said this was due to “technicalities in the evaluation." “The country’s failing grades in some areas is the result of technicalities in evaluation, such as the country’s rise from a low-income country to a lower middle-income country. Higher income countries are measured using more stringent standards," he said. The country would have showed improved performances had it not been elevated to a higher income category, he added. The Philippines’ has been moved this year to lower middle-income country category (countries with per capita income greater than $1,785 but less than or equal to $3,705) from last year’s low-income country (per capita income less than or equal to $1,785). The scorecard is the basis of MCC’s five-year compact grants to developing countries. The Philippines is eligible for the $470 Million in Poverty Reduction Threshold Programs since November 2006.
HOW TO READ THE SCORE CARD
Each MCC Candidate Country receives an annual scorecard assessing its performance in 3 policy categories: 1) Ruling Justly, 2) Investing in People, and 3) Economic Freedom. Under the name of each indicator is the country’s score and percentile ranking in its income peer group (0% is worst; 50% is the median; 100% is best). Under each country’s percentile ranking is the peer group median. Country performance is evaluated relative to the peer group median. Scores above the median,represented with green, meet the performance standard. Scores at or below the median, represented with red, do not meet the performance standard. The black line that runs along the horizontal axis represents the peer group median. Each World Bank Institute indicator is accompanied by a margin of error, which is represented by the vertical blue bar.
Romulo hoped that the country’s improvement from LCI to LMI would not derail its bid to secure an MCC full compact grant in 2010. “The improvement in the country’s income category is a clear reflection of the Philippine government’s sustained commitment to economic and governance reforms amidst the global financial crisis," he said. The Philippines proposal focused on three “high-impact" projects, namely: the Secondary National Roads Development (SNRD); Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) and Integrated Revenue Information System (IRIS). The Philippines’ proposal for a 2010 to 2014 grant is now under the MCC’s technical review. The MCC also rated the country in a number of indicators that included upholding justice, investing in people and economic freedom in a country. - GMANews.TV
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