Views of corruption in Philippines worsen as ‘grease money’ dents confidence
A global index on corruption perceptions shows the Philippines posting its lowest ranking since 2012
Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International said the Philippines ranked 120th out of 182 countries and territories in its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, down six places from the previous year.
The country received a score of 32 on a scale of zero as “highly corrupt” to 100 being “very clean”, one point less than its score in 2024 and the lowest it has received since 2012.
The index released on February 10 aggregates expert and business assessments of perceived public-sector corruption, including risks of bribery, diversion of public funds, abuse of office, the strength of accountability and whistle-blower protections. It draws on data collected over several years up to late 2025.
The ranking comes against the backdrop of an ongoing controversy in the Philippines over alleged irregularities in government-funded flood-control projects that first surfaced in July last year. Investigations and fraud audits have uncovered billions of pesos lost to purportedly substandard or “ghost” flood-control works, with multiple anti-corruption protests held across the country following the revelations.