UP Ibalon Bicol: RP lagging behind Asia’s competitive nations

RP lagging behind Asia’s competitive nations

5/23/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

As the country focuses on the risque sex video scandal of plastic surgeon Hayden Kho and starlet Katrina Halili, we get distracted from significant national issues like the latest corruption charges against high ranking military men ---allegedly pocketing millions of pesos intended for soldiers in the 2007 US-RP Balikatan exercises. The "Euro Generals Scandal" which involved the embarrassing money laundering of high ranking Filipino military officers discovered by Russian authorities in Moscow has been forgotten.

Now, consistent with these scandals, a report which impacts on every Filipino tells of the floundering global competitiveness of the country. It’s the kind of bad news that we rather not talk about. This year RP placed a dismal 43rd out of 57 in the World Competitive Yearbook released by the Swiss Business School.

“Among 12 Asian countries on the list, the Philippines got the poorest ranking with Hong Kong considered as the world’s second most competitive country, next to the United States. Singapore ranked 3rd; Japan, 17th; Malaysia, 18th; China, 20th; Taiwan, 23rd; Thailand, 26th; Korea, 27th; India, 30th; Kazakhstan, 36th, and Indonesia, 42nd.

The Philippines’ competitiveness grade regressed the past five years having been ranked 40th in 2005, 42nd in 2006, 45th in 2007 before improving to 40th last year.
The economic performance of the country deteriorated progressively since 2005 when it was ranked 36th, 45th in 2006 and 2007, and 42nd last year.

On government efficiency the Philippines was ranked 42nd, on business efficiency, 32nd and infrastructure second to the last at 56th. ”---Daily Tribune (05/21/09, del Callar, MP)

The reason given for the fall in RP's ranking is graft and corruption. So we tell ourselves what’s new? The data above are very disconcering. We have enough black-eyes to deal with.

As long as we don’t do something about corruption, with our economic stagnation, morale and moral decline will continue. Even the United Nations (UN) has warned us that lack of government oversight on foreign aid and the national budget, paves way to graft which weakens the government. (Photo Credit: Stormcrypt)=0=

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Labels: Asia, business, competitiveness, Corruption, Dr. Hayden Kho, economy, Euro Generals, graft and corruption, Katrina Halili, Philippines, ranking, RP-US Balikatan, scandal, Totie Mesia

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RP lagging behind Asia’s competitive nations

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