Philippines improves 24 points standing in corruption perception index 2012

The Philippines improved its standing in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index this year by moving up 24 points, from 129th place in 2011 to 105th.

Results released yesterday showed that with a score of 34, the Philippines is tied with Algeria, Armenia, Bolivia, Gambia, Kosovo, Mali, and Mexico. Transparency International said it has updated the methodology for the CPI, which is now presented on a scale from zero for highly corrupt to 100 that means very clean.

Records showed that the Philippines also jumped five notches in 2011 at 129th place from 134th in 2010, the year when President Aquino was elected into office.

The 2012 CPI said Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand were tied at the top with a score of 90, followed by Sweden with 88, Singapore with 87, Switzerland with 86, Australia with 85, and Norway also with 85.The United States ranked 19th with 73 points while China ranked 82nd with a score of 39 among 176 countries and territories covered by the corruption perception survey, now on its 18th year.

Tied at the bottom three of this year's list, posting similar scores of only eight CPI points, were Afghanistan, North Korea, and Somalia. Transparency International said the survey is anchored on perceived levels of public sector corruption, with the index drawing on 13 surveys covering expert assessments and surveys of business people.

The CPI is the leading indicator of public sector corruption, offering a yearly snapshot of the relative degree of the corruption problem by ranking countries worldwide.

In the 2012 CPI, the group said Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tie for first because of strong access to information systems and rules governing the behaviour of those in public positions.

Transparency International said Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia once again are in the bottom of the index because of the countries' lack of accountable leadership and effective public institutions that underscore the need to take a much stronger stance against corruption.

Underperformers in the CPI 2012 also include the Eurozone countries most affected by the financial and economic crisis.

Transparency International said it has consistently warned Europe to address corruption risks in the public sector to tackle the financial crisis, calling for strengthened efforts to corruption-proof public institutions.

"Corruption is the world's most talked about problem," stated Cobus de Swardt, managing director of Transparency International.

"The world's leading economies should lead by example, making sure that their institutions are fully transparent and their leaders are held accountable," he added. "This is crucial since their institutions play a significant role in preventing corruption from flourishing globally," De Swardt said. (http://is.gd/GK5BDD)

The Philippine Star

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Philippine Inflation of November 2012 slips down 2.8% - Commodity prices increased?

Slower increase in prices was observed in major food items such as fish (5.9% in November 2012 from 6.0% in October 2012), milk, cheese, and eggs (3.3% from 3.4%), and fruits (4.9% from 5.2%). This was also coupled with the decline in prices of vegetables (-5.3% from -0.1%), and oils and fats (-4.9% from -4.5%).

November Inflation Eases To 2.8%

Ample supply of food and fishery products and lower prices of domestic petroleum have helped slow down the inflation rate to 2.8 percent in November compared to 3.1 percent in the previous month.

"The abundant supply of agriculture and fishery products in November 2012 resulted in greater annual reductions in the prices of various food items compared to the previous month," said NEDA Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Rolando Tungpalan.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, meanwhile, said that the low consumer prices in November suggest its "current policy stance is still appropriate."

"[Slowing inflation] and improved domestic demand conditions support the view that policy settings remain appropriate for the time being," Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Amando Tetangco said in a text message.

"That said, we continue to monitor the impact of the cumulative 100 basis point cut [in interest rates] on credit demand and liquidity growth to see if these are still in line with domestic absorptive capacity," Mr. Tetangco added, referring to the full percentage point of cuts introduced under the central bank's easing drive.

Overnight interest rates are now at a record low of 3.50% for borrowing and 5.50% for lending.

The central bank will hold its last policy review meeting for the year on Dec. 13.

The November inflation print was the slowest since June's 2.8%.

The BSP projected the consumer price index to rise 2.7%-3.6% in November from a year earlier.

November CPI was up 0.1%, after it fell 0.1% in October.  Inflation averaged 3.2% in the January-November period, still within the central bank's 3%-5% full-year target.

Slower increase in prices was observed in major food items such as fish (5.9% in November 2012 from 6.0% in October 2012), milk, cheese, and eggs (3.3% from 3.4%), and fruits (4.9% from 5.2%). This was also coupled with the decline in prices of vegetables (-5.3% from -0.1%), and oils and fats (-4.9% from -4.5%).

"Slower increases of prices in electricity, gas and other fuels were also observed in November 2012 due to the contraction in Manila Electric Company's (MERALCO) generation charge and the lower prices of kerosene and diesel," said Tungpalan.

MERALCO's generation charge in November 2012 was lower by 2.7 percent (P0.16/kWh) against the same period in 2011 due to lower generation costs from suppliers.

Prices of kerosene also slowed down, falling by 2.5 percent in November 2012 from an increase of 3.5 percent in October 2012. Furthermore, diesel prices fell by 4.6 percent from 3.1 percent.

"These were due to the trimmed trading price of Dubai crude in the international market, which contracted by 1.6 percent from a 4.8 percent growth in October 2012," said Tungpalan.

November 2012's record for consumer prices brings the year-to-date headline inflation to a stable rate of 3.2 percent.

"The average inflation from January to November 2012 remains within the Development Budget Coordination Committee's target range of 3.0 to 5.0 percent for 2012," Tungpalan said.

Core inflation likewise decelerated for the month of November 2012 to 3.4 percent against 3.6 percent recorded in the previous month or 4.5 percent in November 2011.

"The lower core inflation implies an easing of demand pressures on consumer prices. With the continued benign price increases for the period, we are expecting that inflation should be manageable for the rest of the year," the NEDA official said.

Inflation rate in Metro Manila also eased to 2.6 percent in November 2012 from 2.9 percent in October 2012. Similarly, the inflation rate outside the capital slowed in November 2012 to 2.9 percent from the previous month's 3.3 percent.

From January to November 2012, the year-to-date inflation in Metro Manila stood at 2.9 percent, slower than the average movement of prices outside Metro Manila, which is at 3.3 percent. (EHL)  (http://is.gd/4UYRCn)

Manila Bulletin 

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Government ordered UAE to follow Philippine Law or no more Maids

Part of government plan to phase-out DH, DOLE, POLO and POEA – restricting the deployment to set to "0" by 2016

Philippines sets tough terms for sending maids to UAE: Minimum salary at $400

The Philippines has set tough terms for sending domestic workers to the UAE as is the case in Saudi Arabia, stipulating its maids must be paid not less than $400 a month and must have at least eight hours break every day.

The Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi conveyed its government's terms to private labor recruitment agents in the UAE during a recent meeting in the capital, warning that any agent violating those terms would be put on the blacklist.

Reacting to such a decision, UAE authorities said they would not accept such terms and stressed that domestic workers from any country must be recruited in accordance with the official work contract enforced by the UAE government.

Quoted participants in that meeting, the Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum said the Philippine embassy told them they must abide by the new regulations or they would be boycotted and banned from handling domestic workers from the Philippines.

"The embassy set the minimum wage for a Philippine maid at $400 (Dh1,470) a month and told labor recruitment agents in the UAE that any office which does not comply with these rules would be completely boycotted," the paper said.

It said the embassy asked those agents to notify it once a Philippine maid arrives in the UAE to take up a job so it will hand her the necessary documents.

"The embassy also stressed that employers must provide a separate room for the maid and that she must have a daily break of at least eight hours.

"It also stressed that the maid should not be assigned any work outside her employer's residence which is listed in the job contract and that the employer must allow her to contact the embassy or her family at home at any time," the paper said.

Other conditions include that employers are not allowed to renew the maid's contract or transfer her sponsorship to any other employer without a prior consent by the embassy.

"Sponsors violating those terms will be subject to penalties defined in the laws governing the hiring of Philippine domestic workers," it said. "In case they refuse to pay her the salary set in the new contract, the maid will be deported to her country."

According to Emirat Alyoum, the maid must be aged between 18 and 23 years and any company violating that limit would be blacklisted.

"Any agreement signed by a foreign embassy in the UAE is not legal," the paper said, quoting Major General Nassir al Minhali, UAE interior ministry assistant undersecretary for naturalization and residence affairs.

"The ministry of interior has a unified job contract for domestic workers coming to the UAE with well defined terms and duties. It guarantees the rights of the employers and the employees…we have not set any wage for domestic workers and any otherwise agreement will not be binding for any one."

The Philippines, one of the largest domestic workers suppliers to the oil-rich Gulf, has been locked in negotiations with Saudi Arabia to enforce similar terms for its maids working in the Gulf Kingdom. The negotiations followed a decision by Manila to halt the travel of its domestic workers to Saudi Arabia two years ago. (http://is.gd/x08tV2)

Emirates 247

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