THE DUTERTE government has failed to qualify for a grant from an independent American aid agency next year after getting a red mark in the control of corruption requirement.
In a
statement released on November 9, the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) said
that to be eligible to receive funding, countries must pass at least 10 of 20
indicators, as well as both categories that the aid agency considers hard
hurdles for eligibility, namely - the political rights or civil liberties
indicator, and the control of corruption indicator.
In
the MCC’s Fiscal Year 2022 scorecard, the Philippines passed 12 of the 20
indicators - fiscal policy, inflation, regulatory quality, trade policy, gender
in the economy, land rights and access, political rights, civil liberties,
government effectiveness, natural resource protection, girls’ secondary
education enrollment rate, and child health.
However,
the country received a red mark in the control of corruption indicator - a
must-pass according to the MCC. Apart from failing the hard hurdle indicator,
the Philippines also received failing marks on access to credit, business
start-up, rule of law, freedom of information, health expenditures, primary education
expenditures, and immunization rates.
Presidential
spokesperson Harry Roque said that the Duterte administration does not tolerate
corruption. “Kung iyan ay kulang sa tingin ng mga dayuhan, so be it. Pero ang
ating mga ginagawang polisiya dito sa Pilipinas ay independent of what other
countries will say. Seryoso tayo sa kampanya laban sa korapsyon, at si
Presidente, hindi talaga nagku-kunsinti ng korapsyon,” he said at a news
conference on November 11.
The MCC said scorecards are a key component in its competitive
selection process that determines which countries are eligible to develop a
five-year grant agreement known as a compact. This year, the MCC said it
created scorecards for 81 countries - 28 passed and 53 countries did not.
The scorecard consists of a collection of 20 independent
third-party indicators that measures a country’s policy performance in the
areas of economic freedom, ruling justly, and investing in people. “MCC’s
Board of Directors selects new partner countries annually in December based on
scorecard performance, supplemental information, the opportunity to reduce
poverty through economic growth, and the availability of funding. After
considering the pool of countries that have passed the scorecard, MCC’s Board
of Directors makes the decision on which countries to select for compact
investments,” it said.
The MCC said that only low and lower-middle income countries as
classified by the World Bank are eligible for its assistance.
In December 2016, the MCC deferred the
selection of the Philippines to receive a multi-million dollar development
grant, citing concerns about the rule of law and civil liberties. In response,
President Rodrigo Duterte said the MCC could “eat its money,” saying the Philippines
could survive without its assistance.
The MCC is an independent US government agency working to reduce
global poverty through economic growth, by providing time-limited grants and
assistance to countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance,
fighting corruption, and respecting democratic rights. It was created by the US
Congress in 2004. (By Ted Cordereo, with reports from Llanesca Panti, VBL, GMA News)
