RP no longer most corrupt in ranking

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 15:21:00 04/08/2009

SINGAPORE -- Indonesia and Thailand are perceived as Asia's most corrupt economies, with last year's cellar-dweller the Philippines making a marked improvement, an annual survey of foreign business executives showed Wednesday.

Singapore and Hong Kong retained their top two rankings as the region's least corrupt economies, although there are concerns about private-sector fraud, according to the survey by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), made available to AFP.

Despite the negative perception of Indonesia, PERC noted "there has been a real headway in fighting the problem" under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is seeking re-election in presidential polls in July.

"To be sure, the absolute scores show corruption in the public and private sectors are still very high," PERC said.

"But our latest survey shows that residents in Indonesia are more favorably impressed with the determined way the KPK (anti-corruption commission) has been fighting corruption than any of the other countries graded poorly for corruption."

It said the major question its respondents are asking in Indonesia is whether the anti-corruption efforts can be sustained.

The March results are based on more than 1,700 responses from 14 Asian economies plus Australia and the United States, which were included for comparison purposes, PERC said.

In a grading system with zero as the best possible score and 10 the worst, Indonesia got 8.32.

Thailand was seen as the second most corrupt country with a grade of 7.63, but PERC said foreign investors were more concerned about political stability.

"Very few expatriate executives find that corruption makes the country a less attractive place to live and do business," it said.

Cambodia was seen as the third most corrupt country with a score of 7.25, followed by India with 7.21 and Vietnam with 7.11.

A grade greater than 7.0 indicates that a "serious" corruption problem exists, PERC said.

Perceived as Asia's most corrupt country in the 2008 survey, the Philippines had a score of 7.0 to rank sixth from the bottom this year.

It was followed by Malaysia with 6.70, Taiwan with 6.47, China with 6.16, Macau with 5.84, South Korea with 4.64 and Japan with 3.99.

A score between 4.0 and 7.0 indicates a "moderate" level of corruption, the Hong Kong-based consultancy said.

The Philippine customs and tax agencies, police and politicians have the meanest reputation for corruption in the country, the consultancy said.

But while "there is very little confidence in the government's seriousness about fighting the problem," PERC also said that "the actual level of corruption is not as bad as it is often portrayed."

Singapore again topped the survey as Asia's least corrupt country with a score of 1.07, followed by Hong Kong with 1.89.

Australia scored 2.40 to be in third place followed by the United States with 2.89.

On regional financial centres Singapore and Hong Kong, PERC said "it is possible that the pressures of the recession will result in an increase in corruption in the private sector this year."

A story for parents (fwdd email)

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what it is?" replied the man.
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."
SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down. "Daddy, may I please borrow $10.00 ?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he asked such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really doesn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep, son?" He asked. "No, dad, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man. "It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10.00 you asked for." The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, and started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Tree Poems

The Heart of the Tree

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high.
He plants a home to heaven anigh
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard --
The treble of heaven's harmony --
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest's heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
They joy that unborn eyes shall see --
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good --
His blessing on the neighborhood
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land --
A nation's growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.

-Henry Cuyler Bunner(1855 - 1896)


Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

-Alfred Joyce Kilmer, (1886 - 1918)


Think like a Tree

Soak up the sun
Affirm life's magic
Be graceful in the wind
Stand tall after a storm
Feel refreshed after it rains
Grow strong without notice
Be prepared for each season
Provide shelter to strangers
Hang tough through a cold spell
Emerge renewed at the first signs of spring
Stay deeply rooted while reaching for the sky
Be still long enough to
hear your own leaves rustling.

-Karen I. Shragg

A privilege

“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which simply pays back a small part of the great debt we owe God? Is anything a sacrifice when it brings its own blessed reward in healthful activity, consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter? Away with such a thought. It’s not sacrifice—it’s a privilege.” -David Livingstone (Cross & the Switchblade) 

A small touching story mainly for working parents

(A forwarded email)

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what it is?" replied the man.
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.
SON: "I just want to know... Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."
SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $10.00 ?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he asked such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really doesn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door. "Are you asleep, son?" He asked. "No, dad, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man. "It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10.00 you asked for." The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, and started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you." The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Need For Good Managers Increasing

The need for good managers is not going away. It is intensifying. With ‘flatter’ organizations and self-directed teams becoming common; with personal computers and networks making information available to more people more quickly; the raw number of managers needed is decreasing. However, the need for good managers, people who can manage themselves and others in a high stress environment, is increasing.
I believe anyone can be a good manager. It is as much trainable skill as it is inherent ability; as much science as art. Here are some things that make you a better manager:

As a person:

You have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You are happy with who you are, but you are still learning and getting better.
You are something of an extrovert. You don’t have to be the life of the party, but you can’t be a wallflower. Management is a people skill - it’s not the job for someone who doesn’t enjoy people.
You are honest and straight forward. Your success depends heavily on the trust of others.
You are an includer not an excluder. You bring others into what you do. You don’t exclude other because they lack certain attributes.
You have a ‘presence’. Managers must lead. Effective leaders have a quality about them that makes people notice when they enter a room.
On the job:

You are consistent, but not rigid; dependable, but can change your mind. You make decisions, but easily accept input from others.
You are a little bit crazy. You think out-of-the box. You try new things and if they fail, you admit the mistake, but don’t apologize for having tried.
You are not afraid to “do the math”. You make plans and schedules and work toward them.
You are nimble and can change plans quickly, but you are not flighty.
You see information as a tool to be used, not as power to be hoarded.
Take a look at yourself against this list. Find the places where you can improve and then get going. And , if you need help, remember that's what this site is all about - Helping new managers get started and experienced managers get better.

Tricycle driver returns $17,000 to passenger

July 01, 2007 19:31:00Kit Bagaipo Visayas Bureau

TAGBILARAN CITY -- It could have been an easy answer to his financial woes, but tricycle driver Iluminado Boc felt he had to let it pass.

The 45-year old driver, a resident of Habitat Village in Bool, this city, turned over to the local police a pouch containing $17,000 (approximately P800,000), which was left by its owner in the passenger seat of his tricycle on June 23.

On the same day Boc found the bag containing so much cash, his wife was hospitalized due to a lingering ailment.

Boc, whom the Philippine Daily Inquirer was able to interview on Saturday, said it was not the first time he returned items left in his motorcab.

There were instances when he returned valuable items such as cellular phones, he said.

The tricycle driver admitted his monthly payments for his house in Habitat Village were long overdue. He is also paying monthly installments for his tricycle unit. Then came his wife's hospitalization.

But he said he was never tempted to keep the money. "It was not mine," was his simple answer when asked why he did not keep the money.

Boc said that at around 1 p.m. last June 23, a woman took a ride on his tricycle from the city airport to the Integrated Bus Terminal in Dao, this city.

He said it was not until he stopped for a break at around 3 p.m. that he noticed the pouch bag in the passenger seat and found it contained dollar bills. He remembered that it belonged to the woman who rode from the airport.

Boc said he was surprised that other passengers who took his motorcab from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., did not tell him about the pouch.

Boc said he immediately drove to the city police station and delivered the pouch to the lost-and-found section.

He said it was only there that he learned that the pouch contained $17,000 and that the woman who owned it arrived at the same police precinct a few minutes earlier and had started describing her lost item to the police.

Boc said he immediately recognized the woman as the person who left the pouch in his motorcab.

He said the woman gave him P1,500 as a reward. He said he was initially hesistant to accept the money but upon the prodding of the grateful passenger and the police officers at the station, he did.

Boc said he was not able to get the name of the woman.
The city police has no record of the name of the woman because her lost item was recovered before the incident could be recorded in the police blotter.

Copyright 2007 INQUIRER.net