MANILA, Philippines – The country remains perceived as one of the most corrupt nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2015, for instance, the Philippines slid to 95th out of 168 countries, with a score of 35/100.

It previously ranked 85th out of 175 countries in 2014.

Last May, more than 16 million Filipinos elected Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency. Duterte had promised the nation that “change is coming” – vowing to curb illegal drugs, crime, and corruption in just 3 to 6 months.

In light of Duterte’s promise to go after the corrupt, Rappler held an online discussion on corruption using the hashtag #CorruptionPH on Friday, July 15.

Here’s what social media users had to say about the issue:

#CorruptionPH tweets

#CorruptionPH online Reach

To map the extent of the online conversation, we ran Reach, Rappler’s social listening tool. Reach monitors specific keywords to identify social media influencers, visualize the discussion, and identify participants’ roles in the discussion.

Based on the data, the online discussion reached 123.5 million impressions, or “the times a user is served a tweet in timeline or search results.”

There were also 127 unique authors, with the conversation peaking at around 1:45 pm.

Experiences in corruption

Several instances of corruption were cited during the discussion.

According to Twitter user Yemma Judilla, corruption has been institutionalized in government offices such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue. She added that bribery has followed an elaborate scheme over the years.

@rapplerdotcom Corruption is institutionalized, esp BIR, says a former employee. Bribery is systemized. This must be stopped #CorruptionPH

— Yemma S. Judilla (@yemmasjudilla) July 15, 2016

Corruption also breeds negative consequences. Gemma Mendoza, head of Rappler’s Research and Content Strategy, pointed out that even the drug problem is rooted in corruption.

Yup. Even the drug problem is rooted in corruption #CorruptionPH @rapplerdotcom https://t.co/oW5Wmg8cJ5

— Gemma B. Mendoza (@gemmabmendoza) July 15, 2016

Twitter user @PHVoteNetizen noted that corruption is also present in transactions at the Land Transportation Office, such as getting a driver’s license. This, said the user, leads to more traffic offenders on the road.

@rapplerdotcom LTO Fixers. Many gets driver’s license even they have not actually passed the test. Kaya daming traffic offenders.

— PHNetizen (@PHVoteNetizen) July 15, 2016

Others who joined the discussion called for the persecution of those who engage in corrupt practices. They also urged the public to report such cases.

@rapplerdotcom government should remove and prosecute everyone who did corrupt deeds (bribing, stealing, killing, etc.) #CorruptionPH

— Miguel Lopez (@migsglopez_) July 15, 2016

Citizens also need to realize their role in keeping gov’t in check. Gov’t cannot fix itself. #CorruptionPH

— Bantay.PH (@BantayDotPH) July 15, 2016

Issues in reporting

While some highlighted the need to report corruption cases, others are wary that people’s lives could be put in danger.

@rapplerdotcom Opo dapat. Subalit anung proteksyon ang kayang ibigay sa amin kapag meron kaming gustong e report? #CorruptionPH

— Ladie Lina Bernal (@ladiebernal) July 15, 2016

@gemmabmendoza @rapplerdotcom A person should be able to report crimes without the worry someone will come after you.

— w milton (@whycani) July 15, 2016

On the issue of security, Department of Education communications manager Nash Tysmans said the public should not lose trust in the country’s institutions.

@rapplerdotcom Reporting anonymously or not will still mean trusting that person you report to can act on your grievances. #CorruptionPH

— Nash Tysmans (@nashtysmans) July 15, 2016

@rapplerdotcom We should not be afraid of our institutions or breed distrust among them otherwise, people lose. #CorruptionPH

— Nash Tysmans (@nashtysmans) July 15, 2016

Bantay.PH, a civil society organization pushing for good governance, echoed Tysmans’ sentiments.

@rapplerdotcom @MovePH More than anonymity, people need to see that it works – implemented sanctions and improved processes.

— Bantay.PH (@BantayDotPH) July 15, 2016

Meanwhile, Twitter user I Am D Champ believes that responsible journalism also helps in curbing corruption as it influences the mindset of the people.

@rapplerdotcom A very responsible media is needed to change to the mindset of Filipinos. Subscribers believe in media reports #CorruptionPH

— iam_dchamp (@exponent3k) July 15, 2016

Role of social media

Several netizens said that social media can play a key role in the reporting of corruption cases.

As a millennial,I’ll use the social media in reporting cases of #CorruptionPH .It’s also a good way to be socially relevant. @rapplerdotcom

— Charmaine Distor (@charmainedistor) July 15, 2016

Indeed, knowledge is power & with social media, the power is within your fingertips in reporting cases of #CorruptionPH . @rapplerdotcom

— Charmaine Distor (@charmainedistor) July 15, 2016

You have a social media account, you are more powerful than you think. #CorruptionPH https://t.co/tCSNftB6H8

— MovePH (@MovePH) July 15, 2016

Want to know how you can report incidents of corruption? Send a message to @MovePH on Twitter. You can also share your thoughts about corruption on X. – Rappler.com