GMA said it is the Opposition and the Media that is giving the country a negative image before the world.

Well, last week PERC (Political and Economic Risk Consultancy in Hongkong), based on interviews of over 1,400 expatriate-businessmen in thirteen countries in Asia, tagged the Philippines as "the most corrupt nation in Asia." We have toppled Indonesia as a shameful king of dishonor.

From what all can see, that is neither the Opposition nor the Media rendering the damning verdict. The survey was done with the help of local university professors, economist and political scientists.

In a worst case of 10 (most corrupt) RP was ranked 9.40, significantly worse than the 7.80 rate last year. In 2005, RP was second worse, just behind Indonesia. Thailand has tied Indonesia as second most corrupt almost immediately upon the installation of a military junta to run Bangkok. Cleanest was Hongkong of 1.67 rating and Singapore of 1.26.

GMA said she will focus on the "plus points" of the economy and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye will do the answering of the "political questions."

But this issue as "Asia's most corrupt" digs deep into economic territory and GMA must address this - otherwise foreign investments will never again touch the country and our infrastructure and business environment will be a basket case. PERC rated the Government at an average of 9.0 and only 4.6 for the Private sector - so everyone and his donkey know where the corruption lies.

The "flagship of corruption" in Government includes the BIR (tax compromises), Bureau of Customs (technical and actual smuggling tolerance), DPWH (rigged contracts for favored parties), the Department of Education (for ghost deliveries and overpricing of school materials) and Department of Health (overvalued purchases).

Constancia de Guzman of the Anti-Corruption Group said that while there has been progress, the Palace is sitting down on 21 cases they had submitted including the case of the National Printing Office scandal.

Corruption, while endemic in Asia, is most pronounced in the Philippines and our ugly label as a "nation of cheats" was completed by the leakage of the latest Nursing board Exams.

Aside from the mulcting cops and firemen who don't work without grease money to corrupt judges, lawyers and legislators, we have government clerks who wouldn't push legitimate papers without the "SOP" money.

But there are bigger cases that remain unresolved as well.

The P28-Billion North Railway Project was approved with questionable biddings, lopsided buyer agreement and lack of engineering expertise of the winning bidder. The anomalous deal cost P16M per kilometer (golden railways, perhaps?) and the interest rate 3% higher than normal.

The Macapagal Boulevard cost ballooned to P1.1-Billion from P731-Million with close to 80% of the deal going to a favored JD Legaspi Construction.

The P728-Million Fertilizer Scam saw how such Rotarian and Agriculture Undersecretary "Jok Jok" Bolante allegedly used that amount for the presidential election in the guise of the Guinintuang Ani (GMA Rice) Program.

The P25-Million Scam displayed how the Arroyos reportedly utilized the amount for the presidential elections, charging some officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

The Jose Pidal Case accused the First Gentleman of skimming off from the top and had deposited a large cache of cash (P200-Million) in Union Bank coming from unused campaign funds and alleged anomalous deals.

The Supreme Court deemed the P1.3 Billion Metro Pacific computerization deal of the Comelec as flawed, being overpriced by P500-Million. The Supreme Court voided the Contract but the Ombudsman disagreed.

The Power Plant Deal that awarded a US$470-Million power contract pointed that a US$2-Million bribe money changed hands involving the then Cabinet Secretary Hernando Perez of the Arroyo administration.

GMA has the verdict of the international community exploding in her face that indeed her country (especially her government) is considered the most corrupt in Asia. We cannot, as The Postman joked, amuse ourselves to death on this one.

If we place that to our other unflattering reputation as the 2nd most dangerous country for journalists (in the world, after Iraq) and the recent pressure from Europe, Washington and the United Nations for the 840 unsolved extra judicial killings - this country doesn't look like Vancouver, Canada or Australia, by any stretch of the imagination.

That's among the hundred reasons why a million of our countrymen make a bee line at the Department of Foreign Affairs every year - willing to leave house and family - to make sense of their lives in another country.

How sad and tragic, Mr. Juan de la Cruz.