PH ranks 82nd in global governance index amid governance challenges

MANILA, Philippines — As political battles over impeachment, accountability and governance continue to dominate public debate, the Philippines’ latest standing in a global governance index points to a deeper problem that goes beyond elections and democratic participation.

According to University of the Philippines Diliman associate professor and Inquirer data scientist Dr. Rogelio Alicor Panao, the country’s performance in the latest Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) suggests that while the Philippines continues to function as an electoral democracy, it struggles to translate political competition into effective governance.

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“The country’s governance challenge is therefore not the absence of democratic competition or political participation, but the difficulty of transforming political contestation into effective institutions and durable political consensus,” Panao said in his analysis.

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The latest BTI gave the Philippines a Governance Index score of 4.34 out of 10, placing it 82nd among 137 countries assessed worldwide. The country was classified as having moderate governance quality.

The findings come as national attention has focused on questions surrounding public institutions and accountability.

“As impeachment proceedings, allegations of selective accountability, and debates over the use of accountability institutions for political purposes dominate national attention, Filipinos are once again confronting a familiar question about how well the Philippine state actually governs,” Panao said.

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The Bertelsmann Transformation Index is an international assessment that examines how governments manage political and economic transformation. Its Governance Index measures four pillars: steering capability, resource efficiency, consensus-building and international cooperation.

Panao said the latest findings “present a picture of a country caught between difficult structural conditions and uneven institutional performance.”

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“Part of the challenge appears to lie in the fact that the country continues to face the demands of governing an archipelago that is vulnerable to natural disasters, persistent poverty, and localized conflicts,” Panao said.

Among the four governance pillars, the Philippines posted its highest score in international cooperation, receiving 5.67 out of 10.

While the score trailed regional leaders Taiwan and South Korea, which both received 9.33, and Singapore, which scored 7.00, it matched Thailand and exceeded China and Vietnam, which both received 5.33.

The Philippines posted lower scores in two areas more closely tied to domestic governance.

Resource efficiency received 4.33, which Panao said reflects “persistent implementation and coordination problems.” Consensus-building scored 4.40, which he described as “one of the lowest scores among electoral democracies in Asia.”

For comparison, Indonesia scored 6.2 in consensus-building, while Malaysia received 5.2.

Taken together, the results suggest that while the Philippines performs relatively better in working with international partners, it continues to face greater challenges in translating political competition into effective governance at home.

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For Panao, the country’s latest BTI ranking ultimately reflects “a country caught between difficult structural conditions and uneven institutional performance” as it continues to navigate the demands of governing an archipelago vulnerable to natural disasters, persistent poverty and localized conflicts. /dm