73% say bribery is most common form of corruption

MOST Filipino adults believe bribery is the most common form of corruption in the government, according to a survey by OCTA Research released on Monday.

About 73% of adult Filipinos cited bribery as the most widespread form of corruption, followed by irregularities in the use of public funds at 66%, vote buying at 64%, and slow justice at 54%, based on a non-partisan survey commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman of 1,200 respondents conducted from Dec. 3 to 11, with a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.

“The prominence of bribery may reflect its visibility in routine transactions with government offices. Many Filipinos may have directly encountered or observed informal payments in frontline services, making it the most immediate and recognizable form of corruption,” the OCTA Research said.

While bribery leads nationally, vote buying emerged as a particularly dominant concern in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, suggesting that electoral integrity remains a localized flashpoint.

Socioeconomic differences also shaped perceptions. Among higher-income respondents in Class ABC, 78% identified bribery as the top concern, while irregularities in public funds (67%) and slow justice (64%) were cited more frequently than among lower-income groups.

By contrast, respondents in Class E showed the highest sensitivity to vote buying at 69%, while only 47% in this group cited irregularities in public funds as a major concern.

Regionally, vote buying emerged as the dominant concern in Eastern Visayas, the Zamboanga Peninsula, the Davao Region, and Soccsksargen, while irregularities in public procurement were cited more frequently in the National Capital Region at 40%, above the national average of 32%.

“Overall, the results underscore that effective anti-corruption strategies must address both institutional structures and lived public experiences, ensuring reforms are responsive to the everyday realities identified by respondents,” OCTA said. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking