The Philippines fell two spots to 117th among 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International late Tuesday.

It scored 33 in its 2021 index, with Transparency International saying the Philippines extended its fall starting in 2014.

''President Rodrigo Duterte has cracked down on freedoms of association and expression since his election in 2016. It also has an exceptionally high murder rate of human rights defenders, with 20 killed in 2020,'' said Transparency International in its report.

'' With a score of 33, the Philippines is a significant decliner, having lost 5 points since 2014,'' it added.

The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International shows that corruption levels remain at a standstill worldwide, with 86 per cent of countries making little to no progress in the last 10 years, the group said in its website. DMS