The quality of infrastructure in the Philippines ranked second to the bottom among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a study by a government think tank showed Monday. Philippine Institute for Development Studies senior research fellow Adoracion Navarro said Philippine infrastructure ranked lower than Cambodia’s, in the Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013 of the World Economic Forum. It was only slightly ahead of Vietnam, which ranked at the bottom among Asean countries in the global survey. "The Philippines is ranked 98th among 144 countries in terms of quality of overall infrastructure. Philippine infrastructure is worse than Cambodia’s [at 72nd spot],” Navarro said. Navarro said the Philippines was ahead of Vietnam which placed 119th, the Asean nation with the poorest quality of infrastructure. Singapore ranked first among Asean countries and second in the global survey which covered 144 economies. Malaysia was ranked 29th; Brunei Darussalam, 43rd; Thailand, 49th; Cambodia, 72th; and Indonesia; 92th. Laos and Myanmar were not included in the ranking. The Philippines got the lowest rank in terms of quality of port infrastructure (120th) and air transport infrastructure (112th). "This is clearly worse than Cambodia’s 69th and 75th ranking in port and air transport infrastructure, respectively,” Navarro said. Navarro underinvestment in infrastructure was a major factor in the country’s poor showing in the survey. He said in 2012, only 11 percent of the total appropriated budget for infrastructure was spent, a level that has not changed since 2010.
