RP down among Asian countries in UN-HDi rankings

The Philippines has again fallen in ranking from the list of a United Nations Human Development Index (UN-HDi).

The country fell below most of its Asian counterparts as it ranked 105 among 182 countries in the UN-HDi.

Although it showed a “slight increase” in the value of its HDI, neighboring countries like Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and China have moved up faster in the rankings.

Singapore is ranked at 23, Brunei at 30, while Malaysia is at 66th place and has entered the high human development bracket in 2008.

China has overtaken the Philippines and is now ranked 92 while Thailand is at 82 and Asia-Pacific state of Samoa is ranked 94.

The Philippines, which obtained an HDi value of 0.751, made it to the medium human development bracket . The ranking of 105 puts the Philippines in the league of Fiji and Tonga in so far as Asian countries are concerned.

Globally, the ranking would be comparable to that of Algeria and El Salvador, the UN Development Program (UNDP) said.

The Philippines HDi of 0.751 is below the average of 0.770 for East Asia and the Pacific but above the average of 0.686 for medium human development countries.

Trailing behind the Philippines are fellow Southeast Asian countries Indonesia, which is ranked 111, Vietnam at 116. Laos 133, Cambodia 137, and Myanmar 138.

Life expectancy in the Philippines is 71.6 years while adult literacy rate is 93.4 percent. Combined gross enrollment ratio is 79.6 percent and GDP per capita is $3,406.

The Philippines’ human poverty index is 12.4 with a 5.7 percent probability of not surviving to age 40 and an adult illiteracy rate of 6.6 percent from age 15 and above.

People not using an improved water source is 7 percent and children underweight aged five and below stands at 28 percent.

The HDi is a regular feature of the UN Human Development Report, which is published annually.

The HDi is a composite index covering education, health and income aspects of well-being in a country.

Essentially, it is a measurement of a country’s ability to offer its people opportunities to improve their lives based on economic opportunities, and access to health care and education.

HDi is calculated by combining a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, life expectancy, literacy rates and school enrollment at the primary, secondary and tertiary level to create a score from zero to one.

Countries occupying the top 20 in the HDI are: 1) Norway; 2) Australia; 3) Iceland; 4) Canada; 5) Ireland; 6) Netherlands; 7) Sweden; 8) France; 9) Switzerland; 10) Japan; 11) Luxembourg; 12) Finland; 13) United States; 14) Austria; 15) Spain; 16) Denmark; 17)Belgium; 18) Italy; 19) Liechstenstein; and 20) New Zealand.

The top 20 list is dominated by European countries.

Those 10 countries at the bottom of the list are: Guinea Bissau (173); Burundi (174); Chad (175); Congo (176); Burkina Faso (177); Mali (178); Central African Republic (179); Sierra Leone (180); Afghanistan (181); and Niger (182).

Afghanistan is the only non-African country in this bracket.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights yesterday approved the local version of the International Humanitarian Law.

According to Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada, the House contingent which he led met with the Senate contingent led by Sen. Francis Escudero to approve the bill entitled an “Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, Organizing Jurisdiction, Designating Special Courts and for other related purposes.”

“The country is on its way to finally doing our part in observing International Humanitarian Law as defined in existing International conventions such as the Geneva Convention of 1949, and other UN Conventions of which the Philippines is a signatory,” Tañada said.

“This law is of particular importance to the country because of the long existing armed conflict between the government and the CPP/NPA and between the government and the MILF specially now that there is no real progress in the peace negotiations with the armed revolutionary movements. Among others, it is hoped that this bill will help protect civilians and non-combatants especially women and children against violations of human rights whether by the military or private entities,” Tañada added.

The bill’s declaration of principles emphasized the importance of ensuring effective prosecution on all perpetrators of Human rights violations, in order to put an end to the impunity of crimes being committed in the country and contribute to the prevention of such crimes at a national level.

The International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is also known as the law of war or the law of armed conflict. IHL is a set of rules which seek, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities and restricts the means and methods of warfare.

Other important aspects of the bill include criminal and administrative liability of military commanders and other superiors under the principle of command responsibility.

President Arroyo, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, has been linked by human right groups to the hundreds of killings that plagued activists and left leaning groups since she ascended to power in 2001. –Michaela P. del Callar with Gerry Baldo, Daily Tribune