ESG Ratings and Accounting Information Quality among Philippine Publicly Listed Companies

Abstract

Evidence linking environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance to financial reporting credibility comes overwhelmingly from developed and large emerging markets, and little of it addresses accrual-based accounting information quality (AIQ) in the Philippines, where sustainability reporting is mandated on a comply-or-explain basis and independent assurance remains uncommon. This study examined the relationship between ESG ratings and the AIQ of Philippine publicly listed companies. A descriptive-correlational design used secondary data from London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) ESG ratings and audited financial statements filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange for fiscal year 2023. Descriptive analysis covered 40 firms across the consumer, financial, holding, industrial, and property sectors; the regression was estimated on the 31 firms remaining after nine influential observations were removed. ESG performance was described at both overall-score and pillar levels; the overall score served as the regression predictor. AIQ was estimated using the Modified Jones Model, in which higher absolute discretionary accruals denote lower quality. Descriptive results showed satisfactory overall ESG performance (M = 54.60, SD = 12.20), the Social pillar the most consistent and Governance the most variable. Multiple regression indicated that industry, years of operation, market capitalization, and ESG rating jointly explained a significant share of variance in discretionary accruals, R² = .56, adjusted R² = .42, F(7, 23) = 4.10, p = .005, f² = 1.25. ESG rating was a significant positive predictor of discretionary accruals (B = 0.001, p = .040), indicating lower AIQ among more highly rated firms; industry classification was the strongest determinant, while years of operation and market capitalization were not significant. The findings suggest that where sustainability disclosure is mandated but lightly verified, ESG ratings should not be treated as a proxy for accounting credibility, and that sector-specific reporting discipline exerts the stronger influence.