DL PA 201

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SELF-TEST 1:

1. Public Administration has no fixed conceptual and operational meaning. It varies

depending on the mood and temper of the times and the inclinations of the individual
making the definition. From your own viewpoint, and considering your exposure to
contemporary Philippine Public Administration, how do you define ‘Public
Administration”. In your definition,use social equity client orientedness and relevance
in governance as your frame of references. Give or state real-life circumstances or
situations to support your definition.
Answer:
I might define public administration are the mode and manner of public
policy implementation that sets the guidelines towards public management including
political behavior of the civil servants working in the public service that is attuned to
delivering public goods and services for the benefit of the interests of the governed.
The area of public administration is a level governance that is inclined for
communication skills, criticality of decisions, public management and policy-making
and financial decisions. Example, the Local Government Code of 1991 sets the
guidelines and rules governing local governments on how to properly conduct policy-
making and revenue allotment for cities, provinces, municipalities and barangays,
respectively.

2. Across the country, we witness an almost daily manifestations of discontentment

from all sectors of society and (or contentment in fairness to some sectors). With
varied passions and inspired with whatever ideologies or principles,ostensibly
prescribe ow people should be governed and what public administration ought to be.
Has Philippine public administration reached a point of irrelevance? Or has Philippine
public administration remained firm and is still a showcase of democracy? Personally,
how would you like to be governed? Present a valid argument regarding this issue.
Answer:
The Philippines has gained normal popularity in terms of public administration
and local governance. Many issues and concerns have been imbued to the Philippine
public administration in favor of the government and of the people. However, history
traces that Philippine public administration have been more prone to some problems
of public governance, most especially to bureaucratic red-tape and graft and
corruption. The Philippines has not reached a point of irrelevance because local
governments are still active and becoming more competitive. On the other hand,
Philippine public administration is a fragile democracy because of administrative
problems, more so of policies compromising the rights of democratic regime and the
Filipino nation. Philippine policy is more likely governed by rationality and state-
oriented principles rather than being guided by the interests of the common
people/masses.
My personal opinion is that the Philippine public administration should be
more idealistic rather than being more realistic; both things should be theoretically
balanced at some point. Public governance or local governance should be moored on
the true will of the people and not on the desired wants of the administrators. This can
be achieved through proper public management, public consultation and efficient
achievable policies that benefit not just one class but all classes of society.

3. Consider the objectives or programs of your own agency or the basic reasons why
your agency was created or established. Now, from the article written by Lamarca as
presented in your module, from what concepts or perspectives (eg. TPA, NPA, DPA
or DPA refocused) were these programs/objectives might have been patterned or
conceptualized? Why? Is your agency effective and efficient enough in contributing
towards the attainment of the ultimate objective of “Public Administration”? State
your justfication.
Answer: The agency’s programs or objectives are anchored more on Development
Public Administration Refocused. These patterns might not have been patterned or
conceptualized but rather used as a complimentary cure for societal problems that
exist as the world evolves to technological advancement. Nonetheless, the agency is a
utility vehicle to providing public needs and continuing sustainable growth through
continuous collaboration and performance of rightful governance and public
administration that follows the law and respects the Constitution.
4. What do you think are the possible constraints that inhibits the Philippine
bureacracyto promote the culture of excellence in the delivery of basic social
services? Cite partivular examples.
Answer:
In the Philippine bureaucratic government, tardy bureaucracy, red-tape, graft
and corruption and patron-client relationship are still plaguing the area of public
administration and public service. Most government agencies and instrumentalities
have commonalities when it comes to these problems. One example is the
Commission on Audit (COA). Many government agencies have clamored for a more
transparent administration of the COA in the area of auditing. COA requires high
standards in auditing process but cannot audit itself. Many say that COA is one of the
corrupt and perverted agencies of the government which also has to be audited.

5. NGOs/POs have become emneshed in a complex wen of relationships with state

agencies and actors since 1986 that they played very important role in putting an end
the 25 years of Marcos Administration. In your own viewpoint, do these NGOs and
POs really manifest and carry the popular will of the people? Are they really efficient
and effective partners of the government in pursuit of good governance? State your
opinion regarding this.
Answer:
Non-government Organizations and People’s Organization in the last 3
decades have become highly-significant especially in the areas of their own respective
purposes. The downfall of the Marcos administration has had paved the way for the
rise of the pressure groups and interest groups. However, some of these groups
including POs and NGOs are prone to the bad influences of several political desires of
people in power or even people seeking for power. But essentially, POs and NGOs are
an active part of the Philippine democracy as they try to make ways for people to
participate in governance of public administration decision-making. They are one of
the indicators of a healthy, vibrant and participative democracy.
6. What suggestions will you offer fro your agency to undertake in order to contribute
in the pursuit of an “Ideal Public Administration?” Make a simple operational plan or
action plan.
Answer:
Considering all the presented facts, in order to achieve “Ideal Public
Administration” is to be completely transparent, promote honesty and efficiency that
does not tarnish its own existence in the hearts and minds of all public servants. All
public service agencies, whether service utility or government instrumentalities,
should promote justice in every undertaking and doing of the agency. Policies,
protocols and orders should be practiced by heart and not by a mere compliance.
Systems should always be made available and dependable and should protect and
concern the integrity of the government, workers, the people and stakeholders.
Below shows the schemes to have a Ideal Public Administration.

Activity Outcome Mechanisms

Strategic Planning Goals and Objective organizational interaction
and learning
Development programs Socio-Economic Formation of development
Transformation bodies and authorities
Service Program Performance Training
Page 57
1. Evaluate/assess your own organization in terms of its human resources. In your
assesment, consider the following:
Part I:
A. Conduct a human resources inventory and try to find out if your organization
possesses the right number of qualified employees.
Answer:
As far as human resource is concerned, there are a total of 28
workforce. I submit that we had qualified employees on the basis of
monthly report that is being evaluated.

B. Identify the personnel--related strengths and weakness.

Answer:
The strengths are the following:
1. Flexibility
2. Holistic focus

The weaknesses are the following:

1. Lack of clear evaluation
2. Lack of Generalizability
Part II:
A. Design simple personnel development program in order to maintain those
strengths and minimize those weaknesses related to your human resources.
Answer:
Personnel Developmen Program
1. Employee Training
-It enables to refresh the course and acquires additional
knowledge.
2. Team Building
-strengthening bonds between members of a group for the
purpose of more efficiently achieving the organization's goals.
2. The Philippine bureaucracy is said to be bloated or overstaffed. Some sectors,
however believe otherwise. In your own assessment, is the government really
overstaffed or understaffed? Explain and justify your stand. Cite examples and
statistics backup your point.
Answer:
I believe that the Philippine bureaucracy is not really overstaffed. 2017 reports
show that there are more than 1.3 million workforces in government working in the
civil service. Through the years, the Philippine bureaucracy has become bloated that it
can no longer sufficiently provide efficient service to the people due. For 2017 alone,
29.57% of the P3.35 trillion national budget (or P990.5 billion) is allocated for
Personnel Services (PS), an increase from 2016’s 27.05% equivalent to P812 billion
and 2015’s 28.62% or around P746 billion, according to Senator Loren Legarda
(http://www.opinyon.com.ph/index.php/2324-downsize-bloated-bureaucracy).
Sad to note, majority of the workers are not really qualified and some are just
political appointees who came from the culture of the so-called “padrino system” or
patronage politics which undoubtedly brings inefficiency and corruption and
certifiable government service and indeed which makes the government an inefficient
machinery of the State.

3. The budget reflects what the government does and is indicative of whatever
directions it intends to pursue within a financial timeframe and under particular
considerations. From the past few years, and if you are going to analyze the Philippine
National Budget, what has the Philippine government apparently been prioritizing?
Identify the possible short term and lng term implications to the overall well-being of
the entire Philippine society with regards to these government priorities as reflected in
the prvious national budget.
Answer:
In the Philippines, education is still the top priority of the government when it
comes to budget allocation that is flagged in the national appropriations as much as
many Filipinos are still undereducated; one major cause why the country’s total
unemployment or underemployment rose to fame.
However, since the advent of the Duterte administration, the budget allocation
had turn around, Duterte sought for drug use to be totally eliminated from the
Philippine society to the maximum point that the Philippine National Police got the
highest salary adjustment over all the workforces of the nation just to look after drug
lords, users and pushers that who continue to pest even the younger generation in
exchange of business interest of drug manufacturers whose products are being
imported covertly into the country. One more problem is that many of our local
politicians and/or lawmakers in the Congress are involved in the rampant activity for
they protect businesses as they take accounts from financial generation out of it.

On the other hand, if we are going to analyze the budgeting system of the
Philippine government nowadays in terms of its long-term effects, it is more of
counterproductive because the sectors that need the biggest financial appropriations
are left behind from the bracket of sectoral representation.

4. The Philippine national budget process undergoes four stages, where would you
think the bottleneck in the budget process lies? Why? How about in the local budgets?
Answer:
The appropriation of the national budget usually experiences logjam in the 2nd
stage where the budget of each government agency has to be authorized. This is
because the process takes too long when both the Senate and the House of
Representative comprehensively scrutinize each budget allocation especially when
there is a need to clarify things with regards to appropriations. In the local budget, the
provinces and cities are the ones responsible for decentralizing appropriations for the
programs and projects needed by the locality over which they exercise jurisdiction.

5. The implementation of RA 7160 is in line with the government’s decentralization

policy to make local government units more automous, Did RA7160 achieve this
purpose? In your own personal opinion, assess the contirbution of decentralization to
local fiscal administration. Has this strateguy improved the financial autonomy of
local government units? If so, in what ways?
Answer:
RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 was signed into law to
protect and ensure local autonomy and effective allocation of financial wealth to local
government units through a system of decentralization. The law continuously become
a groundwork of local government units and achieves its purpose for local
governance. But because local governments are given optimum autonomy of fiscal
administration, there is a tendency that corruption and perversion of the taxpayer’s
money might have been flagrantly palpable in LGUs especially when influenced by
big politicians or traditional politicians.

6. What are the modes of decentralization to attain local autonomy? Discuss/explain

each concept including the advantages and disadvantages.
Answer:
Deconcentration refers to the transfer of function to lower level
administrative units designated by the central office. It is a management tool
to decongest central office including routines and administrative matters. In
1972, the Integrated Reorganization Plan (IRP) has made significant
contribution to the Philippine government when it made a division of the
country into administrative regions and government agencies throughout the
country.

Advantages 1) Central governments have the privilege to transfer

their duties and functions when it feels like workloads
are clogged in the main unit of the government.
2) It can create strong field administration or local
administrative capacity under the supervision of central
government ministries.

Disadvantages 1) Officials who transfer their powers and duties will

be used to doing it upon their subordinates until they
become inefficient in service.

Devolution is the transfer of powers and authorities to lower level political or

local government units that have own elected local executives, local legislative
body, taxing powers and jurisdiction over certain geographic areas.

Advantages 1) To ensure active and efficient public service, local

government units are tasked by the government thru RA
 7160 and the Constitution to govern local areas of the
country.

Disadvantages 1) Local governments that have independent control

over local funds tend to be corrupt and ineffective
especially when driven by political and personal
agenda.

Debureaucratization is the transfer of powers and authorities to units not

within the purview of the government such as NGOs, POs private sectors and
other actors in the civil society.

Advantages 1) Civil societies are efficient ways of addressing public

concerns that the government should attend to.
2) They are one of the indicators of a healthy
democratic participation.

Disadvantages 1) Some civil societies go against the government

goals and instead pursue their own interests.
2) Creating/establishing NGOs and POs requires efforts
and financial generation which some do not have the
capacity to maintain.

7. Asses the involvement of these NGO , POs in state policy advocacy. Is there
involvement really plays a very significant role in the formulation of responsive and
relevant public policies? Do you think that in your own simple way, have also a role
to play in policy information? How?
Answer:
NGOs and POs serve as alternative to people’s participation for public policy
advancement. They provide services to society through community welfare activities
for community development, assistance to national disasters, sustainable system
development and popular movements. In a democratic country like ours, they play a
critical part in developing society, improving communities, promoting citizen
participation and the promotion of social or political change in a broad scale.
 NGOs and POs are one of the indicators of a healthy democratic country as
they serve s people’s representatives of different sectors from all walks of life. We
also have the important roles in playing policy formulation. Each of us can participate
in electoral process through practicing our right of suffrage, participate in a plebiscite
for an important public question such as constitutional reforms, referendum in a
particular proposal of a law and people’s initiative to reject of approve a certain
proposal of a law.

8. The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards in Public office contains provisions on
how public officials and employees carry themeselves while in the civl service. But
these are easier said than done” present a valid and comprehensive argument
regarding this issue.
Answer:
It is easier said than done that public officials and employees are promoting
and upholding the essence of code of conduct and ethical standards. Most of these
servants find it hard to follow the norms of conduct stipulated in the code because of
the influence of politics and personal agenda. They don’t care anymore about their
integrity and most especially the integrity of the civil service and the government as a
whole.

9. If you are going to design a program/project in yor own organization geared

towards upholding the time honored principle “public office is a public trust” what
would it be? Present the details of your program.
Answer:
Name of Program: Freedom Wall
Rationale: It presents the opportunity that anyone can post and write
what they wish without attaching their name. It is an exercise of free speech. The
organization through this can listen,consult, engage and explain to people that build
strong connections to the public and if it's possible they'll feel more motivated in their
work and task.