September calls to mind Philippine Civil Service Month. This year marks its 109th anniversary which emphasizes the importance of “Republic Service” as exemplified by Filipino heroes in public service. Chairman Ricardo Saludo explained that civil servants are bound to serve not only the public, but, most of all, the Republic, which he used as an acronym for tenets to emphasize its value during the Philippine National Police (PNP) Performance Governance System Working Session held last month. He says further that the best way we can honor outstanding Philippine civil servants, especially those who were killed in the line of duty and those whose sacrifice and work led to outstanding achievements for the Filipino people, is for the civil servants of today to practice the tenets of Republic Service, which we quote from his moving speech, as follows:
“R-esponsiveness requires all public servants to respond swiftly and adequately to public needs brought to their attention.”
“E-thics of the highest order must imbue a public servant’s life and work in government.”
“Public interest and welfare are what every civil servant should protect and advance. That means serving them with compassion (malasakit) and caring (kalinga) and the public’s interests must come first, and must be served immediately (mamamayan muna, hindi mamaya na).”
“Ser-vants, what people working in government are. Their position, power and prestige that come with it are for public service. The citizens lining up to ask for service or help are the bosses and they must be served with courtesy, competence, honesty and speed.”
“V-ision for a better nation and society, what must guide the civil servants’ daily work.”
“I-mpact. A civil servant’s work guided by a vision must result to tangible improvements in the lives and future of the people.”
“C-ommitment is the source of strength for true public servants to face the challenges of government work, embracing limitations, dangers and sacrifice in dedicated labor for the nation and its people.”
“E-xcellence, the opposite of that unfortunate Filipino phrase “pwede na”. A civil servant must always be and do better than ever, striving constantly to improve work, improve skills and knowledge, thereby improving our systems and institutions and redounding to improved public service, the best that can be given to the people.”
A World Bank survey last year showed that the Philippines ranked a low 133rd out of 178 countries in terms of the “ease of doing business” because of the lack of reforms in the way its government agencies do business and serve the public. Red tape in the bureaucracy has consistently led to corruption, weighing down on the country’s competitiveness in the global economy. We commonly hear of the agony in dealing with government agencies where palakasan and money fixing (lagay) influence the way with which things are done.
We hope the presidentiables have thought about these badly needed reforms in our government systems in their respective platforms for governance. Positive change cannot be brought about by a new president alone, even if he is the popular choice. We need each individual, not only the workers in government, to change their attitudes and their values in the way they do things and in the way they deal with others. Each one can make a difference; collectively, we can make a positive impact for our own benefit as citizens of this country.