Throughout our history, there have always been scandals, violations of public trust and ineffective individuals and groups. But the costs keep getting higher and the missed opportunities more consequential.
A lack of foresight to plan for the future is a perennial problem in government. Electricity shortage, water shortage, food shortage, classroom shortage, flood control, garbage systems, building codes, proper zoning, overpricing of services and products, management failure, and the list goes on and on. Given this scenario, our country is doomed if we don’t shape up. The government must drastically straighten itself up and clarify their objectives in public service in order to stop ineffective actions. Let’s not wait for another catastrophe or tragedy to happen again. We must keep in mind that the recent turn of events have not only caused a big blow on our image in the international community but have added more reasons for the public to lose their trust in government.
How can P-Noy restore the respect of the citizens in government if he continues to allow mediocre performance in the public arena?
It is always easy to blame it on media but how can you stop the press from talking or writing about the unremarkable failures that have been discovered and that are yet to surface?
The confidence level in the public sector of our leaders is low. Honorable public servants go unnoticed with the media for obvious reasons that they put more attention on those with dishonorable actions in their effort to be watch guards.
Failure in leadership started even way before Typhoon Ondoy. Mishandled emergency situations can be attributed to our ignorance, competence and unpreparedness. Our public servants lack foresight to plan for the future. Our officials (even at the Barangay level) have failed to read and act on environmental reports that have led to an inability to ensure help for disadvantaged fellow citizens.
Making the situation potentially worse is a shortage of talent (or knowledgeable people on the job) to turn this around. Our government faces a human capital crisis. The brutality of politics discourages potential candidates for elected office.
Effectiveness requires professional talent focused on outcomes with wide public interest in mind. If government agencies do not perform to high standards, they cannot attract the best people. At present, actions made by these unfit officers (willy-nilly taken) have failed and if we don’t improve we will be a ruined, hexed and shattered nation.
Politicians who try to manage crisis in an aimless, reckless, haphazard way, get trapped by their own words with absurd and irresponsible statements, thus easily losing public trust and respect. In hindsight, the interviews conducted with the officials at the height of the recent hostage taking drama did not only create complications so it seems but more so showed how ill-prepared and insensitive some of our public servants can be. When all communication channels fail at a time of crisis, negotiations and rescue operations get bungled up. Result can be fatal.
I know that P-Noy has all the best intentions to increase the performance tracking in government but maybe he should strengthen some more his rule and tighten his grip to get things done.
Perhaps one of the difficult tasks for a president to discharge is that of letting go those closest to him on account of deep personal ties or friendship, even if they have become liabilities or burdens to his presidency. Whether anyone the president has appointed has become a liability or a burden inimical to good governance – is a judgment call of the president. After all, it is the president who bears the responsibility for the actions of his appointees especially his so-called “alter egos”.
President Marcos was confronted with the difficult and painful duty of relieving two of his closest friends on account of the 1982 Bar scandal. Marcos, owing to public pressure, asked for the resignation of all members of the Supreme Court – he accepted the resignation of two of his law school classmates. The two were Marcos’ appointees.
In the case of President Ramon Magsaysay, he relieved his executive secretary for appointing a nephew of Mrs. Luz Magsaysay as Military Attache in the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. Magsaysay said the appointment went against his executive order on nepotism, adding: “We have sacrificed so much to restore public confidence. But this country is bigger than any of us.” Of course the relieved executive secretary was designated PNB Director, and later was appointed to the Court of Appeals, thereafter going to the Supreme Court where he became Chief Justice. Though somewhat impulsive in berating his appointees, Magsaysay delivered the message to the people that in his administration there are no sacred cows.
Of course, in the case of P-Noy’s predecessor, public accountability was a myth and a farce. Everything was sacrificed for political survival. Erring public officials were not dismissed but moved to better paying posts. Sanamagan!
Public service is a high calling. To restore respect for government, leaders must carry out meaningful and beneficial functions. Politicians should stop making their services a lifetime career. It is a service. Therefore, they must know that they should not make money out of government money (or government projects) – or the people’s money for that matter. It is a crime to rob the people of their hard earned tax money. On the other hand, the Filipinos must also learn to demand, make public officials accountable for their actions and make them more responsible for their motives.
Our government’s function should create value for the public. Good governance should top the list of their agenda. When criticisms and anti-government rhetoric whether constructive or destructive go unchallenged and voices of respect are silent, we will never get a good government. The system will continue to rot from within, spoiling even the best apples.
P-Noy lost his ground during the hostage taking crisis. He is trying hard to recover by taking all the blame. But I hope that he will not have to do this all the time. He must take command, his deceptive meekness must vanish, he must shrug it off as one discards an outworn cloak and he must rise to the challenge of the presidency.
During the early days of the campaign period, P-Noy had this divine spark which many people were allured to. Indeed, his lack of decisiveness (weakened command) during the hostage crisis created a dip in his performance. I pray that he will vindicate the trust that hopeful millions have reposed on him.
It may give some a personal “feel good” high to claw down those who we believe were mighty, sassy and “privileged” during the GMA regime, but this is not time for fun and games – no politicking in other words. Our solons should stop pointing fingers at one another. There are far more important things to be done. We must concentrate on getting our act together instead of being diverted into a sideshow of endless “investigations” and internal bickering. We’re in a crunch, and you’d better believe it. It is time to concentrate on getting things going again, reducing that awful budget deficit and attracting investments both foreign and domestic.
But then again, who will invest in an utterly disorganized and extremely corrupt country? C’mon. If the truth hurts, it’s not a smear – it’s the awful truth.