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Is there a Philippine Public Administration? The author did not deny the fact that there is a Philippine Public Administration. He, instead, described what kind of Public Administration the Philippines had. It was stated that the public administration of a country is shaped by three major institutions: education, politics and government. The author describes education in the Philippines as poor especially in the areas of science,and History.
I have seen so many interviews by fellow Filipinos and foreigners asking Filipinos what they know about the Philippine history and most answers were just a shake of the head (indicating that they don’t know the answer) or a simple “hindi ko alam” (I have no idea). The Filipinos, then and now, are unaware of their identity. We have been colonized by different countries that our mindset is that anything is better than being a Filipino so we go seek a new identity to a foreign country. Another issue in education from the article was elementary teachers were being considered as professors.
It has been in the news or the papers that English proficiency is deteriorating here in the Philippines. The said decrease was caused by the quality of teachers being hired to teach the children and the textbooks being provided have so many errors. I have seen and read one of the textbooks being handed down to students and I have experienced sitting-in in an elementary public school class and I could not believe how many errors and inaccuracy they were providing to the children. Even the tarpaulin sign they posted outside their school had wrong grammar in it.
A mere sign they could not even get right, what more with what they teach their students? The author provided us, the readers, a brief history of politics here in the Philippines. He thought that the politics before and now are pretty much still the same. It was stated that the people were deprived of any meaningful experience in the politics of civil government. It was only those in the upper class or the principalia who is allowed to govern a town but were merely figureheads of the friar curates. The principalia had developed another form of politics.
This was the politics of the pueblos religious fiesta. It was a competition between families to get the post of hermano mayor, which is the sponsor and presiding officer of the fiesta. The post required effort and personal expenditure but rewarded by a few days of personal glory and was vied upon for the personal gain and not really for the well-being of the community. This was basically the basis of Philippines politics. The author mentioned: “The??old??(colonial)??and??the??new??political??ethics??have??become??one,??a??syncresis??or??a combination??of??often??contradictory??elements,??since??the??beginning??of??the??century.
The??victorious??elites??affirm??the??triumph??of??democracy,??the??victory??of??the??people;??and??the??latter??listen??to??finely??crafted??speeches??on??nationalism,??social??justice,??and??the popular??welfare. But??the??archetypal??lider??(leader)in??Filipino??politics??is??still??he??who gets??the??most??jobs??for??his??followers,??increases??his??income??when??his??faction??is??in power??(while??paying??less??in??income??taxes),??and??gives??the??most??help??in??various??forms??to??his??followers’??families. This??is??the??relationship??between??a??Mafia??don??and??his soldiers. ” I agree on the author with his claim. This evidently shows on every local or national sector of the government.
These are typical measures taken by politicians to acquire more votes. If they provide more help to their followers then others would take notice and probably vote for them in the next elections. I have been so exposed to different approaches of political leaders to gain more votes not only in my hometown but also to our neighboring municipalities. This has been such a common act that it seemed to be normal to give more to the followers instead of equally performing your duties to everyone. Even if some politicians provide equal handling, the amount of those who does not still over shadow’s the good politicians.
The Philippine government, like every government in the world, has its flaws. Cronyism is so rampant in the Philippines, most especially during the Marcos era. But the one thing that caught my attention was when President Noynoy Aquino promoted Manny Pacquiao to lieutenant colonel. Manny Pacquiao was enlisted in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army with the rank of Sergeant on April 27, 2006 as a form of courtesy by then Colonel Alexander Yano who was a Brigade Commander in Sarangani. After this, the promotions kept pouring and just right after his matches.
On October 7 2007, He was promoted as Master Sergeant after he defeated Antonio Barrera. I just don’t understand all of this. I don’t even know why he’s in Congress. All he does is train for a boxing match. How would he ever have time to do his duties to the citizens? And now he’s Lieutenant Colonel. Quoting a source: [President Benigno Aquino III] on September 21 authorized the promotion of Pacquiao from a reserve senior master sergeant to a lieutenant colonel. He skipped the ranks of??chief master sergeant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant, captain and major. Major Harold Cabunoc, the Philippine Army Spokesperson said: Being an elected official at ang karangalan na ibinigay ni Pacman sa buong bansa, at of course sa Army, parang hindi sapat na siya lang ay isang senior master sergeant,” Just because he’s the 8th time World Boxing Champion doesn’t mean he is qualified to lead a battalion in the army. This action of the government simply shows that they are not doing a good job running this country. They merely appoint people subjectively not considering the qualifications needed. I feel a sense of melancholy when I think about how much the actions of the government will affect its citizens and technically everything the Philippines represents.
I like how the author compared the government with the Pasig River. What once was a pulsing and living artery of commerce and life is now silted, dirty and dead. Like the author said, if a government cannot keep its toilets clean or cleanse a dying river and bring it to life, then it can neither govern well nor attain development for the people. Although its never too late to change for the better, it will take a long time to straighten our frail government. I don’t want to think that the Philippines will always be this corrupt and undeveloped country.