SANDAY, DHAIZA FAJADIYA A.

PA 203 – Principles in Public Administration

The Philippine Public Administration

Public administration is the cultivation of the human race to organize society and its capacity

to direct it by virtue of laws and regulations. It pushes communities to achieve a common goal

that is public - oriented (Caiden 1982 as cited in Brillantes and Fernandez, 2008). Studying and

learning about public administration is internationally recognized and given strong interest by

national governments and scholarly experts. This field of study is given great importance and

attention so that the institutionalized body can properly analyse and understand effective

strategies in managing their constituents (Gaylord, 2014). In the Philippines, administrative

principles and political structures were inherited from the United States during pre- and post-

colonial ties with the country (Hutchcroft, 2000). This statement coincides with that of Cruz

(2011) wherein she stated that “The country’s administrative practices and bureaucratic culture

are a blend of indigenous social forces, implanted norms, and colonial legacies.” The Philippine

public administration as a field of study was officially introduced in the 1950’s. It showcased

the inimitable way of Filipinos in running, managing, and organizing public service (Sajo,

1993). Raul de Guzman emphasized the fact that there is indeed a Philippine Public

Administration the same way that it does in America, France and Thailand; but it should also

be known that prior contextualization in the Philippine setting is required for appropriation of

the definition (Gaylord, 2014). The reinforcement of Philippine public administration as a field

of study can be attributed to the establishment of the Institute of Public Administration at the

University of the Philippines by the Americans in 1952 (Brillantes and Fernandez, 2008).

According to Sajo (1993), it is both a field of study and a government bureaucracy shaped by
three major institutions such as education, politics, and the government. It is influenced by 2

the technical aspects, the problem of democracy and accountability, the role of the people, and

the issue of indigenization. The realization of the Philippine public administration’s existence

comes from the presence of administrative structures, institutional processes, and a system

that guides these procedures (Brillantes and Fernandez, 2008).

Public Administration can be traced back to human history. It has been suggested that it is as

old as the ancient empires of China, India, Egypt, Greece, Rome and Mesopotamia. The

institutionalization of administrative capacity for collective purposes is the foundation of public

administration. Such arrangement has existed in all societies (Caiden (1982). All societies are

devoted to advancing the general welfare or the public interest. The idea that “public

administration should not be considered administration of the public but administration for the

public” has been practiced and expressed in the Code of Hammurabi, in Confucianism and in

the funeral oration of Pericles. (Caiden 1982:7).

In other words, the idea of client – oriented public administration has its roots ancient public

administration.

Caiden (1982) also noted that the genesis of Public Administration must have had originated

from monarchial Europe where household officials were divided into two groups: one in charge

of public affairs, i.e. the administration of justice, finance training of armies, and the other is

responsible of personal services. Rutgers (1998) supports this claim that (i.e. royal)

administration had already been manifested way back in the mid - 17th century and early 18th

century in Prussia.

F.K. Medikus (as cited in Rutgers 1998) likewise argued on the study of public administration

and its positions amidst the sciences in 18th century. He advocated “cameralism” and claimed

that it should be treated as an autonomous field of study of great importance of the state.
Cameral science is designed to prepare potential public officials for government service. This

practice flourished in Europe until the 21st century but it was, in the long run, replaced by

administrative law and legal studies.

The Evolution of Philippine PA as Practice and Body of Knowledge

The evolution of public administration as a practice and discipline can be categorized into two

major phases namely the traditional and modern phase. According to Brillantes and Fernandez

(2008), the traditional/classical phase dates back from the 1800s to the 1950s, while the modern

phase dates back from the 1950s up until the present. The Modern phase is subdivided into the

following phases: (1) development administration, (2) new public administration, (3) new

public management and reinventing governance, (4) and public administration as governance.

In the Philippines, these phases tackles areas such as reorganization, decentralization, and

corruption concerns (Brillantes and Fernandez, 2008). As stated earlier, the US government

had a direct effect that shaped the Philippine public administration. The traditional phase was

heavily influenced due to the existence of colonialism, but it is a fact that their influence persists

until today. The identity crisis carried on and it paved the way for the modern phase to take

place in the Philippine public administration (Reyes, 2003). Development Administration

focuses on emerging/developing countries. After World War II, these third world countries

struggled to rebuild in terms of economic, political, and administrative capacity. In the

Philippines, it would be more appropriate for it to be referred to as a nation trying to reestablish

its democratic framework of administration (Brillantes and Fernandez, 2008). The term New

Public Administration emerged from the 1960s to 1970s and Pilar (1993) recognized its

significance in the field of philosophy, content, purposes, processes, and techniques. He also

emphasized that it corresponds with the objective of the Philippine government. The idea of
New Public Management and Reinventing Government emerged from the 1980s to 1990s.

Doubts, questions, and queries about traditional administration strategies took place where

organizational reforms were demanded. It shifted from a client- or customer-oriented to being

more “business-oriented”. Maesschalck (2004) stated that “Similar movements such as

reinventing government and reengineering also emerged around the same time.” In the

Philippine setting, it was about this time when the country is undergoing massive changes after

the People Power Revolution. Sajo (1993) reiterated there was a shift from an authoritarian to

a democratic system during the late 80s. This was after the late dictator, President Marcos, used

the government to seek for US approval. From his ousting, the challenge was to know how

the current bureaucratic system can be reformed to cater a new government that is based on

democracy rather than a dictatorship. The main challenges then were to balance the distribution

of power, propose a better way in administering government, and use politics-administration

dichotomy to recognize the fact that administration will always be surrounded by issues in

politics (Sajo, 1993).Public Administration as Governance emerged from 1990s into the 2000s.

The term “governance” was endorsed by the United Nations, World Bank, and Asian

Development Bank. It involves a wider perspective and deeper meaning mostly refers to

government that “involves the institutionalization of a system through which citizens,

institutions, organizations, and groups in a society articulate their interests, exercise

their rights, and mediate their differences in pursuit of the collective good” (ADB 1995 as

cited in Brillantes and Fernandez,2008). The virtue of governance is geared towards

development, environmentally-sound administration, and globalization. In an administrative

perspective, governance deals with some of the principles of decentralization, participation,

responsiveness, and accountability (Cariño, 2000).