The Meaning of Governance

Though its root word is “govern”, which is found in the word “government”, governance reaches

far beyond “government” as we know it generally. Thus, it can be quite difficult to grasp. In a

coalescence of definitions from my understanding, it can be defined as the way in which a governing

body exercises economic, political, and administrative power over a country through traditions and

institutions to properly allocate resources to promote the country’s development. Governance

encompasses both the state (the public, the politicians) and the civil society (the private sector, the civil

servants). Therefore, according to the Country Governance Assessment (2005), it is largely in charge of

the operation of society on a micro and macro level, as it establishes “the system through which citizens,

institutions, organisations, and groups of society articulate their interests, exercise their rights, and

mediate their differences in pursuit of collective good.” Basically, governance creates the domain in

which we all exist and function. This collective good can only be achieved through sound governance,

which, according to the UNDP, is “participatory, transparent, and accountable” among other traits.

Nonetheless, governance is not can be as complicatedly bureaucratic as much its definition is

complicated, which doesn’t always mean it is sound and may yield grave consequences. An example

would be the late responses of the Department of Health to COVID-19 issues in the Philippines, as

opposed to the military, because of their thorough bureaucratic procedures.

My own concept of governance is very much an economic similar to this, but I want to focus

more on the exercise of power to establish a system. Essentially, as I previously stated, governance is the

process that creates or institutionalises the domain in which we operate as individuals and groups of

people. In a way, it almost creates or at least shapes our reality, which goes to show how much power a

governing body really commands. For example, if the Philippines’ governing body preferred it, we would

be living in a Communist society. Perhaps we would be modelled more after China rather than the United

States. Furthermore, good governance supposedly amplifies the voices of the marginalised and vulnerable

in society so they can get their share of the development resources, as stated by UNDP. However,

Philippines once again, and even countries like the United States, at times lack this, and so the reality in
which the marginalised Filipinos exists in is one where the President commands his armed forces to shoot

the poor people for rioting in the streets due to hunger, whether or not they were instigated by Kadamay.

In the past, the reality was the dark and bloody reign of martial law. It is rather startling for this to be the

reality, the institutionalised system that we live in, but the governance of the authorities has created this

reality.

Governance is a complex concept to understand and a tricky to execute, especially if a governing

body seeks to govern correctly. While it can be a tool to build a prosperous and equal society, it can also

be wielded as a weapon in which to institutionalise an oppressive system that beats down its marginalised

when it should be uplifting them. Ultimately, it is all in the hands of the ruling body who wield the power

and the authority over the people. In light of recent events, it is extremely important we be critical of our

government’s governance, because our lives are at their hands.