Shane: Hello everyone, It is a warm cozy night for me, and I hope for

everyone too! How are you guys? Were you all doing great?
Irvin: It is indeed a cozy night for me too, lately, (state your interests or
what keeps you busy short only).
Dustine: Well as for me, (state what keeps you busy too) and aside from
that I am excited for today’s podcast as we are discussing an important
topic again that will surely educate us and our viewers and listeners too.
Shane: A great segue there Dustine! Anyways, as you already mentioned it
for tonight’s topic we will talk about Public Administration of the Philippines
in the 21st century and where are we heading right now in terms of this
area. Sit back and relax as we elaborated on what kind of Public
Administration we had in our country. I am your host Shane Lamera,
together with Dustine Recario and Michael Irvin Mapiscay, this is the Gray
Area.

Shane: So before we dig into it, we should define first what Public
Administration is, the emergence and what is the significance of it to our
country. Administer came from the latin word Ad and Ministrarae which
means to serve or to manage. From this we take the meaning of
administration which is management of affairs for public or private. Since
we are talking about public administration let us know how it is defined by
other important personalities in this field. As we all know the most famous
person regarding this is Woodrow Wilson in which he wrote that public
administration is a detailed and systematic application of law. Another
broader definition rather than a traditional was given by Willow that
according to him public administration in the broadest sense denotes the
work involved in the actual conduct of governmental affairs, and in
narrowest sense denotes the operations of the administrative branch only.
Two of the most famous Filipino political scientists theorized about the
Philippine public administration, let us hear it out to Irvin.
Irvin: Alright, so as proposed by Alex Brillantes and Marisol Fernandez, the
Philippine public administration will operate as long as an institution which
addresses specific sectoral concerns exists. Hence, there is a massive role
of bureaucracy and the presence of three major institutions which are
education, politics and government. In 1950, public administration was
introduced as an intellectual discipline means it can be taught in
universities and colleges and in 1952 public administration at the University
of the Philippines was established with the Americans in order to
strengthen the public administration as a field of study.
Shane: Thanks Irvin, finally let us talk about the importance of public
administration. First, public administration helps us understand the
importance of leadership and governance. Second, it helps us to connect to
different global perceptions of development in today’s contemporary era.
And Lastly, it provides solutions on how to improve the competency and
efficiency of public administration here in our country. Speaking of
development, with regards to that, do you think that we are moving forward
to development or are we lagging behind? Are there any issues regarding
this? Where do you think we're heading to guys?
Irvin: Okay let me first start with this, So we all know that The Philippines
government is divided into three supreme branches right? the: executive,
legislative, and judicial, with the division of administration known as Local
Government Unit (LGU). Local government units are further subdivided into
Autonomous, Region, Provinces, Municipalities or Cities, and Barangays.
Only the President has the authority to conduct General Supervision over
the Administrative Division.
Dustine: Yes, and Public administrators are experts responsible with
putting government policy into practice. They manage the development and
execution of programs across a wide range of businesses, organizations,
and sectors, impacting both for-profit and nonprofit groups. Administrators
can specialize in a variety of subjects and have a substantial influence on
their communities while also addressing a wide range of difficulties thanks
to their expansive scope of practice.
Irvin: Exactly, Government is the sole lawful coercive institution. Any other
party's or individual's efforts at governance necessitate persuasion.
Individuals and rules agree to manage their activities and conduct by
collaboration rather than compulsion. Contracts, agreements,
commitments, and the "social standards" by which individuals conduct
themselves in society are all carried out without the use of compulsion.
Cooperation must be beneficial to all parties involved, or one party will
simply stop cooperating. As a result, all exchanges are beneficial to all
people involved, and civilisation is established.
Irvin: Aside from that, the Government is the sole lawful coercive
institution. Any other party's or individual's efforts at governance
necessitate persuasion. Individuals and rules agree to manage their
activities and conduct by collaboration rather than compulsion. Contracts,
agreements, commitments, and the "social standards" by which individuals
conduct themselves in society are all carried out without the use of
compulsion. Cooperation must be beneficial to all parties involved, or one
party will simply stop cooperating. As a result, all exchanges are beneficial
to all people involved, and civilisation is established.
Shane: It is likely the integral view right as they are all encompassing to
each other with one objective, to make the government function, since it
must be beneficial to all parties otherwise one party will stop cooperating.
Dustine: I agree with that, and in connection of what you have said Irvin,
the issues in public administration can differ greatly from one sector to the
next and have a significant and long-lasting impact on our communities
because they affect organizations ranging from public services and
community outreach to the environment and natural resources, as well as
innovations in governance, health, and technology.
Irvin: That is right Dustine, the government, on the other hand, uses force,
threats, robbery, kidnapping, slavery, and murder. The government is the
tax collector, police officer, prison guard, and executioner. Unlike any other
institution, the government sits as the judge in its own case and can
declare anything and everything it does to be "legal." The role of
government is to extract as much wealth as possible, and sometimes even
more, from productive members of society in order to distribute it to those
in power. Government impoverishes society and ruins civilization in this
way.
Shane: So where do you think guys we are heading to, is it towards
development or the other?
Dustine: In the case of public administration in the Philippines, we are
known to be one of the countries with a large number of corrupt politicians
serving in government. The Philippine Administrative System has changed
over time, been molded, and taken on new forms. The bureaucratic system
has evolved from the time of Spanish colonization to the current
administration depending on the requirements and preferences of the
administration. needs in terms of societal well-being. For example, in
PGMA’s Administration, the agricultural sector has witnessed a notable rise
of approximately 3% annually. The yield decreased by 1% as a result of the
drought in 2009 and 2010. Growth was structurally quite varied. Crops
contributed 41.2%, livestock 7.8%, poultry 10.9%, and fishing 32.1% to
overall increase. While during the Aquino administration, the industry only
expanded by 1% a year. In 2015 and 2016, the dry period reduced
production by 1.2%. Despite a budget that was more than twice as large as
it was during the Arroyo years, the time is regarded as the "lost" years of
agriculture and fishing. Growth was half of the ASEAN average of 2.2%
each year (with Indonesia reaching a high of 4% and Thailand reaching a
low of 0.7%). The status of the country's agricultural industry depends on
the administration's head of state. A better administration may occur if the
head of a particular administration was able to make the most of the
available resources while addressing emerging national concerns. It goes
without saying that we cannot rate an administration based just on one
sector. However, the main objective of public administration is to serve
communities in order to advance the common good and bring about
constructive change.
Shane: I agree with what you guys stated as the number one problem in
the public administration of our country up until now is the corruption, and
also the debt of gratitude, and the problem with staffing, some people can
have a position on the government if they have someone they knew inside,
not academically qualified but hired because of connection which seems to
be the problem of Public administration in our country. Let us look at the
past public administration of our country, how is it?
Dustine: When it comes to serving the Filipino people, the previous
administrations have been contentious. They are inconsistent in their
performance; although certain areas had success, others failed to advance
and further declined, such as our agricultural sector. The economy during
PGMA, was doing well. For example, The Arroyo administration touts its
economic development as the best in more than 30 years as the gold
standard for its success. During her administration, GDP growth was
officially claimed to have averaged 4.5% per year, compared to 3.9% under
the Aquino administration (1986–1991), 3.8% under the Ramos
administration (1992–1997), and 2.4% under the Estrada government
(1998-2000). Since 2001, the GDP has grown by 47.2% in real terms. But
the outcomes speak for themselves. However, she was unable to lower the
price of rice in our market or the agricultural industry as a whole. She was
also involved in numerous more scandals, including the Hello Garci
scandal. This only demonstrates that the success of an administration
cannot be gauged by the performance of a single sector; for example,
simply since PGMA led the government at the period when our economy
was doing well, this does not imply that other sectors are doing the same.
Shane: If we don’t have a good public administration then what kind of
goods & services can you offer to the people? That is why I personally
believe there is always a room for change, for betterment, for improvement.
If I were to give my suggestions on how to make public administration
accountable and decent, they must minimize red-tapes and must have
transparency and focus on being client-service oriented. For you guys, in
order for us to have better administration, what can we do as citizens or as
students?

Irvin: Accountability is necessary for good government. By participating

more, citizens—including students—can help make our government more
accountable. One voice may not have much of an impact, but it can
contribute to exerting pressure in the right direction (examples: join an
organization, regularly engage people in constructive discussion, and be
active and responsible on social media). First is, 1) Spread knowledge to
the general public. Understanding what good governance is the first step
toward achieving it. Effective policies and legislation follow from an
understanding of good governance. Make a YouTube video or a blog post.
Share it on Facebook or Twitter. However, be cautious not to deceive them
with anything you share. 2) Speak out in favor of sound legislation that will
result in significant progress.Sometimes a policy's intention or objective is
insufficient. You need to be skeptical of any words or phrases that could be
misused or that run counter to the policy's intended outcome.And Lastly, 3)
Encourage everyone to practice philosophy, read reliable news, and
participate in debates.Your ability to improve is tested during debates. You'll
worry about the country's state after reading the news. Knowing that
everyone has an opinion and that we must evaluate these opinions to
determine which ideas are most appropriate for our goals as individuals
and as a country is the basis of philosophy. To have a democratic society,
all of these are necessary. However, the most crucial component of living in
a democratic society is information and knowledge.
Dustine: Well for me, The current public administration shall encourage
more public personnel to participate in the opening up of government.
Increase the knowledge of public personnel and their open governance
skills. Give them the tools and training they require to communicate better
with the public, listen more intently, and respond more effectively to their
ideas.
Shane: That’s it for tonight! Thank you for all your sources and information
and we do hope that the government will hear our suggestions for the
betterment of our country.

Irvin: Yes as we all aiming for good governance,

Dustine: And also a strong, transparent and decent public administration.
Shane: Indeed, again I am your host Shane Lamera together with,

Dustine: Dustine Recario

Irvin: and Michael Irvin Mapiscay
Shane: And this is The Gray area.