College : ARTS AND SCIENCES Campus :

BAMBANG

DEGREE BSPA COURSE NO.

PROGRAM
SPECIALIZATION COURSE TITLE

YEAR LEVEL TIME FRAME 6 HRS WK 1-2 IM 1

NO. NO.

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

PUBLIC POLICY AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION

II. LESSON TITLE

1. Introduction
2. Policies as Treated in the Constitution
3. Meaning and Scope of Public Policy
4. Aims of Public Policy
5. Public Administration, Public Analysis, and Public Policy

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

Article II of the 1987 Constitution is entitled “Declaration of Principles and State Policies.” This article is
intended to lay down the rules underlying our systems of government and must therefore be adhered to the
conduct of public affairs. And the resolution of public issues.
Policy determination is often dictated by the working forces in a democratic society. Public opinion, for one,
puts significant pressure on the part of the government’s policy direction. Mostly, government acts on them
by executing preventive and corrective measures, thereby enhancing the image and acceptability of a
bureaucrat or administrator in power.

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Analyze the Policies and Principles as treated in the constitution;
2. Understand the meaning and scope of Public Policy; and
3. Distinguish and understand Public Administration, Public Analysis, and Public Policy.

V. LESSON CONTENT

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
Every organization or any state should have a list of principles or policies which will serve as the
basis of their workings and functions, and serves as the guidelines towards the achievement of their goals.
The Declaration of Principles and State Policies under the 1987 Philippine Constitution embodies the
political, social and economic philosophies and aspirations of our people and government. Some of these
are self-executory, while others are left for implementation by appropriate and pertinent laws. The state
principles and policies are the fundamental guidelines, directions, and aspirations of the Philippine
Government which the President and the Congress must address themselves as policy-determining and
decision-making bodies. The purpose is to emphasize and articulate more unequivocably the objectives
and limitations of governmental action in pursuit in the pursuit of the general goals announced in the
Preamble.
The Preamble is not considered a substantive right since its purpose is only to introduce, i. e. “to walk
before,” the Constitution. However, its function is not merely rhetorical as, in the first place, the Preamble
serves to indicate the authors of the Constitution, to wit, “we, the sovereign Filipino people”.

1. POLICIES AND PRINCIPLES AS TREATED IN THE CONSTITUTION

The main difference between principle and policy is that a principle is a rule that has to be followed
while a policy is a guideline that can be adopted. Principles and Policies are obligatory elements in a proper
management of legal system, a government or even an organization.
These Principles and Policies are treated in general terms as well as in specific provisions and are
distributed in different Articles in the constitution. In many instances, both the principles and policies are
contained in one provision.
Highlight provisions of the 1987 Constitution on Fundamental Principles and State Policies. Section
1 Article 2 provides: “The Philippines is a democratic and republican State. Sovereignty resides in the
people and all government authority emanates from them.”
Thus, the people are declared supreme. It is affirmed that every citizen is an individual repository of
sovereignty.
A republic is a representative government, a government run by the people. The essence of
republicanism is representation. A republican government is a responsible government whose officials hold
and discharged their position as a public trust and shall, “at all times be accountable to the people.”
Section 5. “The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property, and the
promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of
democracy.”
Section 12, which reads: “the State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and
strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother,
and the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing
of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the aid and support of
the government.” The theory is that the better the home, the better the nation; and also that the strength of
the family lies in the correct upbringing of its children.
Section 11. The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for
human rights.
This is an elaboration that the person cannot be deprived of life, liberty and property without due
process of law including the life of the unborn from the time of conception.
Section 15. The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health
consciousness among them.

Social Justice
One of the most serious problems of the nation is the acute imbalance between the rich and the
poor and the resultant divisiveness and hostility between them. This polarization has created an explosive
situation that, unless corrected in time, may lead to violent social upheaval.
 The plight of the millions of our impoverished masses is best told in the story of the ditch-digger,
who was asked why he was digging ditches. His reply: “I dig the ditch to earn money to buy the food to give
me strength.”
To him and countless other Filipinos, life is but an unending cycle of drudgery and toil. A ceaseless
struggle for survival for the elemental right to exist instead of truly living. Want is a constant companion.
Oppression is always close by. As for those interests intended to enhance the joy of living- these are total
strangers. One cannot enjoy the sunset when he must worry about the oil to light the lamp when the
darkness closes in.
To alleviate of these forgotten men, to give those less privileges in life more privileges in law, in the
words of President Magsaysay, our government has assiduously, if not always successfully, pursued the
policy of social justice enshrined in both the old and the new constitution.

2. THE MEANING AND SCOPE OF PUBLIC POLICY

Policies, are selected, planned line of conduct from which individual decisions are made and
coordination is achieved. It comes from the Latin word “Politencia” which means citizenship.
Policies are outlines of what a government wants to do and what it can achieve for the society as a
whole…
Public Policy is course of government action or inaction in response to public problems. It is
associated with formally approved policy goals and means, as well as the regulations and practices of
agencies that implement the programs.
Many sectors or groups in the society influence government policy. Policy determination is often
dictated by the working forces in a democratic society. Public opinion, for one, puts significant pressure on
the part of the government’s policy direction. Mostly, government acts on them by executing preventive or
corrective measures, thereby enhancing the image and acceptability of a bureaucrat or administrator in
power. The confidence rating alone for top level managers or leaders would usually influence several ways
of changing images and political leanings-one that is appealing and acceptable to the public.
Mindful of the political and social issues, interest groups bring forth heavy stress on the government
which places little option on the latter but either to act or not to act on certain policy concern. However, the
decision to act on it with haste, will certainly keep the opposition at bay. The religious organizations, for
example, in the Philippines are so potent that it can change or unseat a government in power. Due to these
pressure politics, leaders and politicians would discover ways to lure the religious sector by acting or
behaving in a manner consistent with their pronouncements and preferences.
Different forms of lobbying techniques as they spot the problem. With this, Congress or the
Legislative Department comes in but in many cases the government and the citizens may work together to
formulate a sound policy resulting from public opinion, which is seen as the most influential factor in policy
making process. Generally, public opinion is advanced through lobby groups, survey studies or media
exposure/mileage, thus influencing a plan of action (or inaction) on the part of the government.
The policy making process revolves within several factors, which trigger agenda initiation, government
formulation and implementation, and policy evaluation. In agenda or policy setting, government agencies
and officials usually meet to discuss the component problem and then formulate specific but responsive
course of actions, then implement them consistently. But the success or failure is determined through policy
evaluation.
Every policy designed for public purpose aims to bring about solvency and normalcy to the situation once
jeopardized. The success of policy implementation, however, is largely dependent on policy implementers.
This is the stage of the policy process, which is purportedly regarded as the common cause of policy defeat
and eventual failure.
 The people look at the government not only as an institution to which they render obedience. For them, it is
not only an agency that formulates and expresses their will and protects. They see governments as
ultimately responsible for the promotion and advancement of their welfare. The government is an
instrumentality designed to service the people’s needs from the womb to tomb, so to speak.
The government exists and does it really matter? Government policies generally are aimed at achieving the
betterment of the lives of the people in a state, or in crude terms, they refer to the ability of the government
to make things either better or worsts for the people.
The understanding of public policy is predicated then on general premises: What is the role of the
government? And does it really matter? There are varied basic principles of arguments that students should
get exposed to in order to understand the function of a government in the language of Political Science,
and the most basic of which is the falsability, an argument concerning the degree of relevance and impact
of a statement which is either potentially true or plausible false. At the heart of these political arguments
therefore lie some normative questions: What does government do? How does it serve the interest of the
public? And what is the nature of a good society?

3. AIMS OF PUBLIC POLICY

All Public Policies have the ultimate aim to fulfill certain goals the government has in mind. The
reason for the formation and implementation of these policies is the welfare of the citizens of the nation. So,
the government can use public policies to implement programs to achieve their goals.
Public Policy is an area of increasing study. Of concern in this presentation is the consensus-
building feature of policymaking in the United States/Philippines. The role of the government in following
the procedures established to achieve consensus and the importance of citizen participation in this open
process cannot be underestimated. The five central features of consensus building are separation of
powers, multiple levels of government, citizen participation, policy maker accountability, and individual
freedoms. These features frame the efforts of those who shape the public policies that determine the ways
laws are made and enforced and public funds are spent.
The guidance provides a framework for assessing the competition effects of proposals. This can
help ensure that no unnecessary or excessive restrictions on competition are introduced or retained. It is
designed to complement and extend existing guidance on appraisal in use in the public sector.
It is a noteworthy discipline examination and practice, meanwhile the appearance of public policy as
field of investigation, it has extended in theoretical scope and application. A noteworthy amount of the study
of public policy contains of the growth situations of current styles. In several developing countries, there is
excessive burden on the governments to speed up the growth of the nation, make usage of modern and
applicable technological inventions, accept and enable essential institutional alterations, upsurge the
production of the nation, make total usage of human and other sources, and advance the living standards.
These tendencies and growths have hence, improved both the magnitude and possibility of public policy.

4. Public Administration, Public Analysis and Public Policy

The study of Public Policy rather came late in the 1960s when research for relevance and meaning
of government programs became a growing call for bureaucrats and administrators. It was during this
period when a distinctive area of political science emerged and developed into what we know today as a
policy analysis. This aims to examine how policy was initiated, prepared, executed and reviewed and how
the policy outcomes could be improved for the better. Earlier in 1922, Charles Merriam, a pollical scientist,
started how to hypothesize the relationship between political theory and its application to reality.
The application of many suggest that public policy making will never end as problems emerged,
although appropriate policy designs surface. To Shafritz (2009), government perpetually suffers from a
problem similar to that faced by Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the indecisive prince of Denmark, Who struggled
whether “to be or not to be.” Governments are in constant flurry over what to do or not to do. And whatever
they do or do not do is public policy. All such decisions (including decisions not to make a decision) are
made by those who control political power and implemented by the administrative officers of the
bureaucracy. Thus, Public Policy and Public Administration are two sides of the same coin. One decides
the other does. They cannot be separated because one side cannot exist without the other. But because
policy is a continuous process, it cannot end with implementation. Whenever the government does
something, critics will suggest ways to do it better. This feedback ca be informal-from citizen complaints to
journalistic investigation-or it can take the form of an agency or legislative program evaluation. In any case,
new decision must be made even if the decision is to avoid making a decision.
Therefore, public administration cannot exist in a policy vacuum. It must have administrative
structures that are directed by leaders who wish to do something-if only to maintain the status qou. Thus,
all of public administration is inherently an instrument of policy, whether that instrument plays well, poorly,
or not at all.
Thomas Dye defined public policy as “whatever governments choose to do or not to do.”This
definition bears some limitations: “Do governments choose to do what they do?” Many policies came into
being as the result of incremental change in bureaucratic practice. In most cases, no one sets down and
figures out what should be done; the policy just grows as administrators react to events. Therefore, political
analyst, Roskins modified the earlier definition in this wise: public policy is “whatever the government does
to do or not to do.”
Policy, in general, is a course of action or a series of program adopted by a group or a person or a
government in view to address or respond to existing issues or concerns. An issue is a topic or matter of
significance; it is a recognized part of a political agenda which is being sought to remedy its spills. A policy
covers a bundle of decisions, and it involves a predisposition to respond in specific way. Hence, to
designate something as a policy suggests that a formal decision has been reached for execution and then
giving official sanction to a particular course of action. The term public is associated to a government in
power. Public policy then is an action taken by the government to meet a particular demand growing out of
the society. Public policy consists of the formal and selected decisions of government agencies.
Public policy carries the relational factors between what governments are trying to do and what are
actually happening. To understand an existing policy better, it is but rational to include as well the relational
linkage between policy and intention, between policy and action, and between policy and result. At the level
of intention, policy is reflected in the consequences of government action like the impact of the government
to the bigger society.
Public policy analysis is the study of how governmental policies are made and implemented, and the
application of additional knowledge to governmental policies for the purpose of improving their formulation
and implementation. Hence, public policy analysis has been referred to “the monitoring of different
government agencies that directly affect a specific community.” The kinds of topic examined can vary from
the impact of infrastructure in a city to smoking laws. The idea behind public policy analysis is to provide
the government with facts and statistics about the extent to which such initiatives are working.
Public policy can be understood as the course of action or inaction by the government with regard to
a particular issue or set of issues. Policy analysis is not only concerned on the three traditional ethics of
public administration: effectiveness, efficiency, and economy. But it also addresses the “what” of policy
making; that is the nature of government outputs and their outcomes. It can be gainsaid then that policy
analysis focuses more on the practical side than other aspects of comparative analysis. Hogwood and
peters (1991) in Hague (2001) declare the profession of policy analysis is to social science while medicine
is to biology. It applies a general body of knowledge to specific cases.
Policy analysis attempts to understand the role of governments with their outputs and outcomes of
the programs being pursued. Policy outputs and outcomes are often understood interchangeably but in
policy study, both words stand for their independent yet mutually reinforcing meanings. Policy outputs are
those referring to what the government does, or better put to what government chooses to do or not to do.
Policy outcomes by contrast refer to what government achieves or fails to achieve. While outputs are
reasonably measurable, outcomes are rather harder to quantify since outcomes are the effects of a policy,
both unforeseen effects and unintended ones. The playing field of policy analysis is a process of varying
but interconnected subsystems that is to complete a policy framework where it commences from initiation,
to formulation, to implementation, and to evaluation.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Discuss the importance of Policies in an organization?
2. What are the differences of Principles and Policies as treated in the Constitution?

ASSIGNMENT
1. Define the following:
a. Democracy
b. Republicanism
c. State
d. Sovereignty

2. Discuss the theory, “the better the home, the better the nation.”

EVALUATION
1. Define Social Justice? Explain why social justice is one of the serious problems of the nation?
2. Do you agree that sectors or groups in the society influence government policy? Why?
3. Reason out why the success of policy implementation is largely dependent on policy implementers.
4. Distinguish the three:
a. Public administration
b. Public analysis
c. Public policy