FUNDAMENTAL

CONCEPTS OF ETHICS
AND ACCOUNTABILITY
IN PUBLIC SERVICE
LESSON 1
OBJECTIVES:

1. Develop deeper understanding of the concept of ethics

2. Explain the significance of ethics in public service

 ETHICS

• Ethics is considered as the ability and commitment of the employee to do

the right thing” (Henson 2016). Ethics as a concept is considered by Greek
philosophers as a “transcendental” set of norms of behavior drawing a fine
line between what is right and what is wrong (Argyriades 2016); it is an
imperative in the public service and is an important component of
development sustainability in local government planning (Alibašić, 2018).
Ethics is a set of norms and behaviors considered as standard in a given
profession. It defines who should practice it and who should not.
ETHICS IN PUBLIC SERVICE

• In the public sector, the concept of ethics is associated to leadership. It is a set

of norms and standard of behaviors of doing the right thing in public office. It
sometimes referred to as the “public ethos”. They are the moral principles that
govern the operation of the public sector. It is the exercise of power, authority.
Persuasive ability of a moral person, usually a leader, who motivates his
subordinates and cohorts as well as the public, to do the right thing in the right
way for the right reasons. This ethical dimension involves the person’s
character, actions, goals, honesty, power, and values.
ETHICS IN PUBLIC SERVICE

• In the study of government and public management, ethics management is

defined as the process of applying ethics to organizational contexts, aiming
at promoting ethical conduct and preventing unethical behavior. The field
of ethics management embraces various tools available to manage ethics in
organizations to promote professional conduct and impede unethical
behavior including ethics codes, ethics committees, ethics audits, ethics
training, and other disciplinary measures for sanctioning unethical
behavior and rewarding ethical behavior
ETHICS IN PUBLIC SERVICE

• The need for ethics in public service is universally recognized. In the

Philippines, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public
Officials and Employees is explicitly provided for in the 1987 Philippine
Constitution. Nevertheless, despite the presence of too many laws on
ethics to achieve a well-functioning public administration, the general
observation on the Philippine bureaucracy is the lack of actual adherence
to these norms of conduct and ethical behaviors.
The following passages are lifted from the research article of Camaya and
Gabriel (2019); on ethics and professionalism in some Local Government
Units in the Philippines.

“The need for ethics in public service is universally recognized. Ethics is a

set of norms and work standards that govern the conduct of government
personnel contextualized in the different political territories all around the
world. For instance, In the United States, the American Society of Public
Administration drafted and implemented the Professional Standards and
Ethics in 1994; in Canada, the Values and Ethics Code was written in 2012;
in the United Kingdom, the Civil Service Code was promulgated in 1996.
In the Philippines, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards is explicitly provided for
in the 1987 Philippine Constitution. And as offshoot of the constitutional mandate,
several ethical codes were formed, the Philippine Civil Service Law; the Code of
Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, also known as RA
6713; and the Anti-Red Tape Law or RA 9485, in addition to institutional policies, rules,
and regulations promulgated and implemented in each government office, bureau, or
corporation
(De Leon and De Leon Jr. 2014).
According to Rose (2017), ethics as a practice, is necessary for achieving a well-
functioning public administration. For Robertson 2017 it is a set of moral principles that
govern the public sector.
 The role of ethics in the organization is to enhance ethical governance (Saban 2016). But
despite the crafting of too many laws on ethics and values in public service, a few studies
on ethical standards and shared values linked to transparency and accountability in the
Philippines show that among government personnel, more actions are being essential to
ensure its reflection in high level of actual adherence
(Gabriel 2017; and Gabriel and Gutierrez 2017).

In the Philippines, the exact opposite of professionalism is mistakenly perceived in the

operation of the bureaucracy, thereby creating distrust of the public to the public institution
(Brillantes and Fernandez 2011).
The perceived unethical bureaucracy, being the nexus of democracy and the
people and as legally prescribed by principal agent theory, paints an ugly
picture of the system
(Ita and Titus 2018).

Consequently, the public is conditioned to settle for substandard government

services committed by unethical leaders and government personnel (Alfiler
and Nicolas 2007), alongside to this is the inconsistent implementation of
the laws on ethics.”
-Camaya and Gabriel (2019)
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6713
FEBRUARY 20, 1989
CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL

STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES, TO UPHOLD
THE TIME-HONORED PRINCIPLE OF PUBLIC OFFICE BEING A PUBLIC
TRUST, GRANTING INCENTIVES AND REWARDS FOR EXEMPLARY
SERVICE, ENUMERATING PROHIBITED ACTS AND TRANSACTIONS AND
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS THEREOF AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
REPUBLIC ACT 9485
ANTI RED TAPE ACT OF 2007

Aims “to promote transparency in government with regard to

the manner of transacting with the public by requiring each agency to
simplify frontline service procedures, formulate service standards to observe
in every transaction and make known these standards to the client.”
REFERENCE:

• Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards

https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1989/ra_6713_1989.html

• Anti Red Tape Act

https://caro.doh.gov.ph/anti-red-tape/#:~:text=transactions%20in%20government.
%E2%80%9D-,Republic%20Act%20No.,these%20standards%20to%20the%20client.
%E2%80%9D
Thank You!