Profiling the Philippine

ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM
CHAPTER 4
The Philippines is a democratic state under a Republican system where all powers of the
government emanate from the people. Under the 1987 Constitution, the frequency of
elections is held every three years. The term of office of elected officials is fixed by law.
Reelections is generally allowed but not in the case of the President.

President who is the head of the government, and concurrently the head of the State, is
elected directly by the people for a term of six years, and so with the Vice President
elected at large for a term of six years, who will assist the President, in his executive
functions to implement the law faithfully.
Republican Government System
• A republic, based on the Latin phrase res publica (public affair), is a state in which
political power rest with the public and their representatives– in contrast to a
monarchy.
• The Philippines operates under a representative government, one that is republican
in character.0
 Leaders of Philippine Administration

● For more than 20 years since 1965, President

Ferdinand Marcos held an authoritarian
regime that prescribed for the basis of
national and local administration in the
Philippines, and issued presidential decrees at
will, including letters of instructions and
proclamations, which had the force of a law.
 Leaders of Philippine Administration

● In 1986, the People power revolution

catapulted to the office of the presidency,
Corazon Aquino, who earlier called for a
new constitution, the 1987 Constitution.
 Leaders of Philippine Administration

● Fidel Ramos was elected President in 1992

and continued the previous reforms of his
predecessor in the business of public
administration, as well as economic policies,
this time with a new mantra of Philippines
2000.
 Leaders of Philippine Administration

● In 1998, Joseph Estrada, who served as Vice

President, was elected the 13th President of
the Philippines, but halfway through his term,
President Estrada faced an impeachment
complaint and was later forced to leave the
palace on allegations of corruption and
betrayal of public trust.
 Leaders of Philippine Administration

● Vice President Gloria Arroyo succeeded President

Estrada in 2001 when the Supreme court declared a
vacancy in the Office of the President. In 2004,
Gloria Arroyo ran for president. Amidst allegations
of electoral fraud and rigging the elections, she was
declared by Congress as the President-elect and
made her the 14th President.
 Leaders of Philippine Administration

● In 2010, Benign S. Aquino III is

elected the 15th President of the
Republic of the Philippines.
 Legal and Institutional basis of
Public Administration
The 1987 Constitution vested the powers of government on the
Legislative (Art. VI), Executive (Art. VII), and Judiciary (Art. VIII).

Art. VII, Sec.

Art. VI, Sec. 1:
The Legislative (Art. VI),
shall be vested in the
Congress of the Philippines
1:
The Executive power shall
be vested in the President
of the Philippines
JUPITER
The Judicial power shal be vested in
one Supremem Court and in such
lower courts as may be established
by law.
 THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
FRAMEWORK
Local governments are widely recognized in every democratic state as general purpose
units created by the national government. They represent vital constituent parts of the
nation’s politio-administratie system, and play an important part in the administration of
public services. In the Philippines, local governments are polital subdivisions
created by law. These subdivisions are provinces, cities, municipalities and
barangays.
 National Government

Administrative Regions

Province City (Independent)

City (Component) Municipality

Barangay

Local Government Units

Subdivision Executive Legislative Local Special
Council Bodies
Province Governor Sangguniang Provincial Board
Panlalawigan

City Mayor Sangguniang City Boards,

Panglungsod Councils, and
Committees

Municipality Mayor Sangguniang Municipal

Bayan Boards, Council
and Committees

Barangay Punong Sangguniang Barangay

Barangay Barangay Development
Council
CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSIONS
The 1987 Constitution sets the organizational Framework among the major branches of
government, namely: the legislative, executive and judiciary. It also provides for
independent constitutional commissions: Civil Service Commission, Commission
on Elections and Commission on Audit.
 The Civil Service
Commission (CSC)
Under Art. IX-Bis commissioned to act on particular
areas of system regulation in the bureaucracy and
manages government personnel.
 Commission on
Elections (COMELEC)
Under Art. IX-C is commissioned to guarantee free,
orderly, honest, quiet and believable elections,
including plebiscite, initiative, referendum, and
recall through the enforcement of the related organic
laws.
 Commission on Audit
(COA)
Under Art. IX-D is the national accounting office of
the government that keeps the general account and
government expenditures.
 National and Local Government Relations
The Local Government Code instituted a system of decentralization and deconcentrated
field offices to the political subdivisions of the State. The National Government
devolved some political powers to Local Government Units (LGU).
 Political, Fiscal and Administrative
Autonomy
• Administrative Autonomy is granted to government employees in
the national and local bureaucracies that are appointed based on
merits pursuant to the rules and regulations prescribed by the Civil
Service Commission.
• Political Autonomy is served to elected government officers.
• Fiscal Autonomy is enjoyed by the judiciary as a government
department.
 Administrative System
Perhaps, one strong bargaining power of public administration in the
Philippines is its plethora of laws, rules and regulations. The existence of
government regulations on every aspect of administration may be observed
as the government’s strength is seen on one side; while, it may also be its
source of weakness, on the other side.
 Quasi-Judicial Bodies
• There are many administrative tribunals or quasi-judicial bodies where
aggrieved citizens may file their instant complaint as a way to seek
redress of grievance.
• The Constitution assures adequate legal assistance through the Public
attorney’s Office (PAO) in favor of a potential complainant and/or
(qualified) respondent of the case.
• There is a Commission for Human Rights, which is constitutionally
established under Art. XIII (Social justice and Human Rights).
 Civil Service Career

Entrance to the government service based on merit and

fitness is one characteristic of the bureaucracy that has
been recognized in all bureaucracies worldwide.
 Civil Service Exam
- It is a test to determine those qualified to work
in public service
- is the government’s way of screening and
selecting prospective civil servants in the
country.
 The Civil Service Examination has
two categories:

1. Sub-professional 2. Professional
- those who passed the exam at the sub- - passers of the exam for the professional civil service level
professional civil service level may only be hired may be accepted for both clerical (first-level) and technical,
for clerical or first-level government executive, or managerial (second-level) positions in the
employment. government.
 Civil Service Career

According to the Civil Service Commission

policies, skilled applicants applying for skill
position have to take trade of test with the
TESDA.
Who are exempted from taking the CSE in the
Philippines?
- Bar and Board exam passers, honor graduates
- Barangay officials
- Barangay nutrition scholars
- Electronic Data Processing specialists, scientific and technological
specialists
- Natural sciences, engineering sciences, mathematics, Information and
communication technology, categories I, and II - skills eligibility, and
those with veteran preference rating.
Importance of having civil service eligibility

one can apply for permanent positions in the government,

and be entitled to a number of benefits
 Tenure and Civil Service Category
- A civil servant shall enjoy a tenurial security until retirement (65 years of
age), unless one is separated for a just cause.
- Career Civil Service employees separated from service not for cause but
as a result of reorganization shall be entitled to appropriate separation
pay & to retirement and other benefits.
- There are certain officials and employees who, because of the nature of
their jobs, have tenure that is conterminous with the appointing
authority or subject to his pleasure which is limited to the duration of a
particular service.
 Levels of position in the civil
service:
1. First level positions
- refer to positions involved
in structured work in support
of office operations or those
engaged in clerical, trades,
crafts, or custodial service
- salary grade between 1-10
2. Second level 3. Executive
positions Class
- positions under the professional - the government’s managerial corps
category requires completion of at - Salary grade between 25 and 33
least four (4) years of college
studies or thorough knowledge of
specialized fields acquired through
completion of bachelor's, master's
or doctorate degrees.
- salary grade between 11 and 24
 System of Promotion
Promotion- is advancement from one position to another
with an increase in duties and responsibilities.
⁃ In the past, seniority was all too important an elements for
promotion but later the Civil Service Commission gave extra
premium on increasing performance thus, allowing for what is
known as "deep selection".
 Deep Selection - the process of selecting a candidate for
appointment who is not next-in-rank but possesses superior
qualifications and competence.
⁃ A lateral system of entrance is allowed even for high positions,
particularly for second level positions, where the pool for
selection is the entire bureaucracy.
⁃ The choice for first level promotion usually revolves only
among personnel of a particular office.
⁃ Career executive service officers are appointed to generic rank
and may be assigned anywhere for as long as there is no
diminution of rank or salary.
Public opinion polls in the Philippine bureaucracy result in
the dissatisfaction of the people towards the organization
due to:
1. Red tape
• excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules
that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders
or prevents actions or decision making.
2. Corruption
3. Inefficiency
 NGOs
- Primarily, NGOs were charitable institutions serving as the arms of local church
parishes to aid the poor and underprivileged sector.
- Later, NGOs assumed a more important position ni the Philippine governance
tradition, thereby elevating the importance of these organizations for political,
economic, and social purposes.
- NGOs became vehicles for advocacy works that revolved around specific concerns
of human rights, education, women, the disabled, and provided training for the
up skilled, among others.
 Citizen Participation
- Under the 1987 Constitution, the power to make, propose, or amend laws is also extended to the people, in whom
sovereignty resides, through the mechanisms of initiative and referendum.
• By initiative, it means that the authority is reserved to the people through direct participation of the electorate
in lawmaking processes either in national or local level.
• By referendum, it means the process with which the people are referred directly on any question of law passed
by Congress or a local legislative body for their approval or rejection.
- Absentee Voting Act in 2004
- Dual Citizenship Act
- The party-list representation system in the House of Representatives
- The recognition of the role of people's organization, voluntary groups and civil society, including NGOs.
- Commission on Human Rights
• conduct investigations on human rights violations against marginalized and vulnerable sectors of the society,
involving civil and political rights.
 Ethics and the Public Services
- is a broad and essential topic that focuses on the ethical principles,
values, and standards of conduct that guide the behavior and
decision-making of individuals working in government and public
sector organizations.
- The 1987 constitution provides an article, Article XI, as the basis law
regarding the behavior of public officers and employees. Article XI
has 18 sections devoted to the accountability of public officers.
-The Philippines has numerous laws addressing graft and corruption,
and ethics in the public administration.
- “Today, public opinions have revealed the general distaste of people in
the government organization: they regarded bureaucrats as not
honest, not transparent, and not neutral.”
 Management and Good Governance
-are two essential concepts that play a significant role in the effective
functioning of organizations, whether they are public institutions,
private businesses, or non-profit entities.
 Management
- involves the process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources (such as people,
finances, and materials) to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization.
a. Planning:
Identifying goals and objectives, devising strategies to achieve them, and creating action plans.
b. Organizing
Structuring the organization, allocating resources, and defining roles and responsibilities.
c. Leading
Guiding, motivating, and supervising individuals and teams to perform effectively.
d. Controlling
Monitoring progress, evaluating performance, and making necessary adjustments to stay on course.
 Good Governance
- refers to the principles and practices that guide c. Rule of Law
the decision-making and management
Adhering to legal frameworks and due process
processes in organizations, especially in
in decision-making and operations.
the context of public administration and
government. d. Participation

a. Transparency Involving stakeholders and the public in

decision-making processes.
Ensuring that decisions and actions are open
and accessible to the public, stakeholders, e. Responsiveness
and relevant authorities.
Addressing the needs and concerns of the
b. Accountability public and stakeholders.

Holding individuals and institutions responsible f. Equity and Inclusiveness

for their actions and decisions.
Ensuring that decisions benefit all segments of
society without discrimination.
 Good Governance
-Based on Civil Service Report, the importance of the use of
management information techniques in Public Administration is
essential for good governance, it said:
“Most government offices are computerized, but IT is not yet
fully integrated into most office operations. Some databases do
exist, but interconnection between among government offices
has not yet materialized to facilitate services and local area
networks or wide area network. Consequently, data collection
and analysis still require manual manipulation. There is wide
usage of IT for programmed presentations.”
 Some Keys of Public Administration
Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
- is a government agency in the Philippines responsible for overseeing
and regulating higher education in the country.
- CHED was established in 1994 as an independent body to institute
reform programs under the education sectors.
- Regulates both public and private tertiary schools in the Philippines and
offers a system of subsidies and deregulation status to schools which
have shown high performance ratings.
- CHED's primary mandate is to ensure and promote the quality and
relevance of higher education in the Philippines. It regulates both public
and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country.
 Some Keys of Public Administration
Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
- is a government agency in the Philippines responsible for overseeing
and regulating higher education in the country.
- CHED was established in 1994 as an independent body to institute
reform programs under the education sectors.
- Regulates both public and private tertiary schools in the Philippines and
offers a system of subsidies and deregulation status to schools which
have shown high performance ratings.
- CHED's primary mandate is to ensure and promote the quality and
relevance of higher education in the Philippines. It regulates both public
and private higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country.
 Environmental Concerns
Department of Environmental Natural Resources (DENR)
-It is a government agency in the Philippines responsible for the management and
conservation of the country's environment and natural resources. DENR has a
wide range of responsibilities related to environmental protection, resource
management, and sustainable development.
- in 1990s, the DENR launched a program for sustainable development. This served
as a framework for good government and governance and development in all
departments and agencies of the government including the LGU (Local
Government Unit).
- the DENR initiates policies, promulgates and implements laws for the protection of
environment, and penalizes offenders of anti-environmental laws.
 Social Policies
The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)
- It is a government agency in the Philippines responsible for the
management and conservation of the country's environment and natural
resources. DENR has a wide range of responsibilities related to
environmental protection, resource management, and sustainable
development.
- The NEDA integrates and coordinates social and economic polices for the
development and growth of the Philippines in general.
- NEDA established on July 22, 1987 is the country’s social and economic
development planning and policy coordinating body as mandated by the
Constitution.
 Other Sectors
Philippine National Police (PNP)
- The Philippine National Police is the national law
enforcement agency of the Philippines. It is responsible
for maintaining peace and order, preventing and
investigating crimes, and ensuring the safety and security
of the Filipino people.
- The PNP together with the armed forces of the Philippines
is the force that shall maintain the peace and order and
bring about, necessitating friendly regional relationships
or multilateral integrations.
 Challenges Towards Globalization Era
- Globalization permeates a holistic interdependence approach to
development cooperation among nation-states in the
international community.
- The era of globalization has brought about significant changes
and opportunities in the world, but it has also given rise to
various challenges. These challenges stem from the
interconnected nature of the global economy, technology, and
international relations.
- Towards onwards to the future, it becomes a great challenge
among public administrators to develop a high sense of
credibility in keeping with their mandates religiously.