PA 210 MODULE 4
DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
PHILIPPINE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM
We have explained how the PAS may tap its
tremendous power base to “ empower” the public
and its clientele. Let us summarize these ideas and
state them as specific characteristics which the PAS
may develop when it exercises its power in the
manner described above..
1. The PAS is a just and fair law enforcement body if it treats everyone in
the same way, regardless of profession, position, income, and status.
2. The PAS is participatory and consultative when, as far as practicable, it
listens to and works with the people in the local language and keeps its
procedures simple.
3. The PAS is accessible if it identifies and minimizes access problems
that stem from physical distance, administrative requirements, and
financial costs that the clients or the public must bear in getting to or in
availing themselves of services.
4. The PAS favor decentralization if it recognizes the value of decisions
made at level closest to those who are affected by the decision.
5. The PAS is efficient if it provides more and quality service for the same
or less cost to the people.
6. The PAS is accountable for the use of all its power if it explains and
makes regular reports to the public and political leaders as to how it has
used the authority, resources, and information placed at its disposal to
carry out public policies.
7. Finally, the PAS promotes the cause of equity if it recognizes the needs
of the disadvantage in Philippine society and looks into how its programs
can provide them with alternatives when private services are beyond
their means.
We have just looked at how the PAS is expected to use its power
responsibly. We summarized the desired norms for the use of its
power in the form of characteristics that we expect the PAS to
develop so that it can in turn enable communities to relate to
government and acquire access to resources and services that
they need to resolve their problems and needs. In the last portion
of the module, I provide you with an empowerment checklist,
consisting of specific questions through which we may
determine whether these characteristics are manifested in
concrete ways.
DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS
1. Just and Fair Enforcement of Law
Support for violators who may not have access to lawyers. Enough information of
their rights and responsibilities.
2. Participatory and Consultative.
Uses local language and keeps procedures simple.
3. Accessible
Provisions of shuttle/ ferry services
4. Decentralized
Administrative decisions made at the level’s closest to those affected by the
decisions
DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS
5. Efficient and service-Oriented
Provides more and quality service for same or less cost to
Clients; reaches out to meet clients needs and not expect
Clients to adjust to organization.
6. Accountable
Publication of quarterly reports.
7. Pro-Equity
Ensures that poorer clients are not unduly disadvantage by
Procedures; favors programs which allow cross- subsidy
from those who have more to support those who have less.
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
1. JUST AND FAIR ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW
A. Are the PAS law enforcers clear on what the law
provides and how this is to be enforced?
B. Are they aware of special provisions that are intended
for particular types of offenders ( e,g., minors, cultural
communities)
C. Are sanctions on violators as mandated by law or
administrative rules enforced the same way regardless of
the violators’ position, income, status or influence in the
community?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
1. JUST AND FAIR ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW
D. Are these instances of politicians interfering in the
enforcement of laws or rules which tend to favor
influential parties?
E. Is there enough support for violators who may not have
the resources to hire the services of the lawyers
F. Is there enough information given to clients so that they
are fully aware of the rules and regulations and their
rights and are not disadvantaged by the organization's
control over information?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
2. PARTICIPATORY AND CONSULTATIVE
A. In the identification of the problem, was there a
particular target clientele in mind?
B. If there was such a group of clients, was there client
analysis done to have information about the group in
terms of how homogeneous they are and what interest
group exist among them?
C. Was there a deliberate effort on the part of the
administrators to get clients involved in the formulation
on identification of the problem?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
2. PARTICIPATORY AND CONSULTATIVE
D. To support client involvement in the definition of the
problem, were clients’ representatives given time,
resources, and facilities to use?
E. Did the organization provide ways through which clients
can participate in the determination of the strategy to be
adopted for dealing with the problem?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
3. ACCESSIBLE
A. Are these services made available to clients at a time
convenient to them rather than to the public officials?
B. Are more resources spent on client services rather than
on administrative infrastructure (I.e., office furnishing).
C. Are office staff deployed in such a way that front-line
offices have more staff during peak hours?
D. Is there a conscious effort to put better qualified
personnel in frontline service areas where there are more
over the counter transactions with clients?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
3. ACCESSIBLE
E. Is there continuous effort on the part of the
organization to make its frontline staff really service
oriented?
F. Are the procedures simple enough for the clients to
comprehend or comply with?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
4. DECENTRALIZED
A. Are administrative decisions and actions, as much as
feasible, at the level closest to the public?
B. Are the functions of the different departments
decentralized in order to reduce red tape, free central
officials from administrative details concerning field
operations, and relieve them from unnecessary
involvement in routine and local matters?
C. Are officials in field offices given the authority and
responsibility to use their discretion to accommodate
clients where necessary?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
5. EFFICIENT AND SERVICE- ORIENTED
A. Are offices grouped primarily on the basis of functions
to achieve simplicity, economy and efficiency in
government operations and minimize duplication and
overlapping of functions?
B. Is the organizational structure flexible enough to
accommodate the needs of clients and not simply the
efficiency consideration of the organization?
C. To what extent has the decision where to locate the
department’s field offices been guided by the need to
reduce physical distance between the organization’s
frontline offices and the clientele it must serve?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
6. ACCOUNTABLE
A. Is there mechanism through which the PAS reports to its
clientele regularly on the status of services it provides, how
resources are used and what its future plans are?
B. Is there a way for citizens or clientele to ask the PAS for
information on the problems which are they trying to resolve?
C. Is there too much stress on statistics and other reports
such that attention is defected from the service needs of the
clients?
D. Do the procedures provide for ways of checking possible
abuse, misuse, or non-use of administrative power or for a
grievance mechanism through which clients can seek
redress?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
7. PRO- EQUITY
A. Are there requirements that make unnecessary
demands and result in the exclusion of poorer clients ( e.g.,
request form in English not being understandable to
applicants who may not have gone beyond six years of
schooling, or minimum user fee which needy applicant
may not be able to pay?
B. In dealing with problems or providing a service, are there
other costs to clients ( travel time, loss of income, lack of
access to someone who can take care of kids/ other task
that need to be done) that are not considered?
PAS EMPOWERMENT CHECKLIST
7. PRO- EQUITY
c. Are the procedures of the institution in any biased
against those who are without formal education or a level
of income or resources?
D. Does the program provide for ways through which fees
paid by clients who can afford to pay, can subsidize the
cost of service of those who are less able to pay for the
service?
THANK YOU
