Christian Ian P. Lim Dr.

Jose Waldemar Veloso Valmores

MPA 624 Human Resources Management in Public

Final Exam:
Question # 1

I. What is your understanding of Public Office is a Public Trust? Discuss.

Understanding the Public Office is a Public Trust is tantamount of knowing Public

Administration. Public Administration is the implementation of government policy, and
the academic discipline that studies this implementation and prepares civil servants for
working in the public service. It could have been the correlation of each other in order to
show us what must the state feels about its administration. When we say Public
Administration is not about how State works for Government, it’s all about how
Government works for State. As one of the elements of state, Government is the
managerial house of a nation, people in Government should be accountable for its work
as for their responsibility.

As Prof. Alex Brillantes, Jr. and Maricel Fernandez lectured whether there is
Public Administration in the Philippines 1, pronouncing that there is Public Administration
considering the massive role of the bureaucracy Philippine Public Administration. There
is Public Administration when we consider its major institutions for Public Sector. Thus,
There is Public Administration as long as Public Servants are concerns.

According to the, Section 1, Article XI, Accountability of Public Officer, 1987

Philippine Constitution, Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees
must, at all times, be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility,
integrity, loyalty, and efficiency; act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.
Basically it is the legal framework giving importance for Public Service aligning from
Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency, People’s Participation, Adaptation
from technology, and Justice and Equality. Strengthening this constitutional provision by
creating special law RA 67132 or Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public
Officials and Employees 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.

Working at Government is always risk to harebrained creature/s, they are ready

to court some officials and even employees to do their business and personal needs.
Even us, for us to shortening our process, we look forward to manipulate the standard
procedures. These things must eradicate both, neither is small if we do our part. Just
remember what Pres. John F. Kennedy said, Don’t ask what the government can do to
you, ask what you can do to your Government.

However, seemingly, it does not suffice for what is really happening, we have
hundreds and thousands or even million stories for the spoil and rotten Public Officials
and Employees, as far as corruption and human desires are concern, eliminating this is
must be cleaned the Government, it’s all about systems in Government to any
Departments, Agencies, LGUs, and Commissions. As long as the majority and seniority
of Public Officials and Employees are in power whose desire required money with
lunatic mind, Public office is a Public Trust will always be an exceptional progression in
Government.

Christian Ian P. Lim Dr. Jose Waldemar Veloso Valmores

1
Paper presented in the Public colloquium on: “Is there a Public Administration: A timeless issue,” held on June 26-
27, 2008 at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP NCPAG)
2
Senate No. 139 and House No. 12069, RA 6713
MPA 624 Human Resources Management in Public

Final Exam:
Question # 2

II. Considering the subject course outline, what competencies should HR

Department developed among its staff? Discuss.

Competence is the ability to do something well or effectively. HR Department

must execute procedures or process in order for the benefits of their staffs, they must
perform programs that could make and feel that HR is maven for the people – staff. The
focus of all aspects of Human Resource Development is on developing the
most superior workforce so that the organization and individual employees can
accomplish their work goals in service to customers.

There are reasons to say that HR Department should cultivate programs for staff
development. These learning activities must maximize their knowledge made for them.
Strengthening those Education Program for those qualified personnel, and giving them
equal chance to be studied funded by our Government. HR department initiates the
professional development process with the use of an employee’s performance
appraisal. Through the Performance Evaluation (PE) system, an assessment is made of
the training and development needs of the department and its employees.

The HR knows to recognize a responsibility to enhance the staff employee’s

opportunity to develop skills and abilities for full performance within the position and for
career advancement within their Job area. Both the department and the Human
Resources Office of Training and Development have a responsibility to assist in the
professional development of staff employees. Carretta (1992) suggests that the best
way of matching people and jobs is through the use of competency modeling.
Competency models help organizations to take a more unified and coordinated
approach in designing improvements to HRM systems, including job redesign,
recruitment, organizational learning, career management, performance improvements
and compensation systems3.

Organizations try to increase their capabilities by investing more in training and

management development and Ichniowski et al. (1996) state that HRM practices have a
greater effect on organizational performance than on individual performance. Moreover,
human resource development encourages competency development by forming
opportunities within the organization for employees to develop their competencies for
both their own benefit and the benefit of others 4.

In implementing effective HRM the introduction of competency building programs

for each job or task should be considered, as an employee’s competencies are usually
linked to their job and, hence, to organizational performance. Therefore, improving
employee competencies would improve both job and organizational performance and
an organization needs to hone the competencies of individual employees to support a
competitive strategy.

Christian Ian P. Lim Dr. Jose Waldemar Veloso Valmores

MPA 624 Human Resources Management in Public
3
United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2002
4
Rao, 2000a; Rodrigues & Chincholkar, 2005
 Final Exam:
Question # 3

III. In your office, what interventions would you propose in the following:

A. Promotions and Selections Board

HayGroup (2004) point out that an organization’s best source of competitive

advantage lies with its employees. Strategies, business models, products and services
can all be copied by competitors, but talented and competent employees represent a
sustainable source of differentiation. The demand for effective and competent
employees continuously increases in both public and private organizations because a
dynamic global marketplace and increasing foreign competition has compelled
organizations to become more effective and flexible in response to the rapidly changing
environment.

Strengthening the Promotions and Selections are what all employees looking
forward. Assumptions that all processes are done compliance in Civil Service
Commission procedures, this strict implementation are good sign for equality for
everyone. However, there are always rooms for proposal in order to make the
Promotions and Selections Board more accountable and responsible.

In making this, I would propose the 9 months transitionary period. Generally, MA

degree is required for us to be promoted to higher position, in addition from that, this 9
months transitionary period will be applicable to every Agency, Department,
Commission and even GOCC for making them study in working ambiance how is reality
works for their working environment. 9 months will be divided into 6 months of studying
their own procedures, environment, legal actions and all matters that every officer
should know, this serves as their micro – study in their area. For 3 months in
transitionary period is for On – the – Job Training and for experience on how to be an
officer with application. This serves as the Praxis of what you have learned in your MA
degree and your 6 months Micro – study for your own working Department, Agency,
Commissions and GOCC’s.

This 9 months transitionary period seeks to be more knowledgeable in your own

working area that could have been the familiarization of all procedures and processes
and training for being an Officer in your own.

B. Personnel Discipline

Personnel Discipline done for the purpose of resolution in every conflict arises in
your working ambiance in any form. As much as possible we want to prevent the
conflicts that may ascend in future, meaning prevention is always the key for this
success process. Existing rules and procedures are handled with care, in appropriate
people.

For Personnel Discipline, I would like to recommend the Grievance Committee

that will initiate all actions and programs for Conflict Resolution. From preventive
discipline, Corrective Discipline and Progressive Discipline these discipline shall be
tackled in order to study the conflict that has been arisen. Process shall be established
from General Defense of employee in disciplinary cases, the intervention of
Supervisor’s for the benefits of responsibility. Due process shall also be aligning in this
process by conducting administrative investigation and Question hour is done before
giving decision in order to hear all possibilities.
 Giving them discipline in form of Values versus Rules, this has been conflicting
as your conscience is concern. That is why this Grievance Committee will launch the
program on “Managing by Values and Managing by Rules”, this will answer how linking
personality affects the values compared to the existing rules.

C. Performance Appraisal

Performance5 Appraisal is method by which the job performance of an employee

is evaluated. Performance appraisals are part of career development and consist of
regular reviews of employee performance within organizations. It is a systematic and
periodic process that assesses an individual employee’s job performance and
productivity in relation to certain pre-established criteria and organizational objectives.

While policies and systems for employee performance evaluation have long been
in place in government, there has been an increasing demand to review the existing
system, i.e. demand for public servants to produce tangible results by “making a
difference” instead of “just keeping busy”, demand for increased accountability by
performing the mandate of the organization, the need to correct the notion that a
permanent appointment guarantees security of tenure. Hence, the call for the Civil
Service Commission (CSC), as the central personnel agency of the government, to
revisit and, as necessary, re-invents the performance management system of the
bureaucracy6.

From this Performance Appraisal. I would like to propose the Comprehensive

Strategic Performance Management System in Rewarding and Development Planning.
It will commit to provide more integrity and easiest way of ranked employees within
clusters and categorized based on complexity of work and accountability. Discussion
between the rater and the ratee where they assess competency-related performance
gaps and the opportunities to address these gaps, career paths and alternatives, are
also intensified for the purpose of transparency for the ratee and rater.

5
Abu-Doleh, J. & Weir, D. (2007). Dimensions of performance appraisal systems in Jordanian private and public
organizations. International Journal of Human Resource Management,
6
Page 3, http://excell.csc.gov.ph/PMSOPES/PMS_Guidelines_2007.pdf