University of the Philippines Open University

Faculty of Management and Development Studies

Master of Management Program

Roldan A. Talaugon March 23, 2021

PM 208 PAS Faculty-in-Charge: MSBaylon

Quiz #2

Self-government
 To what extent has the PAS changed and/or remained the same from the

time we were given independence by the Americans in 1946 to our present PAS?

Discuss:

(a) 3 characteristics that still form part of, and

(b) 3 that are new, in our present PAS. Give examples to explain and

support your answer/s.

The Philippine Administrative System (PAS) is very much a product of our

country’s past starting from the time when we were colonized by the Spaniards,

Americans, Japanese, and until the Americans have reclaimed our country from the

Japanese and finally granted us independence in 1946. It is with that independence

where the Filipinos finally had the chance to run the country’s government,

bureaucracy, or the PAS without having to follow orders or mandates from previous

colonizers. From that history, there have been a number of characteristics of the PAS

that we are still practicing or still prominent these days, and there are also those that

are new in our present PAS though can still be attributed as being a result of the

different measures we are continuously innovating for efficiency and effectiveness.

These continuously existing as well as the new characteristics can best be explained

through examples or the existing laws, executive orders, or the creation of different

government agencies or bureaus.

Among the many PAS characteristics or practices that is still present today

is the civil service system which governs the personnel on merit system and fitness

through the recruitment, administration, promotion, salary and position classification

and other matters concerning civil servants or personnel in the government service or

bureaucracy and the passing of pertinent laws or innovations safeguarding and

professionalizing the system. Another characteristic is the territorial, political, and

administrative divisions of the whole country to the municipal, provincial, and

regional divisions for easier and efficient control and political administration and

establish territorial boundaries each with respective chief executives or

representatives. Lastly, from the time when our country was granted its independence,

it has established the separation of the three powers of the government, i.e., the

executive, legislative, and the judiciary branch, and is still existing in our present PAS.

In terms of improvements or new characteristics of the present PAS, one

of which is the focus on uplifting the civil servants or government personnel’s morale,

standard of living, values, and character through the passing of the many Salary

Standardization Laws starting from the Pres. Cory Aquino’s administration up to the

present administration. Said laws highlighted the increase of salaries and benefits of

government workers aimed to attract able personnel into the government service and

be made competitive with the salary in the private sector and to improve their standard

of living and dignity, and supposedly to veer away from corrupt practices or accepting

of bribes and engagement in private businesses which may be a cause for conflict of

interest. Another is the passing of the Local Government Code of 1991 which

establishes the autonomy or transfer of control and responsibility of delivering basic

services or through decentralization to the local government units through three

modalities: “deconcentration” or administrative decentralization, devolution or political

decentralization, and “debureaucratization” by harnessing the private sector and

NGOs involvement. (Brillantes and Fernandez, 2008) Lastly, what could be considered

as on of the highlight of the Duterte administration, the 8888 Citizen’s Complaint

Center and Hotline. It was aimed to promote participatory governance, public

awareness of anti-corruption drives and as a grievance system by acting on

complaints received through the said hotline. (Baylon, 2018)

As was stated earlier, these new characteristics can be considered already as

an offspring and innovation as to what was deemed necessary with the rising

challenges of the society in terms of public service and the efficiency of the PAS,

especially with the continued existence of corruption, nepotism, and the spoils system.

References:

Alfiler, M. C. P. (1999). Philippine Administrative System. Quezon City: UP

Open University.

Baylon, M. S. (2018). Assessment of the Second Year of the Duterte Administration:

Good Governance and Anti-Corruption. UPOU PM 208 Presentation.

Brillantes, A. and Fernandez, M. (2008). Is there a Philippine Public Administration?

Or Better Still, for Whom is Philippine Public Administration? Philippine

Journal of Public Administration. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237658738.

Accessed: 22 March 2021.

The Philippine Administrative System. (2020). Retrieved from

http://studymoose.com/philippine-administrative-system-new-essay.

Accessed: 22 March 2021

UPOU MPM PM 208 Presentations. Historical Roots and Development of the PAS

and its Contexts. Retrieved from

https://myportal.upou.edu.ph/course/view.php?id=6467
FEEDBACK
Grade 9.00 / 10.00
Graded on Monday, 12 April 2021, 11:23 PM
Graded by Picture of Minerva BaylonMinerva Baylon
Feedback comments
Hi Dan! Thank you for submitting your answer to Q#2 on time. I really appreciate it.

Here are my comments:

Your answers are short. In the case of retained features. you should have identified
for example whose legacy was the civil service and described the similarities or
differences between the American-introduced civil service and the civil service that
we now have.

Retained features

The civil service and the separation of the govt into three branches are good
answers. But I don't think the same territorial, political and administrative divisions
remain. Remember that the creation of administrative regions was done by then Pres
Marcos. We now have 18 administrative regions. Several local govts have also been
created by Congress.

New features

Your three identified features are correct.

While there were attempts at position classification and a semblance of salary

standardization during the Spanish and American periods, we now have a more
developed SSL. But please note that SSL did not start with Cory but with Marcos.

The second one should be decentralization which is the new feature, using the Local
Govt Code as the law that prescribed this and not the other way around. In the
same manner that you specified the 8888 Citizen’s Complaint Center and Hotline
instead of participatory governance.

Citations

It is good that you have in-text citations. Please do not quote from my PPT
presentations. Those are secondary resource materials, thus, you should go to the
original source/s.

Citations should come before the period, e.g., " ...NGOs involvement. (Brillantes and
Fernandez, 2008); "...complaints received through the said hotline. (Baylon, 2018)