FINAL EXAMINATION

Presented to
DR. NASRODEN B. GURO
College of Public Affairs Graduate
School Mindanao State University
Marawi City

In partial Fulfillment
Of the requirements for the course
PA 201 (Foundations, Theory & Practice of
Public Administration)

NAWAL M. ABDULGAFOR

January 2022
TAKE-HOME FINAL EXAMINATION
Instruction: Answer the questions based on the references, on-line google meeting,
internet sources, mass media (i.e., TV) social media (i.e., Facebook), personal
observations and analysis. Your answers should be preferably or largely expressed in
your own words.

1) As a person and student of public administration, what do you think is the

importance of public administration in your life, community and the country
as a whole especially during the Covid-19 pandemic? Cite as many as you can
identify. (15 pts.)
Public administration is ‘a social reality of people and organization’ as well as ‘a
specific academic field of study, i.e. the science or study of public
administration’ (Rutgers, 2010: 3). It ‘deals with values, depending on beliefs’,
which shape world views, and government visions with differing in praxis
towards changes (Rommel and Christiaens, 2006: 616). The targeted
students of public administration education are both current and future civil
servants (Huque, 1992; Ventriss, 1991), who would serve the nation and
promote national development. Unlike many other field of studies (e.g. poltical
science, sociology), public administration as a separate academic discipline
came in late, with developing countries following the developed nations without
realising the pros and cons (Huque, 1992). As a result, it suffers from a lack of
context-driven teaching approaches. There are two substantive reasons, as
argued by Khan (2001), for the underdevelopment of public
administration as a distinct academic discipline: one is that public
administration was considered the sole domain of public bureaucracy, whose
staff can learn by doing their job or through on-the- job training. Another
reason is that it was treated as a sub- discipline of political science, and
political scientists were not cooperative enough for the development of public
administration as a distinct academic discipline. More recently, however, the
importance of public administration as a separate discipline has been well
recognized, although belatedly, by academics and practitioners in developed
countries in the early stages and later by developing regions of the world. As
we reach the end of the second decade of the 21st century, the issue of public
administration as an independent discipline, unfortunately, remains at the
realization stage through creating a public administration department separate
from its mother or sister departments. The question now is to what extent
public administration can establish its position in academia as a distinct
 discipline and whether it stands alone with specific standards in curriculum,
teaching, and research endeavors.
2) Based on the world-wide current trends in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic more
specifically, in the Philippine setting, it seems that Covid-19 vaccination is
being overtaken by the emergence of new variants such as the Omicron and
Delta variants. More importantly, in the Philippines, the vaccination target of
70% by the start of 2022 is still to be achieved, but with the rate of infections
reaching more than 30,000 a day this January of 2022, the Philippine
Government has no other better option except to be more aggressive if not
coercive in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. In this connection, please
answer the following questions:
2.1 If you were President Duterte or his Consultant, what emergency
measures that you will take in reaching your target of fully vaccinating
70% of the population especially in convincing the Filipino majority to
accept the Covid-19 vaccine ? (10%)

Fairness is a human characteristic that promotes social cohesion and trust. As

a result, governments must manage public expectations and explain why particular
parts of a country's population are given priority for vaccination. Educating the public
about the vaccine and persuading them to trust the government's efforts to fight the
disease. The public's confidence in COVID 19 vaccines and immunization will be
equally as vital as their efficacy. To maintain public trust in vaccines, governments
must be able to convey the benefits of vaccination and distribute immunizations in a
safe and effective manner. Governments have a responsibility to build trust in their
ability to communicate effectively in order to foster trust in their efficacy and safety.
Government efforts to build confidence will be critical to their success and the
formation of more resilient societies following the crisis, as well as trust in their ability
to procure and distribute resources efficiently and fairly through effective
communication. Recognizing that the scale of vaccination campaigns required is
unprecedented, government efforts to build confidence will be critical to their success
and the formation of more resilient societies following the crisis.
2.2 Is it justifiable for the sake of public safety and health security although
undemocratic for the Duterte Government to use drastic or coercive
measures such as: a) mandatorily requiring the full vaccination for all
Filipino citizens; b) quarantining and prohibiting the unvaccinated persons
to go outside of their houses; c) conducting house-to-house campaign and
forcing the vaccination of unvaccinated persons; and d) arresting those
 who refuse to be vaccinated and impose the necessary penalties like
imprisonment. Explain and support your answer or position logically using
the different public administration perspectives or approaches especially in
balancing public safety versus individual freedom. (15 pts.)

Governments have been making COVID-19 shots mandatory for health workers and
other high- risk groups, pushed by a sharp upturn in infections caused by the Delta
variant and a slowdown in vaccinations, as well as the new Omicron variant. A
growing number of countries are also making shots compulsory for public servants
and other workers. As for the Philippine Government, they stick to making it voluntary
but I think compulsory vaccination would be beneficial to public health, and the state
clearly has a responsibility to protect the lives of those under its jurisdiction It should
be evaluated, however, whether compelling people to get vaccinated will infringe on
any of their rights, and if so, whether such interference would be legal in the
circumstances. Through the appropriate application of herd immunity, mandatory
vaccination would obviously serve the interests of public health and safety, as well as
the protection of others' rights and freedoms. Compulsory vaccination is widely
utilized over the world, with a proclivity towards particular areas where it is legal and
hence considered as legitimate, necessary, and proportionate. There is a strong case
to be made for introducing such a vaccine to those working in public and private
education, as well as those in the healthcare system. These are typically instances
where a large number of people are jammed into a small space. As a result,
conditions exist where viruses can spread quickly, posing a serious health risk in
certain areas. In the end, mandatory vaccination looks to be one of the most effective
and beneficial preventive methods available when it comes to the state's defense of
the greater good in such exceptional circumstances.

3) The Philippine Presidential Election is only few months away which implies
that this very important political event will coincide with the continuous
record-breaking surge in the number Covid-19 infections. Obviously, it will
pose a major threat in our quest to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus
because expectedly candidates and their supporters will do anything
humanly possible to win especially for the position of the next country’s
president. Based on this given scenario, please react to the following
statements through your agreement or disagreement?

3.1) The May 2022 elections should be postponed until the Covid-19 pandemic
is neutralized or the 70% of the population are vaccinated. (5pts.)
 The COVID-19 pandemic is putting pressure on all levels of government to
respond in an environment of considerable uncertainty and economic, budgetary,
and social pressure. With the appearance of variations and the commencement of
new waves of infection in many countries since mid-2020, governments are faced
with a limited ability to sequence policy action. To manage, escape, and recover
from the crisis, national, regional, and municipal governments have discovered that
they cannot rely on a straight or linear route of policy action. Governments must
instead act in lockstep on all fronts at the same time. Governments are rethinking
their multi-level governance systems and reevaluating their regional development
priorities as a result of the requirement for flexibility and adaptation.

With regards to elections, Free and fair elections are the first and last lines of
defense for democracy. They are required for the functioning of a free society.
Elections, which are the backbone of democracy, should be used to choose who can
do best in a pandemic. Elections will keep the administration and legislators on their
toes, putting pressure on them to achieve results or lose their seats. Officials may
utilize postponing elections for any reason as a means of retaining power by failing
to hold elections on time.
3.2 The May 2022 elections should be conducted but COMELEC should change
the manner of voting through on-line or by mail as employed in the
November 2020 US Presidential elections. Do you agree with this
proposal? Support your answer. Under this scheme, will there be more
election cheating or a clean and fair election? Yes or No, and why? (10
pts.)

By switching to an internet voting method, the Philippine electoral system becomes

more open to fraud, cheating, and irregularities. In order to conduct an online
election, the Philippines' IT infrastructure and security are insufficient. The
authentication of a voting system is undoubtedly vital. The COMELEC is unable to
perform a range of things to improve security and reduce risk in the system due to
the nature of the voting mechanism. Incorporating technology into the voting process
also adds little benefit. Only one important advantage of electronic voting machines
over paper ballots is that the first count is faster. For a quick first count, a paper
ballot system with optical mark readers looks to be the ideal option.

4) While the world is racing with time in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic,
natural disasters such as typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides,
wildfires, avalanches, snowstorms, volcanic eruptions, among others, are
simultaneously rampaging the world. This is the results of what we call
 climate change. In fact, the Covid-19 pandemic is a symptom of climate
change resulting from changing or destroying the habitat of living
organisms including the bat which is allegedly the source of the
coronavirus. Based on these arguments, please answer the subsequent
questions:

4.1 Who do you think should be blamed for the uncontrollable climate
change and its destructive effects on us and our environment?
Elaborate your answer(s). (5 pts.)

The fight against climate change is a shared responsibility. The average

world temperature has risen by one degree since the pre-industrial era. We
will progressively experience extreme weather events, such as storms,
heatwaves, and droughts, if and when the temperature continues to climb
by half a degree. Food production will suffer, health issues will worsen, and
many species' habitats will be destroyed. Our globe will be reshaped by
melting glaciers, increasing sea levels, and the elimination of pollinators.

Action must be taken in all areas of life during the next two decades if we
are to avoid at least some of these changes. Decision-makers, industry,
and ordinary citizens share responsibility for combating climate change.

4.2 What immediate measures, strategies and programs that should be

implemented by the Duterte Government in reducing the devastating
effects of climate change especially its response on the average of 20
typhoons that perennially hit the country every year? (10 pts.)

The issue has been that no consensus has yet been formed on who
should intervene and how they should respond. Citizens are encouraged to
recycle, fly less, and use public transportation wherever possible.
Simultaneously, the non-reusable clothes business produces large
emissions, air and shipping firms use fossil fuels without control, and many
world leaders have stated that they will not comply with some of the
already signed climate agreements.

4.3 What can you do as a responsible Filipino citizen and well-informed

student of public administration in ensuring a livelier and more protected
environment not only for the present generation but most importantly, for
the future generation? (5 pts.)

Over the next two decades, we must take action in all sectors of life if we are to
avoid at least some of these changes. Decision-makers, industry, and everyday
citizens all share responsibility for combating climate change. Learning by doing, in
other words, encouraging individual behaviors that lessen our environmental impact,
is one technique of pursuing social learning, in my opinion. These actions remind us
to consider the well-being of the world as well as our own. They reinforce and remind
us, and when they become second nature, they have an impact on our shared
values and knowledge of how the world works. As a result, unless we insist on
making a tradeoff between individual and group environmental responsibility, there is
no such thing as a tradeoff. As a result, unless we insist on making one, there is no
choice between individual and societal environmental duty. Furthermore, in a society
where income disparity is at an all-time high, wealthy people who have given up
eating meat have the financial means to consume alternate kinds of nutrition. They
are not morally superior to a destitute parent who happily serves meat to their
starving child. We should distrust simplistic answers in our complex environment and
instead work hard.

5) We have to accept the fact that the past two years 2020-2021 are so far the
worst period in our modern World History. While the world without
exception is engaged in “a struggle for existence if not the survival of the
fittest” as argued by Darwin, against the Covid-19 and climate change, some
of our top government officials are also continuously engaged in corruption
for their personal interest at the expense of a big majority of the Filipino
population who are enveloped in the state of poverty and misery. In fighting
against corruption, President Duterte openly admitted that he failed in
reducing it. Nevertheless, some even suggest that for the covid-19
vaccination to take-off, political leaders or politicians in general, should be
vaccinated first in order to prove that the vaccine is safe. It was jokingly said
that “if politicians survive, the vaccine is safe; if they do not survive, the
country is safe.” Based on these propositions, please answer the following
questions:

5.1 If you were hired by President Duterte as a corruption consultant, what

can you suggest to him in fighting against widespread corruption in the
government bureaucracy? Do you think there is an urgent need to return
capital punishment that should include plunder so that corrupt politico-
administrative leaders could be neutralized if not eliminated? Explain
your answer. (5 pts.)

The first thought coming to my mind about corruption is that people hardly know its
full range. They often resort to it unconsciously. In fact, researcher Suzana Jašić
(2015)2 states that there is no an all-accepted definition of corruption. Therefore, it
becomes difficult to convey the meaning of corruption from one entity to another.
Corruption is economic damage of public interest for personal gain. Consequently, it
affects the whole political and legal system of a country. Jašić says that "exchange
resulting from corruption leads to failure of public interest, economic damage and
breach of public trust in state institutions." Our task at hand is to talk only about
corruption, but its implications are multiplied by other activities - that may be quite
invisible – such as the use of conflict of interest and even State capture. Corruption
effects are borne by individuals in their everyday life. Even participation in an essay
contest on this topic raises suspicion. Suspicion triggers discontent about the final
decision – even if fair – and we as marketers know that a dissatisfied person will tall
at least ten people, whereas satisfaction is shared only with three other people.
Although change is felt, one must consider the consequences of living for so long "in
the grey"? Many suffer a worm of conscience for not tipping a doctor for doing a
good job – not that he asks for it. It shows that old habits die hard and leave a mark.
However, new habits replace old ones and the process has started. Often, the first
tools suggested are the laws and rules, but laws use force, whereas action plans
awareness-raising. Probably, we have come to a point that awareness-raising alone
cannot do the trick for us, but force is also a short-lived strategy. The important thing
is to educate and induce anti-corruption culture from childhood, since the first book
of "Civic Education". Let us not forget that parents themselves learn so many things
from their children. So, the means to fight this phenomenon include force and
awareness-raising. They both can create the right synergy for citizens to
comprehend that corruption is even the purchase of medicaments at the drug-store
exclusively suggested by the doctor. Yeah, such behaviour opens up possibilities for
unfair competition in the market making use of the conflict of interest. Finally, the
overall equation is that corruption seeks to make a monopoly of decision-making, by
expanding the scope of unfair influence and eliminating transparency. Increased use
of communication technology and social networks is injecting small doses of
transparency on both sides of the equation. This is progressively denaturing the
equation and creating a new one with an "accepted margin" of the lack of
transparency drawing close to zero.

5.2 What do you think are the major constraints in fighting against corruption
which is almost a “way of life” in the government at all levels. (5 pts.)

Anti-corruption initiatives need to be put back to the forefront of national and

international development agendas. It must be imprinted in the DNA of modern
nation-states, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
and even religious organizations, as well as their worldwide contacts. The fact that
corruption has damaged vital governing institutions in various countries has
prompted this sense of urgency. This includes defense and security, as well as
social policy areas like health and education, with terrible consequences for the
public services that the poor are supposed to get. Corruption has increased
economic inequities and reduced trust in political processes, parties, and politicians
as a result of its negative impact on the delivery of these important services. As a
result, political turbulence rises as politicians turn to identity and personality politics,
which have a complex web of non-negotiable irrationalities. It also encourages all
forms of fundamentalism, such as ethnic, religious, and sectarian fanaticism.

6) Who do you think should deserve the next President of the Philippines?
What are the qualities of the next President of your choice that will rescue
us from the Covid-19 pandemic? Do we need a sport icon, or a woman, or a
former son of a Dictator, or a young and aggressive mayor? Justify your
choice. (15 pts.)

Apart from Marcos Jr., there are a slew of prospective heirs. But it all comes down
to who has the reputation of being a strongman, similar to Malaysia and Singapore,
due to the Filipino people's disciplinary behavior, which has repeatedly been one of
the primary difficulties and has become an impediment to the country's growth.

Even though I voted for her, the Vice President is not competent of leading a
country full of backstabbing politicians and cabinet members who will jeopardize her
reputation and the country, as seen by the Dengvaxia, SAF 44, and DAP episodes,
to mention a few, under Noynoy Aquino's presidency.

Given what happened during their leadership, the Aquinos cannot be trusted for
the third time due to their lack of ability to be a strong leader; they may be good at
economics, but monitoring and making critical decisions, such as during Yolanda,
are not in their wheelhouse; this is also true when it comes to sacking cabinet
members.

Even if Roxas (yes, I voted for him in 2016) could be a better president than
Noynoy and Robredo combined, he is already too late for the next election because
he is incapable of making critical decisions and his poor leadership was
demonstrated during the Yolanda (Hainan) crisis, causing the majority of Filipinos to
lose faith in him. The public's displeasure with Noynoy's leadership also hurts his
chances of attaining the highest office and demonstrating his abilities as a strong
leader.

Apart from Marcos Jr, who are other good prospects for implementing a strongman
policy in the Philippines? The following are some options:

Lacson can establish Law Enforcement reforms and discipline in the country
because he was a former Police Chief under the Estrada Administration, but can he
compete for the highest post and win despite his age by 2022?

In the end, Marcos Jr. may win the 2022 elections not because of his
leadership ability, but because the majority believes he can be a strongman like his
late father, and since there is no strong challenger who can be regarded a
strongman that the majority of Filipinos require.

The other concern is whether, if Marcos Jr. wins, he would be a strongman like his
father or will be weak and laid-back like the previous Aquino administration.