by Nicasio Angelo Agustin
Nothing is more confusing than how the government demonstrates the application of some concepts of good governance. Foremost is command responsibility. The other is the principle of “trust and confidence”.
In the recent past, the misconduct of some government officials did not escape the eyes of the public and the scrutiny of critics. The President, who hand-picked these people, has been quick to come to their rescue and apologizing on their behalf and asking the public to be patient and to “give them one more chance”. Since they show the public their bad, more than their good, side, it remains that only the President knows their capabilities and how well they could be worth the people’s money, if at all. In the end, the image of the President – not to mention the performance of the whole bureaucracy – is at stake. Cuddling these officials for whatever reason will eventually boomerang against the good image and positive rating of the President. As anointed ones of the President, whatever they do or fail to do will reflect on the President.
I believe that some of these officials have capabilities to offer. They too, like anybody else, have talents and skills to share. But according to some critics, there’s an apparent disconnect between their abilities or training plus their academic backgrounds and the requirements of their posts. This mismatch defines the level of their competence or, more aptly, their incompetence to serve in the bureaucracy.
The most recent hullabaloo on the DOT’s new slogan for tourism only shows the lack of what former President FVR would call “complete staff work”. It means that before going out to declare something – a policy, a directive, or a simple slogan – one should consult the concerned parties, generate ideas, then select the best in a consensual approach. It is not that the slogan Pilipinas Kay Ganda! is of bad taste; it just lacks a sense of ownership by the majority of concerned Filipinos. When people started to criticize and condemn it, the DOT secretary tried hard, to explain the meaning and the possible appeal of the slogan. But no amount of convincing that the slogan is good, appropriate or first-rate and can probably do a miracle by enticing more foreigners to visit the Philippines when in the first place, majority of Filipinos saw it as very ridiculous, appalling and lacking in spirit.
When DOT undersecretary “Enteng” Romano came out and took responsibility as the culprit, the issue shifted from the slogan to the practices in good governance – how to do and how not to do things in the bureaucracy. Many people admired what the undersecretary did; some called it a pure act of decency to free the DOT secretary and the President of accountability.
If Romano was able to do such a noble gesture, why can’t the others do the same? Instead of waiting for the President to fire them like what he did to the PAGASA director, Dr. Prisco Nilo, they ought to take the bitter pill of resignation. It is not as if their offices will suffer without them. There is no dearth of talents – more professional, more experienced, better trained and, therefore, more competent – who can easily replace them unless it is the intention of the President to keep these incompetent officials for his own comfort and convenience.
When the President issues an appointment to you for a post in the bureaucracy, it means that the President recognizes your worth and he has his trust and confidence in your capabilities. However, if you fail to show or deliver what is expected of you as a public servant and as a representative of the President, or even when the people under your command fail, you must have the courage to call it a day and quit while the quitting is good.
Feel free to send your comments to nic_agustin@yahoo.com.
