How to make it easy to serve in government – environment, dilg, dswd, and other line agencies

How to make it easy to serve in government – environment, dilg, dswd, and other line agencies

Reports are rife that the next administration is having a hard time gathering, inviting, asking leaders who would be sitting in the sensitive positions in the government. Good people have turned down due to lack of, maybe distrust on the capacity of the government to effect change and that remaining outside of it would be a better situation. Some have turned down offers because the salary is too low from what they are now offering. Unfortunately, the only available ones, or more of them, could be those who have served before under questionable regimes.

Maybe many people think it is really difficult to handle leadership in the government especially in the following departments: environment, dilg, dswd, and the mmda. The mass of conservative employees, those who are used to their numbered steps and refuse to depart from the bureaucratic ways, as well as employees who are apt to disrupt government services especially those that would enhance the image of the incoming leader, or who arekeen, under secret ties with opposition parties, to destroy the image of the future administration, among others, present a very frightening situation for anyone who is used to managing a company or an organization with great inspiration, where people respect his or her leadership without question and service to the people (as din non-gov orgs) remains paramount.

In reality, being a leader of any department is such an inviting situation. Not many could be called at this time to lead and represent the country through the department one handles. As Professor Leonor Briones mentioned in a radio interview with Ted Failon, when government people go abroad, they are highly regarded by representatives of other countries. I would presume this is also because of our historical interventions like attaining independence from Spain (as the first country in Asia to have dislodged a colonial power), defeating the Japanese imperial army during World War II and booting out the dictatorship with the minimum of bloodshed.

However, it is true that we have to contend with the nitty-gritty of running a department. Having worked for four years in the government during martial law, under a dictatorial leader, I would say that it would be a breeze at this time to lead any organization so long as the goal of everyone is service to the people, and not racketeering

On Monday morning, it is expected that the leader lead the flag-raising and the singing of “Lupang Hinirang.” Then after that, paperworks, meetings, and writing of reports.

Those are the things that one does in government. But a conscientious leader would go out and talk with constituents to find out their problems. The constituents are those being served as well as the government people serving them in the lowest rungs. If the military or the PNP, then the constituents would be down to the private soldiers.

Denr

If the environment department, then the foresters up there in the mountains, the urban areas (yes, Folks, the environment sec has to inspect if there are enough trees in the cities, also, not just in the highlands), and check the air, water and land qualities. The Denr must have a goal – how many trees in the cities, in the town and barangays. Then they must have checks as to how adequately the the officials have abided by the standards. Secondly, they should check right away upon assumption to power, how many creeks and rivers are ill-maintained by the barangays nearest them. Set up penalties and rewards. Thirdly, ban smoking in public places, especially sidewalks and bus stops. Once Denr officials see a cigarette stub in one area, then they should have watchers that will arrest right away those who violate environmental laws. Noise – how should they deal with noise? Motorcycles and tricycles are terrible monsters on the road. The department has to coordinate with the LTFRB to impose silencers in them. And publish the reasons if the LTFRB refuses to do that. The incoming administration has already hinted that it will focus on loud videoke-users in the barangay. Let us look if there would be peace and quiet in the barangay after its assumption. For example, in our barangay, a certain policeman has allowed its videoke to blare up to 2 a.m. On many occasions. Daily? Yes, recently. MINING: Let us put a stop to this and let our mountains heal for twenty years. We need food, not too much money.

Dilg

If in the department of interior and local government, then the primary constituents would be the barangay citizens, next the barangay officials and officers, and the tanod. Questions to them should revolve around issues like: how have you been using the resources of the government like the budget, vehicles, facilities in the office in order to deliver quality and quantitative service to the people? Parameters have to be put up by the secretary in order to know if the barangay is performing excellently or not. There should be three levels of standards: excellent, average, and poor.

Every barangay must have a barangay bulletin board with a monthly report on how much they have spent and for what projects. When it conducts general assemblie,s then every household has to be told when and where it will be. This will give us ample time to raise questions and issues which have not been resolved yet, especially where domestic violence is rampant.

Dswd - Sensitivity

In the case of the department of social welfare and development the most important work is to find out which areas in the country have a recurrence of poverty – how come it is not alleviated at all after a year of leadership – and why such is perpetuated. I think that the aim of this department is to insure that the welfare of the people, especially women, children and senior citizens are addressed daily, speedily and with high quality. For example, if a constituent complains about a relative who is obnoxious in the house, is a drug addict or an alcoholic, or who smokes without regard to the health condition of the housemates, then that is a highly important problem that must be addressed right away. The DSWD must work closely with the DILG and the PNP in order to correct the situation.

Unfortunately, domestic violence is an issue that has not really been focused upon by the DSWD. I know a lot of homes where an individual, usually a man tends to dominate, humiliate, and oppress the housemates without regard for human rights. The barangay to which he is reported has not acted on the issue because the officers concerned consider it as a domestic problem and that the barangay should not meddle in this “private matter.”

The routinary tasks in departmental work is the preparation of programs, projects, and budgets, their defense to the higher executive officials and to the legislative branches of the government – the Senate and Congress, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of the same once they are implemented. Here, the leaders must guard against those who would bribe them to create programs and projects that would tarnish the image of the government. They should also have a good working relationship with the Commission on Audit so that they could be appraised of the status of the project not only after it is complete. I think even during their implementation, the COA should be there, auditing the project to see if the sector being served is really getting the benefits they deserve and not just at the end of the project.

I think that the non-gov movement has a lot of experienced people who are

experts in serving in communities. Social service is just a snappy act to them and so the next administration will not find it difficult finding a leader. The important quality of that leader however is Sensitivity.

Sensitivity, competence, vision and commitment – these are the three most important traits that a government official must have. Being sensitive is knowing what is urgent and not; what is spiritually important and not; who deserves immediate help and not; what issue should be attended to right away and what could wait for action as well as being  attuned most importantly to the needs of women, children and the elderly citizens.  

Competence is being experts in their fields. It does not ean that they should close themselves form learning from the people around there. They should learn to interact well with the incumbent officers in the organization. If not, they could always transfer them to another department where they could be more productive. 

 Vision is knowing how to synch the department's tasks and functions with the over-all plan to bring the country to the height of humane development and in particular the plan to federalize the system of government. It is also having a broad view of the development of the employees and especially the sector that is being served. Commitment is being morally and strongly dedicated to serving the Filipino people's interests.

The only thing that leaders must guard against is getting bored in the job. Bureaucratism has a way of eating up one's creativity to the point that one would want to get out just to breathe fresh air, be able to go to the beach, feel the early morning sun's rays on one's back or view the sunset and meditate on why one exists on this planet and why work in the bureaucracy at all.

"Hello Garci" Acrylic Painting by WSO  .