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The
concept is easy enough to comprehend: taxpayers pay
public officials’ salaries much like customers paying
for storekeepers’ upkeep. Hereabouts, however, it is
rare to hear one insist on his or her rights as a
taxpayer, and actually demand to be immediately served
by bureaucrats. People usually approach the government
initially with awe and intimidation, and later with
mistrust and disdain, but rarely with the feeling of
accommodation, security and total satisfaction.
For the
longest time, public service has never been equated with
good customer service. In fact, the contrary appears to
be the rule rather than the exception. In most cases,
people have no choice but to either wait or pay grease
money. Seldom can one encounter a seemingly lost soul in
the bureaucratic sea—a dedicated public servant—which is
indeed a rarity in these times. Perhaps the fact that
there are some good hearts out there is indicative that
not all is lost.
Often
enough, people start out okay. But after years in the
bureaucracy, the system gets to them, as well. And
usually, the regulation process is the culprit. The fact
that there are many gray areas in most bureaucratic
processes, and that much discretion is exercised by
authorities, invariably leads to public service
characterized mostly by indifference to the public and
motivated mostly by self-preservation and self-interest.
It was
thus a pleasant surprise to visit the Land
Transportation Office (LTO) in Imus, Cavite, where the
bureau chief himself seems to take his responsibilities
seriously, and who appears to have a better sense than
most in terms of equating his public service with good
customer service. His initiative is not necessarily
novel or new, but the fact that he himself mans “Window
10” that is directly accessed by the public is proof
enough that he is no ordinary bureaucrat.
Many who
have visited government agencies like the LTO cannot
help but be, at times, confused by the system of
“windows.” The usual process is that one starts with the
first window, and then normally gets passed on to the
second window, and so on and so forth, and finally the
last window, where one usually pays, gets a receipt and
ends one’s day. And normally, such windows are manned by
clerks or other bureaucrats, but rarely an agency chief.
Often enough, matters requiring the chief’s attention
are brought “in” to his office after it has gone up the
chain of command, and then gets sent out when, where and
how the chief pleases—and normally through his secretary
or aide. And this process takes from hours to days, and
sometimes even weeks.
At LTO
Imus, the process is somewhat similar, but with a slight
twist. Waiting time is reduced considerably by a number
of initiatives that place some of the work burden on the
customer himself or herself. For instance, in cases
where the motor-vehicle file needs to be accessed and
reviewed, the customer is directed to the file section
to request the necessary file directly from the clerk,
who immediately looks for the file and then dutifully
accompanies the customer to whoever will review the
file. All this time, the file is in plain sight of the
customer. And while the customer shares in the burden of
retrieving the file, he can be delighted by the fact
that what is requested is immediately done.
And, as
the paperwork goes down the line, and all this time in
customers’ plain sight, transactions are assigned
numbers or codes and, as such, can be tracked by the
customer as he follows up his papers with any of the
clerks available. Once processed, and payment is made,
the request is approved and the necessary documentation
is issued. And then one takes a short trip to Window 10,
where one directly hands to the agency chief any request
or document requiring his signature and seal. He
requests you to take a seat, quickly reviews your
document, signs and seals it and then directly hands it
back to you. No ifs, ands or buts—on the assumption that
everything is in order.
At one
time, midway during the entire process, one may be asked
to visit the man at Window 10 to get “clearance,” which
is readily given as long as one’s documents are in
order. Once cleared, one’s documentation usually breezes
through. If there is any waiting, it is only during the
encoding process, as all vehicle registrations are now
computerized and manually entered into the database. The
other inevitable delay is lunch break. Nonetheless, the
most pleasant surprise still is that LTO Imus’s Mr.
Window 10 is directly accessible and thus directly
accountable, says little, works fast, respects his
customers and asks for nothing in return. Now that’s
public service. If only he can smile more often.
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