There must be a high degree of synergy among three sectors of Philippine society to ensure the country can achieve its development goals for the benefit of the people.
“To build the Filipino nation, we need a three-way trusting relationship among the government, private sector and civil society,” said Professor Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, president of Stratbase Group in his recent talk on “Philippine Governance: Lessons and Prospects for Marcos Jr. Administration,” during a recent forum organized by think tank Stratbase ADR Institute and advocacy group DemocracyWatch.
Edwin Santiago, non-resident fellow for the Institute and associate professor at De La Salle University, also stressed in the forum that the government should track the country’s progress through measurable indicators and stressed the importance of watching the Philippine performance in various global indices.
Specifically, he said, the country should watch the World Governance Index, Ease of Doing Business, Global Competitiveness Index, Index of Economic Freedom, Rule of Law Index, Corruption Perceptions Index and the Open Budget Index.
Santiago said the country has also a lot of catching up to do as it registered only marginal improvement in the World Governance Index, specifically on political stability and absence of violence, and government effectiveness and in only three of 10 indicators in Ease of Doing Business.
“In the final analysis, what is important is that the evaluation of any administration should be done objectively and that it comes with a forward-looking perspective,” Santiago added.
Dr. Rizal Buendia, also a non-resident fellow of the Stratbase Institute and Philippine Country Expert for the Global V-Dem4 Institute, underscored the importance not just of governance but holistic governance.
“Public management is built largely around the notion of performance and improving the effectiveness of public institutions,” he said.
For governance to succeed, Buendia said government should utilize digital technology, adding there is a need to integrate the front-end government parts, or those that deal with and provide services to citizens.
He said the failure of the bureaucracy to carry out its tasks and respond to urgent challenges erode the political legitimacy of the government.
“If transformation is to be realized, government people have to learn to participate actively in the process of integration, give up some political or organizational interests, and mobilize resources to appropriate agencies and offices,” Buendia said.
Dr. Francisco Magno, full professor of political science and trustee and program convenor for the institute, acknowledged politics but emphasized that it must be an instrument for achieving development and sustainability in society.
He instead advised the current leadership to focus on public service, based on meeting the needs of the people.
“Anticipatory governance—using the future to create multi-lateral learning and foster intelligent and inspired organizations—should provide the path for Marcos Jr. to veer away from the Marcos Sr. legacy and to move toward the future,” he said.
In closing, Manhit called on civil society, the private sector, and concerned individuals to hold leaders accountable for the reform programs they said they would pursue.
“We must continue engaging with the government, partnering when and where possible for various efforts, he said.
“All governments must be evaluated objectively across widely accepted governance standards. This is how we help our country become better,” Manhit said.