Philippine Administrative System and People Empowerment
“THE PHILIPPINE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM AND PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF A FRAMEWORK” People Power has been given numerous definitions, one defined by Licuanan in this module is that it is the involvement of a significant number of persons in situations or actions that enhance their well-being, such as their income, security or self-esteem. The module also added that the people, especially those who were marginalized needed to be aware of a problem. ... In developing people power, Licuanan added that there is a need to build critical awareness, organize people and develop a vision of the society Filipinos want. We, Filipinos are so familiar with the term “people power. ... For me there was only EDSA 1 and EDSA Dos, because it cannot be termed people power if it did not envision a better society of the Filipinos. ... They are the people, and the people after all are democracy (Burton, 2001). For me, people power is fighting for justice and for what should be beneficial to the majority, if not for all. If one is not so sure of what he is fighting for and what the outcome of his actions my lead to, then he is not even an inch close to the term people power. Looking back, we can say that indeed it was the people who made such revolutions successful, but many critics tend to look beyond what is literally displayed. Critics say it was not just the people, the prayers nor sheer luck that gave us what we wanted. ... He could make it without the Makati business elite and possibly even without the people. ... People Power was still controlled by the rich and led to be more successful by those in power. ... He believes that in order to empower people, the wise and the rich have to initiate the action. ... I’d like to delve on the other meaning of “People Power” that this module gave, which is to act together for the enhancement of one’s well-being. People power does not mainly focus on ousting a bad President, it involves actions done by the many having a common goal which is to be benefited by the majority. ... Soqueña- motivate or provoke the people to actively band together and work for common goal? Can the Philippine Administrative System (PAS) be an instrument for empowerment or if they are recently empowered be further motivated by the PAS? It is known that the Philippine Administrative System has a vast network reaching almost all villages nationwide. ... The PAS can reach the people through the use of its power as an instrument of the State, an enforcer and implementer of public policy, a participant in the policy formulation process, its technical expertise, the use of the service delivery system such as the public school system, the public health system, and the network of organizations operating in various areas of the government. It is crucial that the PAS acknowledge the people as the ultimate source of power, but in a developing country like ours, where many belong to the poverty line and where most of the Filipinos are uneducated or lacks critical thinking. The bureaucracy can easily use its power to favor its own interest, the partisan political interest of the government in power, or the interest of the influential and the rich who will be using their resources to ensure that they continue to wield influence on the political and administrative decision makers. ... In realizing that the PAS has control and power over the country, how is the bureaucracy expected to use this power such that it further empowers people and communities by giving them greater control over their lives? ... As a delivery service system, the PAS can make services accessible and be more responsive to the needs of the people. ... The bureaucracy should has no monopoly of knowledge and should therefore share its power with the people, when it consults and listens to the wisdom of the people, and works with them and gets them involved in its programs for them. ... With this power given to them, there is no doubt that the PAS has the capacity to empower its people. ... Soqueña- There is no doubt that the PAS can empower its people, the only question would be, “Is the PAS credible and sincere enough in their dealings with the people? ... ” We would like to believe that indeed the PAS is sincere and doing the best they can to uplift our present condition, but the news we’ve seen and heard on TV, the articles we read in the newspaper, the breaking news over the radio, the inflation and devaluation and the crap system that exists in our government system tells us otherwise.