ADMINISTRATION AND POLICY PROCESS/POLICY MAKING

Administration And Policy Process/Policy Making

Administration And Policy Process/Policy Making

Public policy

Public policies are courses of action, rules and guidance for which are taken and adopted by the government or its instrumentality in order to address a given problem or a set of interrelated problems in the society intended for the common good and welfare of the citizenry. For common citizens, they generally refer it as "what government do or do not do." (Kellow, 1988)

Public policies typically involve the interplay of many actors and organizations. The policy system in our country is an intricate web of actors, institutions and organizational turf that facilitate or deter the passage of progressive policies. Its role is not exclusive to public agencies.

One must understand that public policy system involves stakeholders, the environment and the policy itself. Its success is dependent on the harmonious relationship of these elements. In our country this system does not work that simple. The structure of our bureaucracy and the Filipino style of management oftentimes affect the conduct and implementation of public policy. These characteristics are inherent to Philippine public policy making. This situation is aggravated by the present economic difficulties we are experiencing wherein citizens prioritized self-preservation more than anything else. With that, public policies must be made and anchored for the best intentions of public interest and common good(Kellow, 1988).

We could cite examples and situations wherein public policies could not achieve its purpose and could be considered as failures in its implementation. One case in point is citing my organization, the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The present AFP is one of the least equipped and modernized among Armed Forces in the world. We are ranked among the lowest in our Asian counterparts. For this reason that the AFP leadership initiated a modernization plan aimed at ensuring a capable and respectable Armed Forces. Thus, the AFP Modernization Law came into being. What had happened with the AFP after more than a decade of its implementation? Nothing significant had happened as very limited funds were allocated. Sources of funds were identified and were available but for the reason why it was not allocated for the purpose remains unknown. So what AFP do we have now in terms of capability and hardware? Never mind asking as we had become a laughing stock among our counterparts. But proudly, they can't question the professionalism, patriotism and bravery of our soldiers(Larry, 2004).

There are many policies in our country. Most are even commended. Examples of which are the Clean Air Act, the policy on Primary Health Care and the Philippine Environmental Policies, among others. Alas, the policies on these matters stayed on paper. Implementation of which has been too weak. It is sad that after these policies are approved, after long rounds of debate, policies are not partnered with the support mechanisms needed for its implementation. And this is where the problem of Philippine public policy lies. We are good at making laws. We are commended by other nations in our quest ...