Paradigm shift: Professionalism in governance
I am against cha-cha if the reason is just for a mere shift to Parliamentary form of government. If the intention is to ensure professionalism in the government service then I favor cha-cha and call for a paradigm shift.
Cha-cha should not focus on abolition of the integrity of the senate but rather the positions of provincial governors, vice governors, city or municipal mayors and municipal or city vice mayors. There are more of them and more instrumental to effect change.
Let us shift our government bureaucracy from political governance into business management and public administration. Let us see to it that people manning our local and national government are professionals. We used to call them public servants or oftentimes we hear the words public service. I believe we lost already the concept of service especially public service. Unlike the idea of changing terminology, or calling the same dog with a different collar, my proposal is beyond changing names.
If we have provincial managers instead of governors, provincial administrators instead of vice governors and city or municipal leaders instead of mayors and city or municipal coordinators instead of vice mayors -- we will have a sudden change of outlook. Our government will be run like business firms instead of political turfs.
According to Senator Angara our government bureaucracy is archaic. I agree if we still continue to call them as mayors or governors, which we got from the terms gobernadorcillo (which was illustrated as inutile) and sacristan mayor (during Rizal's time). Remember Crispin and Basilio in the Noli?
It's high time we manage our provinces and cities like business firms. Our city and towns should be led by municipal leaders (for mayors) and coordinators (for vice mayors) to administer them. No more political stigma from archaic terms and concept.
In politics, any able bodied citizen of legal age can run for government positions. See what is happening in our government? In this paradigm shift that I propose, we need people with business background, management skills and administrative experience rather than people with political machineries and party money. This is to say "we mean business" in our government. Qualified to run the provinces are MPA or MBA graduates. BS in management or administration shall be required for city and municipal leaders. Any BS degree will do for barangay leaders -- not barangay captain which becomes a misnomer for military authority rather than civil responsibility. Let us reserve the military rank to AFP. Even our policemen are now called inspectors, superintendents and directors, not anymore as captain, colonel or general. I don't want to be biased for those who have no educational qualifications, but there is really a need for our government leaders to have attained these educational qualifications which are necessary in effectively discharging their duties and responsibilities. In these modern times, can we still afford to have a president or governor who have not finished any baccalaureate degree? Do we not learn from history?
Also in this concept, the IRA shall be allocated, increased or decreased in accordance with how the province is skillfully managed and administered. Criteria for performance must be legislated. Monitoring of performance must be measured against indicators or minimum requirements similar to methods of accreditation of colleges and universities by CHED or by ISO standards. Here, we attune and relate governance to the call of the times. We better call it provincial management rather government. Government or governance has stigma of abuses. It has authoritative connotation. We mean business as I say. Let us reduce or completely forget the bad image of politics in our country.
Is it not true that we did not attain progress and economic development because we felt all these governance to politicians? Let us put business into our government. Remember, we mean business here.