Delivered by Jesus P. Estanislao at the Army Governance Forum 01-16 last July 29, 2016
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Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) Chairman Emeritus Jesus Estanislao addresses the audience at the Army Governance Forum 01-16. Photo: Arrielle Tugade
The people have spoken. We have elected a new President in Rodrigo Duterte. The new President has also spoken to lay down the strategic direction of his Administration. His Inaugural Address on June 30, 2016 and his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, 2016 provide a clear statement on the dreams and hopes he hopes to achieve during his term as President.
Since the President has already given clear guidelines on what he commits to pursue and deliver in the next six years, it is important for all national government agencies, local government units, and every institution in business and civil society to take those guidelines and strategic directions into account. It then is necessary for them to align their own transformation programs with these guidelines and strategic directions, if we are to attain cohesion and convergence in our efforts for national development.
The President was clear and forthright about the core values he wishes to underscore, govern by, and propagate through his leadership. These are:
- Love of country. He is open and straightforward in stating outright: “I love my country and I love the people of the Philippines”.
- Subordination of personal interests to the common good. Again, this quote is most indicative: “I have no friends to serve. I have no enemies to harm”.
- Concern and care for the helpless and marginalized. The quotation he chooses eloquently articulates this: “The test of government is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide for those who have little”.
The President was also very simple and straight about his core purpose, indeed his mission. It is nothing less than to “restore faith and trust in government”. This provides the key to address and solve our ills and weaknesses such as drug abuse, corruption, and criminality, at their very root.
The President reminded everyone about his campaign message. It was much more than a slogan. It was much more than a set of empty words. Indeed, this is the Vision that he is pursuing and he has expressed it thus: Compassion. Real Change. He adds, this change “starts with us and in us”. To drive the point further, he says it in his native Bisayan: “tinud-anay nga kabag-uhan”.
From the governance and transformation perspective, we can truly and meaningfully say that the President has a very clear governance charter: with core values, with a core purpose (or Mission), and a Vision (for Real Change). Such a governance charter was unveiled during his Inaugural Speech.
A governance charter cannot stand alone. It has to be buttressed and substantiated. This is where themes, which cover a number of strategic priorities, need to be set forth. The President has done so in his first State of the Nation Address (July 25, 2016). He focused on only three strategic themes.
At the very top as a strategic theme is the anti-drug campaign. This has to be undertaken with force, determination, and relentlessness. The President has highlighted the drug problem as the most serious challenge facing our nation: it destroys the moral fiber and takes the very soul out of our society and local communities. It breeds many other evils, among them criminality and corruption: these too must be eradicated with all the powers and resources of the state, and with a very high sense of urgency and the highest possible commitment.
The second strategic theme is nothing less than the transformation of the manner front-line services of government are rendered and delivered to ordinary citizens. This is where compassion and care must be very evident. It should take no more than 3 days to issue permits and licenses: this would call for a basic re-design of internal core processes; professionalism in logging in applications; having fixed requirements and clear, systematic (service-oriented) processes; providing a clear timetable for issuance of permits and licenses and actually observing it; having one-stop offices for different agencies that need to coordinate requirements and processes (e.g. in serving OFWs). There should be no changes in rules and additions to requirements as applications are being processed, and as contracts are being awarded. Full transparency (no secrecy) should be observed; and in addition, stakeholder participation should be institutionalized to secure citizen vigilance in assessing government performance and in ensuring high service quality. Reforms for significantly raising our level of competitiveness and the ease of doing business are “mandatory” for all government agencies and local government units.
The third strategic theme is “permanent and lasting peace”, reinforced by significantly improved welfare through “better provision of food, education, health, housing, employment and respect for culture”, particularly for the marginalized and the impoverished. To be able to do so, we need continued fiscal and monetary stability and prudence, reforms in our bank secrecy law, lifting of restrictions in our economy, reduction in tax rates and simplification of our tax system. We also need to reach out through dialogue and cooperation, including with our immediate neighbours, in humanitarian assistance and disaster response, maritime security and counter-terrorism. We should use the opportunity afforded us to strengthen local autonomy and the accountability of local government units, as we put up a federal structure, with a President on top, through Constitutional change.
In order to pursue various strategic priorities under the three themes the President outlined, President Duterte put forward a fundamental imperative, i.e. teaching “love of country and good citizenship”. Under this light, he bats for the return of ROTC as one of several ways we should pursue for this very fundamental, most basic imperative.
My reading of both speeches—the Inaugural Address and the first SONA—is that the President has set a very clear and definitive governance orientation for the next 6 years. It is now up to all institutions in the country to configure their own respective transformation road map for the next six years so they would be fully in line with these broad strategic themes and priorities.
For more information on Philippine Army Transformation Roadmap 2028 and Philippine Army visit https://www.facebook.com/atr2028/[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]