Public Administration in Southeast - Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines back then have

Asia: An Overview strong tradition of centralization.

- Philippines paved its way to decentralization on the
enactment of the Local Government Code of 1991.

Administration- 1. To serve and to manage, 2. The ‘management of
affairs’ or ‘looking after the people’, 3. Concerned with proper
organization of men and material to achieve desired ends.
Public Administration- 1. Refers to the activities of the state
performed by the central, provincial or local government. 2. Also
known as government organization, since the word public here refers
to the government or the bureaucratic organization of the government.
1.2 CULTURE
Public Administration here in the Philippines is a product of:
1. Colonial era
2. Idiosyncrasies of indigenous cultural traditions, values,
mores and norms
3. Family and kinship relationships give way to strong client-
patron ties
4. Appointment of relatives to executive and bureaucratic
positions
5. Political dynasties
6. Cultural values such as amor proprio (self- respect),
delicadeza (propriety), hiya (shame), utang na loob (debt of
gratitude and pakikisama (friendship or familial ties)
1.3 COLONIAL LEGACIES
 Latin Legacy
- Philippines was under the rule of Spain for over 300
years.
- Mostly brought negative impact in administration
- Administrative system was built for serving private
interests, with practical objective of increasing the
royal estate through tributes, fines, monopolies, and
fees.
- Public office was seen as business venture.
- Appointments were also made on the basis of public
sale.
- Spanish nationals get the higher offices.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE OF 1991
- A landmark, far-reaching and the most radical piece of
legislation in the history of Philippine politico-
administrative system.
- It devolved significant functions, powers and
responsibilities to the thousands of local governments.
- Strong family ties and political clans of the Filipino
threaten the degree of democratization, electoral
participation, and political accountability by the local
govt leaders.
1.5 ETHICS
- Refers to moral principles that govern a persons’
behavior
Corruption- dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in
power, typically bribery.
FORMS OF CORRUPTION
-may vary but include bribery, extortion, cronyism,
nepotism, patronage and embezzlement.
One has to pay for a promotion or a specific
position.
Coalition parties are held together only by patron-
client relationship.
Patron-client relationship or patronage- is a mutual
arrangement between a person that has authority, social
status, wealth or some other personal resources (patron) and
another who benefits from their support or influence (client).

Philippines and Macao must overcome these cultures of indifference,

self- enrichment and inefficiency.

 American Legacy
- The US purchased Philippines from Spain for $20M at
the conclusion of Spanish-American War, and became
the master of colony of the country from 1899 through
1948.
- A civil service system was created based on merits and
fitness in the Philippines.
- Characterized by professionalism and careerism.
- Ensured security of tenure.
- Appointments determined by open competitive
examinations.

1.4. DECENTRALIZATION

- Refers to the granting of authority and power to the

Local Government Units, so they can determine their
needs and can easily distribute the goods, services and
governance to the people.