The Ugly Truth of Philippine Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy is the executive branch of the government, where agencies and offices are the ones who subordinates to carrying and put the task of the government consistent with the law. It is significant in shaping, organizing, implementing, and maintaining public programs. This kind of role is intended to fulfill efficient tasks given by the government to process people in functioning in the community. However, the Philippine bureaucrats used it as an opportunity to create power rather than a privilege to serve.

Through the years, officials have been taking part in ruling and controlling the Filipino citizen’s. As mentioned in Ho's, 2002, article, Professor Romy Neri, who teaches financial management and economics at the Asian Institute of Management describes the Philippines as an oligarchic state dominated by an elite that influences appointments to government institutions and bureaucracies at deeper levels than most other Asian countries. Up until now, oligarchy is still dominating as it institutes the patronage structure or what they called the ‘Padrino system’ – the connections between the government and the lucky unskilled locals that take part as a culture or a value system of our bureaucracy since then. Padrino system gives a great impact on our governance as it plays biased. Several employees are being able to enter government like Mocha Uson, and others, even though they are not qualified and given big parts in the administration because their connections are caused due to the connection’s depths of gratitude, which gains them favor. Some people affected by Padrino often abuse the use of connections that gives them confidence to corruption, given that they have their Padrino to support or protect them. This can also mark as a political dynasty like some of several known people in the government that we’ve already know.

One of the problems we are also facing inside our bureaucracy is the red tape. According to the definition of Merriam-Webster, red tape is a routine or procedure marked by excessive complexity which results in delay or inaction, or the delay results and complicated processes of our bureaucrats. This is where we apply for excessive requirements that cause us forever to be done. It only gets done easily if you have the connections, or enough money to pay to get things done, or a person you’ve known that’s working as officials in the administration which you can get a favor to fasten everything. But today, the government announced to have an Anti- Red Tape Law to faster government transactions. In the statement of Gloria, 2018, she reported that there will be a new law which is an amendment to RA 9485 or the Anti- Red Tape Law, sources at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). It is for the ease of doing efficient government service delivery act of 2018, from government offices, agencies, down to non-business transactions to prevent graft and corruption. Nevertheless, this anti-red tape act is just a band to the system. The culture of our bureaucracy is inevitable.

The consistency of our bureaucracy is obvious and it only provides us slow progression and lack of distribution of resources. This is the main reason why our state is still part of the third world country. The Philippines is facing a massive problem that’s hard to get rid of, and it affects people’s trust and creates criticism even in some other parts of the world. The dishonesty and lack of competence of our government would only cause us no future, but only false hopes. Citizens will forever suffer from our faulty system. Even if the Padrino system may somehow see as an advantage to some people with certain connections, but this contributes us an awful truth about our Philippine bureaucracy.

Our government system is like a canal clogged by plenty of garbage’s thrown by untrustworthy people and when the heavy rain comes, flood falls and the damaged is already been done. Hence, if we continue the unfair game, then we will only be lacking the right kind of leaders or officers. This is a loss for our country because if we want to develop and grow, we will need the best kind of leaders. We need to have a transparent government that would help improve the current system of our public administration and will be able to give the right services and trace corrupt officials and will show exact service and not business.