PUBLIC POLICY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION: REACTION TO SEMINAR

Reaction. Legislation. Mr. Roderico Y. Dumaug, Jr. Dr. Dixon Q. Yasay of 5 of pages.

CREATING GREATER PUBLIC VALUE

Through Effective Local Legislation

A Reaction Paper

By: Mr. Roderico Y. Dumaug, Jr.

Submitted to Dr. Dixon Q. Yasay

Prefatory

The training entitled Creating Greater Public Value: Through Effective Local Legislation

was initiated by the Philippine Councilors’ League Region 10 in partnership with Xavier

University Governance and Leadership Institute and was held at Philtown Hotel, Cagayan de

Oro City.

Aside from being part of the academic requirement on our course on the Master in

Public Administration of Xavier University through our adviser, Dr. Dixon Yasay, my attendance

and participation to the training was equally important on my part as I was engaged before for

18 years in Local Government being a former SK Chairman, Barangay Kagawad and a two-

termer Punong Barangay. The training had enlightened me on the greater importance of

Legislation, especially when I looked back on my experiences in the local governance.

Dr. Yasay, a prominent educator in the country and an outstanding government official

being the former multi-awarded Mayor of Opol, Misamis Oriental, have successfully convinced,

inspired and motivated the participants. He authored and especially designed this training to

inculcate legislation as one of the important elements in making our democracy functional as a

political system and in by having governance relevant to the needs and aspirations of the

people.


During the entire training, it was pointed out that Legislation is an important function in

the local government for it will institute reforms in the government, institutionalize law making

as the answer to the pressing problems of every constituent and of the entire locality and

promote the participation of the civil societies and of the community in the crafting of local

laws. It was satisfactorily articulated the challenge posed by Dr. Yasay that by performing one’s

legislative functions efficiently will ensure a reward of winning again in the next local elections

or will be best remembered in the future of crafting an important legacy that creates an impact

to the community through legislation.

For local leaders, educators and students of local governance and administration, the

entire training was grounded on the principle that legislation, being one of the important

elements of political processes in all our democratic institutions, is the way to our society’s

progress and development. It also includes the participation of the civil societies and the

constituents. The society’s growth is actually a function of the quality, sustainability and the

prospective effects of legislation.

Dr. Yasay and all the resource speakers of the training pointed out that legislative bodies

from the local and even up to the national level is the real expression of the Republicanism.

Meaning, a republican country is a representative form of government. People are directly

electing leaders to whom they delegated their role of participating in the government which

includes an authority given to their elected officers to decide for and in their behalf. With this

idea therefore, Legislation, as a power, is what is nearest to the will of the State and its people

and closest to the ideals of democracy.

The other departments in our government, if one can analyze the same, even with the

concept of balance of power among them, are actually inferior to the Legislative body and are

dependent to legislation. The Executive Department cannot execute without first being

authorized by legislation and the Judiciary cannot interpret without the laws passed. Second,

this collegial body, representing directly the people in a particular constituency, is what makes


a democratic and republican state of having a government “of the people, by the people and

for the people.”

Analysis

Not only because the training is lined up with credible author, resource speakers and

facilitators but because the call of today should be the inevitability of legislation towards the

functionality and relevancy of democracy in our society.

If the people have organized and decided for a democratic political system, therefore,

legislation shall be given utmost public value to enhance the individual freedom and dignity,

progress in the society and the State’s peaceful co-existence with the family of nations. A

controlled political systems like despotism, authoritarianism, dictatorship and totalitarianism,

where there’s a need to control and diminish human freedom in pursuit of a different type of

development and with an isolated State, legislation is a nil in the political processes.

I would say that the entire training was very enlightening, educational and convincing. It

was enlightening because you are being taught about the superiority of legislation in the

governance, in solving society’s problem and in preparing the future of the community. I have

not read any literature and attended a training that gave focus on the superiority of legislation.

Its relevance to the pressing problems that besieged our society, to the improvement of the life

of a person and the quality of our governance are quite manifest. Hence, the training was so

educational.

From the active fellowship of both the trainers and the participants, it shows that the

entire experience in that three (3) day training was indeed convincing to those who are

important stakeholders in the local governments and for the students of public administration.

No topic that was discussed had so far are inapplicable to our current endeavors. Hence, the


excitement to actually witness it, apply them and to answer the challenge that was always

posed by Dr. Yasay to us.

The training is actually the summation of the well rounded experiences and passion of

Dr. Yasay in the fields of politics, governance and education. Hence, one can attest that the

presentation and the entire training are well researched, orderly and it answers temporal

issues.

Adding to the passion and experience of Dr. Yasay are the credibility and the integrity of

the other resource speakers including the sources of their presentation.

The three-day training is indeed very short if we have to dissect legislation in the field of

governance. While it is true that the training did successfully cover the entire province of the

importance and inevitability of legislating to improving the quality of life of every person in a

locality but, in my own observation, an additional premium may be added on how a community

will choose its leaders and the type of leadership that will exercise the power of legislation.

While it may be true that the product of legislation is very important, an analysis on the people

behind this process may be included to make the education complete: the people, leaders, the

function and the legislation.

Another one is the fact that for democracy to succeed, while recognizing the greater

importance of legislation among the other two branches of government, inputs may be made

on how we are going to blend and harmonize legislation with execution and in disposing of

justice by interpreting its laws. Presently, the country is highly polarized and there’s so much

division which at the same time have so much concentration of powers to the President. This

kind of situation is also happening in the local. There’s a competition between the popularity of

one leader in the executive department as against the collegiality among the members in the

legislative council.


Being a student of political law, my mind is so conditioned on the theory that the three

branches of government cannot work alone in a highly specialized functions. Based on the

experiences shared, it would be more educating to present how an important legislation be

harmonized with the other departments so that the public value of governance is unifying and

stable.

Time is really an important factor in completing the entirety of the subject which I have

said that with the passion and ideas put forward by Dr. Yasay, the three day training is not

enough for us to grapple the entire gamut of legislation. I know that more will come with

training like this.

Conclusion

The training really enhances my interest in studying public administration and increased

my interest in local governance and administration. As I was involved in the local government

for 18 years especially in the Barangay, my participation with the training had widened my

perspective about legislation, and the principles and theories I learned have added an

education to my actual engagements with local governance.

If I have a better chance, I would confer with Dr. Yasay about his passion in this

particular field and I dreamed to have that same passion so that, like him, will give a lasting

impact to the life of others especially in public service.

I realize that though our country is the first democracy in Asia, there are still many areas

in our public institutions that need careful study and education. There’s really a need to

articulate this one to the public so that the latter will have a wider perspective in selecting

leaders that will govern them and in evaluating the quality of their governance.

PUBLIC POLICY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION: REACTION TO SEMINAR

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