1. 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.
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2. 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
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3. 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
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4. 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.
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5. 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.
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