Bicol University

JESSE M. ROBREDO INSTITUTE OF GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Legazpi City

Local and Regional

Governance

LEARNING MODULES

by

ALLAN S. ALBAYTAR, MPA

 MODULE 1: Definition, Concept and
Framework of Governance

What is this lesson about?

This is the first leg of the module on Local and Regional Governance.
In this module, the instructor provides a practical introduction in the study
of governance and development to analyze an array of definitions and
meaning of the concept of governance. Later on, the students will be asked
to crystallize their own notion of governance and how it may be applied in
the real world.

What will you learn?

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

1. Critically define the meaning of governance;

2. Explain the significance of the shift in how people and nations perceive
governance and how it differs from government;
3. Comment on and criticize the meanings and implications of various definitions of
governance and develop your own definition of the concept of governance.

Learning Tasks

LET US TRY THIS

Please fill-out the chart below as we begin our learning journey. In the first column, write
down at least 5 concepts/ideas that you want to know about governance. In the next column,
write down at least 5 concepts/ideas that you already knew about governance. (Activity 1a)
 Governance

What I want to Know What I already Knew

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Introduction
Bureaucracy and administration are necessary elements in the Philippine government’s
performance of its functions as the operational apparatus or machinery of the state.
With democracy as its ideology, the Philippines articulates its aspirations for
participation, accountability, equality, rights and liberties, constitutionalism, welfare and
development, among others.

The Philippine government and its bureaucracy were influenced to consider other
paradigms for the public sector, such as the shift in thinking from “public administration
to public management” and from “government to governance”. The discourses on new
public management pertained to both government and bureaucracy, with such concepts
as public-private interface, reengineering and reinventing government, and
entrepreneurial government.

Discourses on governance assert that government has ceased to be the sole decision
maker and wielder of social and political power. Instead power is shared by government
with civil society – represented by NGOs and POs, with the market, i.e., private
business sector.

By the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the state operationalized the paradigm of

governance by enabling the participation of civil society and the business industry
sector in the policy-making process in various ways such as setting the policy agenda,
and advocacy of policies and legislation. Policy implementation also saw the
participation of civil society groups. Hence, there had been changes in the structure and
behavior of bureaucracy, in the dynamics of state-civil society relationship by
accommodating civil society participation in policy making, and in public management,
by enabling the participation of civil society and private business in policy
implementation and service delivery.

Changes have also been effected by the passage of the Local Government Code of
1991 that mandated decentralization by devolution. This granted political and
administrative authority to local government units and transformed the power
relationship between the national and local levels of government. Civil society
participation in decision making structures at the local government level has also been
mandated. This setup has been described as “democratic, participatory, decentralized
governance.”

Governance, decentralization, democracy, and development have been closely

interrelated discourse and action of government. With devolution mandated by LGC of
1991, the national government devolved powers and responsibilities to local
government units over basic services in the following areas: health, social welfare
services, environment, agriculture, public works, education, tourism,
telecommunications, housing, and investment support. Also devolved were certain
regulatory powers and licensing. Devolution and governance sought to bring
development close to the people and be appropriate to local needs and resources.

At the LGU provincial and municipal-city level, civil society groups are mandated to be
members of the local council, the local health board, local solid waste management
committee and boards. International funding organizations and donors also participate
by providing financial and technical assistance to either or both national and local
government unit.

With the governance framework, the encounters of the civil service personnel with civil
society groups had been quite a learning process on approaches to development.

A number of training programs have been conducted to address the issue of

professionalism and competencies. The civil service also needed adjustments and
training on the recent concepts and norms of new public management – such as client
satisfaction, total quality management, productivity, transparency, accountability, and
public ethics.

The “Galing Pook Award” has been given to LGU initiatives and models of achievement.
The awards demonstrate to some extent the positive effects of governance,
decentralization and democratization and improved capacities of LGUs. There are now
many best practices of governance at the local level, led by LGUs with the collaboration
of NGOs and POs in different projectsThe “Galing Pook” awarded LGUs on the criteria
of effective service delivery, socio-economic or environmental impact, people
empowerment, and transferability.

What is Governance?
Governance has been considered as related to democracy since it enables
various actors in society, namely government, civil society, and private business to
participate in decision making.
 The act or process of governing through the exercise of governance powers in
the maintenance of the affairs of the State involving the setting of direction, policy
making and planning, program implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

*********
Governance: Varying Definitions
1. “The traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised” –
Kaufman et al
2. The way “ … power is exercised through a country’s economic, political, and social
institutions.” – the World Bank’s PRSP Handbook.
3. “The sound exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority to manage a
country’s resources for development. It involves the institutionalization of a system
through which citizens, institutions, organizations, and groups in a society articulate
their interests, exercise their rights, and mediate their differences in pursuit of the
collective good “(Country Governance Assessment 2005).
4. “The exercise of economic, political, and administrative authority to manage a
country’s affairs at all levels. It comprises mechanisms, processes, and institutions
through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights,
meet their obligations, and mediate their differences.” UNDP.
5. in governance, citizens are rightly concerned with a government’s responsiveness to
their needs and protection of their rights. In general, governance issues pertain to the
ability of government to develop an efficient, effective, and accountable public
management process that is open to citizen participation and that strengthens rather
than weakens a democratic system of government.
6. refers to how any organization, including a nation, is run. It includes all the processes,
systems, and controls that are used to safeguard and grow assets.” (UNDP, 1997)
7. “The systems, processes and procedures put in place to steer the direction,
management and accountability of an organization.” When applied to organizations that
operate commercially, governance is often termed "corporate governance"
8. "promoting fairness, transparency and accountability" – World Bank
9. "a system by which business organizations are directed and controlled".- OECD
10. “the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s social
and economic resources for development. It is referred to as the quality of the
institutions to make, implement and enforce sound policies in an efficient, effective,
equitable and inclusive man The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
11. In broad terms, governance is about the institutional environment in which citizens
interact among themselves and with government agencies/officials. (ADB, 2005).
12. the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are
implemented (or not implemented). Governance can be used in several contexts such
as corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local
governance.
13. the interactions among structures, processes and traditions that determine how
power and responsibilities are exercised, how decisions are taken, and how citizens or
other stakeholders have their say. Fundamentally, it is about power, relationships and
accountability: who has influence, who decides, and how decision-makers are held
accountable. (IOG 2003)
14. “as the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage the
nation’s affairs at all levels. It comprises of mechanisms, processes and institutions
through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights
and obligations and mediate their differences. Governance is not the sole domain of
government but transcends government to encompass the business sector and the civil
society. NEDA (2006).
Governance According to UNDP
The challenge for all societies is to create a system of governance that promotes
supports and sustains human development - especially for the poorest and most
marginal. But the search for a clearly articulated concept of governance has just begun.
Good governance is, among other things, participatory, transparent and accountable. It
is also effective and equitable. And it promotes the rule of law. Good governance
ensures that political, social and economic priorities are based on broad consensus in
society and that the voices of the poorest and the most vulnerable are heard in
decision-making over the allocation of development resources.
Governance has three legs: economic, political and administrative.
Economic governance includes decision-making processes that affect a country's
economic activities and its relationships with other economies. It clearly has major
implications for equity, poverty and quality of life.
Political governance is the process of decision-making to formulate policy.
Administrative governance is the system of policy implementation.
Encompassing all three, good governance defines the processes and structures that
guide political and socio-economic relationships. Governance encompasses the state,
but it transcends the state by including the private sector and civil society organizations.
What constitutes the state is widely debated. Here, the state is defined to include
political and public sector institutions. UNDP's primary interest lies in how effectively the
state serves the needs of its people. The private sector covers private enterprises
(manufacturing, trade, banking, cooperatives and so on) and the informal sector in the
marketplace. Some say that the private sector is part of civil society. But the private
sector is separate to the extent that private sector players influence social, economic
and political policies in ways that create a more conducive environment for the
marketplace and enterprises. Civil society, lying between the individual and the state,
comprises individuals and groups (organized or unorganized) interacting socially,
politically and economically - regulated by formal and informal rules and laws.

Formula of Governance
Governance ≠ Government
Governance is not the sole arena of the government. One cannot speak of governance
when neither government nor the governed is absent in the equation. The interaction
and cooperation of people’s organizations, non-governmental organizations and private
sectors with government in crafting policies and in implementing programs define what
governance is. The right and responsibility to govern are shared by those who govern
and who are governed. Both the representatives of the state and civil society share the
initiative to better governance. The government and the governed take collective
responsibility for the welfare of society.

In democratic society, the government is a government of the people, by the people and
for the people. The sovereigns are the people as President Benigno Simeon Aquino III
states “Kayo ang boss ko”. Elected officials in government are but stewards of power.
The people elect their representatives to whom they shall delegate the power and the
responsibility that goes with it in managing the affairs of governance.

Since the sources of power are not the financial sponsors and political patrons but the
sovereign people themselves, power, therefore should be oriented towards the common
good – that is, the greatest benefit to the greatest number. Thus, governance must be
viewed in this equation:

Governance = Government + Civil-Political Society + Business Sector + PEOPLE

This defines what governance is all about. Active participation in ruling and being ruled
is an attribute of an active citizen. On the other hand, openness of government officials
to civic participation is a requisite for a participative form of government. What makes
for good leaders is also for good citizens towards good Philippine governance.

The Philippine Constitution mandates all sectors of society shall participate in

governing. This principle is reiterated in the Local Government Code of 1991 or RA
7160 that opens many windows of opportunities for civic participation in governance.
The passage of the Code shall serve as a means of enhancing the democratization of
Philippine governance. Likewise, other national laws like the Cooperative Code,
Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act, Women in Nation Building Act, etc, provide
for specific mandates on people’s participation.
Governance powers

The State has innate powers that can be exercised in governing its people and
territories:

Police powers. Pertain to power to formulate, legislate and implement policies, laws,
programs and projects for the maintenance of the general welfare. Broadly speaking,
police power is also called the general welfare powers of the state used to promote
public health, safety, morals, order, and the well –being of the community and its
residents.

Taxation powers. Refer to the power to collect taxes from its constituents for the
utilization of the resources of the state. Such revenues shall be used in the performance
of government’s duties and functions such as delivery of basic services in line with its
responsibility of upholding the welfare of the people.

Power of Eminent Domain. Relate to the power to take private property for public use,
purpose or welfare to benefit the poorest sector of society upon payment of just
compensation. This is also called the power of the state to expropriate property upon
proper adherence to due process and payment of just compensation.

LET US REMEMBER

What important/major concepts did you learn from this lesson? Fill
out the chart below of the insights/lessons that you have gained in this
lesson. (Activity 1b)
On Governance

What I Learned/ Discovered

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 LET US APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

Write a 1-page reaction/thought paper on the concept of Governance (cite

your barangay/municipality/city experience). Your output shall be assessed based
on the following criteria: (Activity 1c)

Evidence of deep thought/understanding of the topic (10 points)

Paragraph organization and logical organization of ideas (5 points)
Grammar, choice of words, verb tenses (5 points)

Submission via Google Classroom: August 23, 2021.