Philippine Public Administration: Analysis of Its Definition and Evolution

PHILIPPINE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: ANALYSIS OF ITS DEFINITION AND
EVOLUTION
FMA 1
PM 201 (Theory and Practice of Public Administration)
University of the Philippines Open University
Masters in Public Management
Submitted by:
Ma. Katherine T. De Leon

2019-31168
Submitted to:
Prof. Juvy Lizette M. Gervacio
Faculty-in-charge
PHILIPPINE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: ANALYSIS OF ITS DEFINITION AND
EVOLUTION
What constitutes Public Administration? Many will say that public administration
is tantamount to the government service itself, and that rendering public service already
equates to Public Administration. But notable scholars and writers view Public
Administration as one that has a deeper meaning and larger scope. Public
Administration is not just the government. Public Administration has many key players
and involves a larger scope, other than the government.
Public Administration, according to Waldo (1995), has dual usages, as a field of

practice and field of study. It means that Public Administration is “both a professional
and scholarly discipline” (Ocampo, 1993). As a field of practice, it deals with the activity
or process of administering public affairs and carrying our government functions (Waldo,
1995). When referred to as a field of discipline, Public Administration is the systematic
study and improvement of government capacity and practice in forming policies, making
decision, implementing them, and Wilhemina securing the desired results (Wilhemina L.
Cabo, 1997 as cited from Ocampo, 1993)
To further understand the essence of Public Administration, we must trace its

roots. How Public Administration came into existence, and what are the phases,
improvement, development, and critic that it underwent to be in its current state now.
I. Evolution of Public Administration as a field of Discipline
According to the paper “Is there a Philippine Public Administration? Or better still,
for whom is Philippine Public Administration?” by Brilliantes and Fernandez, the
evolution of Public Administration, namely the Traditional/ Classical Phase and the
Modern Public Administration. The second phase, the Modern Public Administration, is
subdivided into 5 sub-phases, namely Development Administration (1950s to 1960s),
New Public Administration (1970s), New Public Management (1980s to 1990s),
Reinventing the Government (1990s), and Public Administration as a Governance
(1990s to present). [ CITATION Ale08 \l 13321 ]
To fully understand the evolution of Public Administration, let us briefly discuss
each phase as explained by Brilliantes and Fernandez.
The Traditional/ Classical Public Administration covers the period of 1800s to

1950s. It depicts that Public Administration can be traced back to human history, and as
old as the ancient empires of China, India, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia.
According to scholarly writings, Public Administration in this phase is a client- oriented
public administration, and that the genesis of Public Administration must have had
originated from monarchial Europe where household officials were divided into two
groups: one in charge of public affairs, and the other responsible for personal services. [
CITATION Ger82 \l 13321 ].
According to Brilliantes, American theories and principles admittedly influenced

the direction and development of the formal study and discipline of Public Administration
in the Philippines, both in the levels of theory and practice, and that Public
Administration as an academic field of study formally begun with the establishment by
the Americans Institute of Public Administration (IPA) in the University of the Philippines
(UP) in 1952.
The discipline of Public Administration has been characterized as one with

continuing “identity crisis”, and that the “identity crisis” led to the emergence of the “New
Public Administration” movement. [ CITATION Ale08 \l 13321 ].
Development Administration which embodies the years 1950s to 1960s,

concentrated on the administration of the third world countries. The term “Development
Administration” was coined as these third world or developing countries, who are mostly
found in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, are focused to make concerted efforts in order
to be recognized as “emerging nations” and to resurrect themselves after World War II.,
and that Development Administration is the engineer of social change. [ CITATION Mar70 \l
13321 ]
The New Public Administration deals with measuring the effects of classic public
administration, its efficiency and effectiveness towards enhancement of social change.
New Public Administration called for client-oriented administration, non-bureaucratic
structures, decentralized administration, and advocate-administrators. (Alex Brillantes,
2008 as cited from Frederickson 1971; Nigro and Nigro 1989)
In the case of New Public Management and Reinventing Government Phase

from (1980s to 1990s), the focal point of is being more client or customer oriented, to
the decentralization of the authority to being more “business oriented” especially for
those in the government. The New Public Management aims to have a government that
“works better but costs less” (Alex Brillantes, 2008 as cited from Denhardt 2000: 148).
The focus of this phase of Public Administration is to use business model prescriptions
by using private sector innovation, resources, and organizational ideas to improve the
public sector. The main criticism of this phase was athat the government citizens/ public
was viewed more of a clients and end-product users of the government. [ CITATION
Ale08 \l 13321 ]
The last phase of the evolution of Public Administration is Public Administration

as Governance (1990s into 2000). This was introduced and advocated by the United
Nations (UN), World Bank (WB), and Asian Development Bank (ADB). This phase
involves the exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority to manage a
nation’s affairs. It embraces all the methods – good and bad- that societies use to
distribute power and manage public resources and problems (Alex Brillantes, 2008 as
cited from UNDP 1997:9). The basic elements of good governance are the following:
Accountability, Participation, Predictability, and Transparency.
II. IMPACT ON SHAPING THE NATURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The Public Administration in the Philippines are influenced mainly by being

colonized by different nations. The Americans, which greatly influenced the Public
Administration in the country, contributed in the enhancement of the Philippine Public
Administration, such notable contribution is the Civil Service, Performance Evaluation,
and Standardized Methods in Hiring Government Employees.
With the question of the existence of Public Administration in the Philippines,

Yes, it is present and evident. There is Public Administration as a field of study in
different Universities, aiming to understand the mechanism of the keyplayers involved in
it. There is Public Administration as a field of discipline and art in the terms of there is a
government that mandates and directs the flow of the public sector and the economy.
There is a law that the public must uphold at all times. There are branches of the
government, each with its own distinct functions and responsibility, There is the Local
Government, which is the main key in decentralization of the power and authority. There
is Public Administration because we have a governing body that renders public services
for the common good of the people.
Though the existence of Public Administration can be proven in terms of it being

a field of study, discipline, science or art, there are still a lot that needs to be improved.
The Philippine Public Administration is not just about being able to provide goods and
services for the common good, at the lowest cost possible, but also deals with
eradicating the practices that limits and hinders the goal of the government, to name a
few, there is corruption, abuse of authority, poverty, social discrimination, and
unbalance distribution of wealth.
As to giving credit, we must give credit to the key players in the improvement of
Public Administration, as it efforts to address and enhance the continuous call of the
changes in the environment and society. Though we know that the government is
coping up with the call and demand for better governance, there will always be
challenges and criticisms to face along the way, it is just a matter of obtaining the
optimum solution to achieve the maximum return.
The concept of good governance equates to sustainable development, and that

good governance is the most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting
development (Annan, 1997). The best example noted is the existence of
Gawad Kalinga, which illustrates the successful cooperation between government,
business, and civil society in the delivery of the basic services, which after all is the core
concern of modern Public Administration. [ CITATION Ale08 \l 13321 ] . The existence of
Gawad Kalinga clearly depicts that to attain sustainable development is not just the duty
of the government, but the private enterprises, businesses and the whole civil society
must also contribute to achieve both long- run and short-run goals.
REFERENCES
Alex Brillantes, J. M. (2008, January). Research Gate. Retrieved February 12, 2020, from Philippine
Journal of Public Administration: www.researchgate.net
Caiden, G. E. (1982). Public Administration. California: University of Southern California, School pf Public
Administration . as retrieved from Brilliantes, 2008
Landau, M. (1970). Development Administration and Administration Theory. Tenessee: Duke University
Press, . as retrieved from Brilliantes, 2008
Romeo B. Ocampo, L. N. (1998). The Philippine Local Government System, History, Politics, and Finance.
Quezon City: UP National College of Public Administration Center. as retrieved from Brilliantes,
2008
Waldo, D. (1948). The Administrative State, A Study of the Political Theory of American Public
Administration. New York: Holmes and Meier. as retrieved from Brilliantes, 2008
Wilhemina L. Cabo, P. D. (1997). Theory and Practice of Public Administration. Los Banos, Laguna:
University of the Philippines Open University

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PHILIPPINE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: ANALYSIS OF ITS DEFINITION AND

Ma. Katherine T. De Leon

Public Administration, according to Waldo (1995), has dual usages, as a field of

To further understand the essence of Public Administration, we must trace its

I. Evolution of Public Administration as a field of Discipline

The Traditional/ Classical Public Administration covers the period of 1800s to

According to Brilliantes, American theories and principles admittedly influenced

The discipline of Public Administration has been characterized as one with

Development Administration which embodies the years 1950s to 1960s,

In the case of New Public Management and Reinventing Government Phase

The last phase of the evolution of Public Administration is Public Administration

II. IMPACT ON SHAPING THE NATURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The Public Administration in the Philippines are influenced mainly by being

With the question of the existence of Public Administration in the Philippines,

Though the existence of Public Administration can be proven in terms of it being

The concept of good governance equates to sustainable development, and that

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