“Good governance sets the normative standards of development.

It fosters participation, ensures

transparency, demands accountability, promotes efficiency, and upholds the rule of law in economic,
political, and administrative institutions and processes. It is a hallmark of political maturity but also a
requisite for growth and poverty reduction, for there are irreducible minimum levels of governance
needed for a large-scale investment to occur and for social programs to be supported. A cornerstone of
good governance is adherence to the rule of law, that is, the impersonal and impartial application of
stable and predictable laws, statutes, rules, and regulations, without regard for social status or political
considerations”. (NEDA, 2016)
Elements such as transparency, accountability, efficiency, and following the rule of law are
likewise vital to ensure that National Development is thriving and not leaning towards the opposite, waning.
At present, several pressing issues politically, socially, and economically greatly impact our country both
positively and adversely.
In connection to the elements of good governance, let me cite one social issue and one political
issue which I believe has adverse effects on National Development. Let me first discuss a social issue that
has claimed a lot of innocent lives, the anti-illegal drugs campaign. According to PDEA, based on the latest
Real Numbers data, “a total of 10,721 HVTs were arrested from July 1, 2016, to Oct. 31, 2020, while
5,942 suspected drug personalities died in the operations”. (Caliwan, 2020) These numbers may be true,
but the certainty that these persons are tagged as “drug personalities” is not thoroughly established.
Other references provide different figures on these issues especially on the number of deaths related to
the anti-drug war.
Pardon me for deeming this as problematic. I too wish that drug war-related issues will be finally
put at rest as everybody, both the rich and the poor deserve to live a decent life. The way I see it though,
the number of deaths of either drug personalities or bystanders which we usually call “casualties of war”
still do not deserve death so as to put an end to this crisis. Why has drug trade and use become this large in
a country such as the Philippines? We can blame it on poverty, lack of education, and lack of job
opportunities that led these individuals to hopelessness. But I believe it boils down to every citizen’s lack
of sense of social responsibility which shows that there is a lack of good governance. The elements of good
governance ensure that “Good governance is about both achieving desired results and achieving them in
the right way”. (Carino, 2000). If claiming the lives of suspects and “casualties of drug war” is the right
way of achieving desired results, we are indeed in a problematic country that disregards the characteristics
of good governance. Under transparency, citizens will surely feel safer if a large number of arrests will be
made, but I doubt that the majority will celebrate upon finding out that there is a large percentage of deaths
because of drug-related operations. Addiction is a disorder, vending drugs is no one’s dream job. These
things we have to put into consideration before ripping of their lives because of the ill-situation they are in
brought about by illegal drugs. I hear some say that drug addicts and peddlers chose that kind of life. Perhaps
some, but not all. And since it is wrong to generalize, as a community we must empathize and be less of a
prejudice. If we speak about the rule of law, there is no perfect person and therefore no perfect enforcement
of the law. Our judiciary system isn’t even perfect. Given that mistakes are inevitable I believe punishing
any criminal with death is too much of a price.
In a bigger picture, this has adverse effects on National development because social issues are
always issues that the international community does not turn a blind eye to. This puts us in a very tight spot
not walking our talk as a proud remaining catholic country in Asia. Our moral standards as a country are in
question, along with other policies that uphold human rights but with reservation as it bluntly appears. A
country that does not walk its talk and hold reservations when it comes to human rights does not seem
trustworthy even in other aspects such as economics and politics.
On to my second example, this time I am going to talk about a political issue; The season where
the Philippine Circus begins. The Commission on Elections has opened its doors to aspiring candidates for
local and national offices. Let’s focus on the national level and dissect the importance of electing suitable
leaders according to the current needs of our country. Since the qualifications required for filing a
certificate of candidacy are at minimum requirement, we end up with a mix of both competent and
incompetent leaders. This issue is perennial, yet nobody seems to want to fix it, probably because those in
the position benefit from it. As time changes, the need of a country changes. Every now and then there is a
need to adjust the law, ensure that the qualifications of leaders adhere to the standards of globalization, and
so many other factors that would help our country 10-20 years from now. Participation is a key element in
good governance that is often misinterpreted. Participative democracy is often misunderstood and abused,
advertised as a necessity to air the concerns of the most vulnerable in society when in fact, it only needs to
be informed and organized.
Allow me to be straightforward, we have leaders who have criminal records, are currently in jail,
inexperienced, puppets, etc. Now going back to the elements of good governance, how can we expect people
who were already sentenced, or serving jail time to be accountable and efficient leaders? How will the
inexperienced leaders and the manipulated ones be transparent when they know all eyes are on them? If
they have problems managing their own personal issues, how do we expect them to find solutions to
problems that are beyond themselves. How do you expect a person who exploits social issues and the people
involved in it to be fair?
I say, amendments must be made in allowing individuals to file for candidacy, but of course, you
can’t expect it from people who benefit from all this hullabaloo. I do not believe it is discrimination if the
process is right and the end goal is for the greater good of the country. In my opinion, there must be pre-
requisites before becoming an official candidate for a particular office. A case in point is, an elected official
attended a seminar on Seminar for Government Agencies, LGUs, and Other Organizations on COA
Policies, Issuances, Jurisprudence, and How to Avoid & Handle COA Disallowances. During the open
forum, participants were allowed to raise their concerns and ask questions. Several officials in that seminar
were surprised to find out that they have performed some of their duties incorrectly and will be bound to
face COA disallowances once audit season begins. This particular elected official then said “ If only I knew
that there is more to this responsibility that meets the eye, I would have not ran for office”. It was
heartbreaking as a citizen to hear that these leaders knew nothing much about the job they enthusiastically
campaigned for. Remembering all the promises, the hope they gave during campaign period, and now
hearing regret because there are dark alleys and unknown plains really made me want to see change in the
election procedure.
Hopefully, there will come a time where leaders will realize that it takes more than a good heart,
or a genius even, to run a country. In my opinion, those who wish to carry the burden of making this nation
prosperous and orderly must learn the technical aspects of how an economy works, how laws affect the
lives of people, learn things that will benefit not only a few but the majority. They must be committed and
knowledgeable beforehand about the arena they are about to enter. I believe this perpetual problem we have,
made our country sit at the bottom list in terms of development. For a long time, all we have are band-aid
solutions because we refuse to accept that the solution, we need are the ones that are difficult and
heartbreaking.
When leaders are being criticized by their own constituents over and over, how do you expect
neighboring countries would react? The hesitations, the negative image we project affects the development
of our nation making it difficult for us to move forward. We need the approval and help of the international
community; we cannot afford to close our doors. If we continue to appear chaotic in our own yard, it is hard
to make others believe that we are trustworthy. Trust is important in a harmonious relationship, and a
harmonious relationship is what we need to improve our nation.
We cannot solely rely on ourselves in terms of stabilizing our economy, that is not the way to keep
a household strong. I do not want to sound too dependent on other nations, but the truth is we all need each
other to survive. Whether we take on the model of an economic circular flow diagram or an ecosystem, the
bottom line is there is a need to deal with other nations. If we choose leaders who cannot deal with that fact
or leaders who find it difficult to be amiable and diplomatic with others, then expect a very tough climb
towards development for our nation. If someone says that what matters is the journey and, not the
destination, in this case, that cliché does not apply. For sure, every Filipino would be glad to hear that the
goal and the ride both matter, and it matters that many of us live to see the day the Philippines will again
be back, basking in glory.
References
Caliwan, C. (2020, December 15). Real Numbers' on PH anti-drug campaign accurate: PDEA. Retrieved
from Republic of the Philippines, Philippines News Agency:
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1124814
Carino, L. V. (2000). The Concept of Governance. Government to Governance, Reflections on the 1999
World Conference on Governance (p. 44). Slideshare.
Chapter 7: Good Governance and the Rule of Law. (n.d.). Retrieved from Gov.PH:
https://pdp.neda.gov.ph/philippine-development-plan-2011-2016/chapter-7-good-governance-
and-the-rule-of-law/#