“REORIENTING THE PHILIPPINE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM: A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE TOWARDS NATION-BUILDING IN THE COMING MILLENNIUM” by Alvin T. Claridades (2006)

“REORIENTING THE PHILIPPINE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM:

A COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE TOWARDS NATION-BUILDING IN THE COMING MILLENNIUM”

· Alvin T. Claridades

(2006)

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The Year 2000 ushers in a very significant milestone in the history of the Philippine civil service system. For one, the century that has just passed before us bore witness to the development and evolution of public service from an antediluvian, unrefined and spartan beginnings into a neoteric, cultured and beneficient system that we have now. For another, the dawning of the new millennium presages the metamorphosis of civil service from its traditional, rule-driven orientation towards a more transformational, mission-inspired direction.

Indeed, there is so much to be ecstatic about as we, civil servants, tread the path of an age where the order of the day is information technology and cybernetic revolution. A new perspective is likely to unfold that will transform civil service from a system merely rooted in human resource development into a process conditioned upon information exchange management which should henceforth focus a greater deal of attention on the “cyber service” aspect of the “civil service.”

This perspective is very significant today if we are to take cognizance of the recent trends facing the global economy. The emergence of the e-commerce and the opening up of what used to be protectionist trade barriers in the name of globalization have all but brought about immense pressures to our national economy to maximize the utilization of its career work force which in recent years have vastly changed. As a result of these strains, many public organizations in the world have increasingly explored innovative work designs, modern management techniques and effective leadership traits to achieve their goals and realize their targets.

Thus, if we are to catch up with the global trend, the civil service in the 21st century requires a holistic perspective of the bureaucracy that will allow its leaders to think “outside of the box” and influence others to see their organization, not from a functional, single-task perspective, but rather as an interconnected process. When linked, these processes form a system that brings about desirable and remarkable results. To achieve more and be effective, modern civil servants must, therefore, be coaxed to widen their horizon, think beyond their functions, and concern themselves with a relationship of their work to other components of the system.

A traditional public bureaucracy may still be effective if the surroundings are stable, the chore is comparatively easy, clients demand related services, and the quality of performance is not crucial. But in a global marketplace and knowledge-based economy in which we live today, the environment demands the overhauling and reengineering of the civil service system to one that can easily adapt to changes, deliver high-quality goods and services, respond to its public clientele, offer alternatives of non-stereotyped services, lead by suasion and incentives rather than directions, and give the public sector employees a sense of purpose and control, even ownership over their work.

But we can not hope to bring public service to a new height of excellence nor be able to build the nation on its sturdy foundation unless an attempt is made soon at laying down the blueprint of a new paradigm for a responsive career service system for the coming millennium that is deeply committed to excellence, creativity and innovation. The task may loom tremendous and formidable but with God’s grace and with the Civil Service Commission’s willingness to take on the challenge, the gains to be won will be enormous and immeasurable. 

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