Planning, organizing, leading and controlling are the standard activities or functions which define the act of managing. These are finetuned, segmented, expanded and specified in accordance with the theoretical orientation of the management perspective.
With a conceptual framework, the ultimate relevance is, of course, the implementation or operationalization on the ground or playing field of the institution or mandate. The usual benchmarks are the results or outcomes of the managerial process.
It is good to find that after the recent local elections a lot of the neophytes or officials elected for the first time to a specific position have gone to or are seeking competences from various academic institutions to prepare them for their responsibilities and duties.
The intention is to be able to meet their commitments effectively. This is great. It is pathetic that we elect officials and spend and give them resources just to sit on their butts and try to look good without any meaningful performances and results.
The University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and Development Academy of the Philippines are the major academic institutions which are providing the training competences for public governance. There are many public officials availing of their offerings.
I have taught and still teach at these institutions and can personally validate the quality, integrity and developmental relevance of their services. Apart from their standard programs, these institutions can customize the service and its delivery according to the needs and preferences of the public officials and their unit.
This can, for example, be the whole LGU’s city council and its presiding officer, the Vice Mayor, and may even include the staff. There are also those who have availed of one=on-one executive coaching among some congressmen, governors and mayors. This means there are these public officials who do not want to be stupid or incompetent but are serious in delivering good performance and results.
It is serendipitous that I met Vice Mayor Vicky Vega of Angeles City while I was having breakfast with my wife at Perfect Loaf. I had a hankering for the longanisang Alaminos and tawilis which the café regularly served for breakfast.
Vice Mayor Vega has clear advocacy priorities, branded in her “serbisyong handog” of Sulong Kalusugan, Kabuhayan Patrol, SulongKaalaman, Gabay sa Paghimlay ( service offerings in health, livelihood, knowledge and burial aid). I also remember her advocacies for women.
After a short exchange of amenities, we got to an arrangement wherein a workshop seminar will be provided for the city council over which she presides by the Development Academy of the Philippines to be delivered in the DAP Tagaytay facilities.
Tentatively, this will cover the substance and dynamics of LGU legislation as well as mastery of self, situation and function. The specifics are still being threshed out.
The point is that the presiding officer intends to manage (POLC) the city council as a team in accordance with high competence standards. This is to the credit of Ms Vicky Vega, the first woman Vice Mayor of Angeles City.
Being from Pampanga, I plan to offer this service of DAP to Mr. Jimmy Lazatin, Vice Mayor of San Fernando, whose family happen to be close friends and patrons ( particularly the late Jess Lazatin, the father, and Babes Lazatin, the brother). I already happened to mention this to Jimmy in passing.
He said he will look at the proposal. Likewise, I will approach Mayor Boking Morales of Mabalacat, when I have the chance to pin him down and he will remember within his busy schedule. Mayor Boking was our student at the Asian Institute of Management.
DAP is a government institution with a high standard and prestigious reputation. It has specialized in the training of government officials. It is the brainchild of OD Corpus and Cesar Virata, having graduated many students with Masters degrees and various training programs.
With the many academic and research units now proliferating in the Philippines, DAP continues to deliver its mission at reasonable and high standards.
I am involved in teaching in the degree program offering of the Executive Doctorate in Educational Leadership, which is being taken by school owners, administrators and faculty from all over the country.
I highly recommend it to serious educators. It is facilitative and useful in terms of content relevance and update as well as the convenience of the schedule.
I also teach and share logistics concepts and experience with the current management training of postmasters of Philpost from all over the country. A schedule is being planned for the Philpost Board of Directors for corporate governance. Ms Josie dela Cruz, the Postmaster General, is focused on training for competency and the correct culture for her organization.
Learning is a continuing process. With the rapid changes and turbulence in the world, our ability to cope must be supported by the correct competences, attitudes and tool kit. The one common denominator of all these disciplines, professions and jobs is management.
Whether it is aviation, government service, medicine, information technology, engineering or hairdressing, the basic required competence is managing or POLC.
