EDITORIAL

Policy and bureaucracy

The bureaucracies in countries make policy and conversely, these same bureaucracies implement the policies that they make. It is implied that good bureaucracies are needed to make good policies or putting it another way, strong bureaucracies are needed to make strong policies. But a clear distinction is that policies are below the categories of laws, although some policies may sometimes have the force and effect of laws.

It is also implied that policies could be made independently of the laws, for as long as these are in conjunction with, and are in accordance with these laws. As a matter of fact, bureaucracies in many countries routinely operate regardless of which or what political powers control the machineries that make the laws.

As an aside, parliamentary governments all over the world are strong and stay strong because they have strong bureaucracies. In other words, the Philippines should make the concrete step of strengthening its bureaucracy first, before we should even think of converting to parliamentary form.

Any student on “parliamentarism” should know that ministers of line departments in the parliamentary systems of most countries actually do simple and plain “ministerial” work, because the ministries that they head are able to efficiently function regardless of who they are, or despite what they are capable of doing or not doing.

The main reason for this efficiency, a many a diplomat bared, is the existence of “permanent secretaries” who actually function as deputy ministers, people who are on the job running their ministries even if their bosses are not yet around or are not yet appointed.

Of course, the legislative chambers of all countries are there to make the laws over and above the policies, for the common good, on the assumption that if these policies are really good, then these should be elevated to the status of laws, and given stronger force and effect.

This is the theory, but since these chambers are free to do what they like, they are under no obligation to pass laws that are in support of these policies. This is actually the advantage of parliamentary forms, because there is a fusion of executive and legislative functions.

In theory in the micro level for example, it is clearly the function of the Department of Agriculture to make the policies that would ensure food security for the whole country, inclusive of the staple foods that should never run out or should always be affordable. Given this reality, our Congress should find no reason to pass laws in relation to food security, if all is well and if there are no threats to the effect.

We should assume that our Congress already knows that the price of rice in our country is probably the highest in the region. It may be correct to say that there may be no cause for alarm because rice is not yet running out of supply, but whether it is still affordable or not is already debatable. For that matter, the issue of sufficiency is also debatable, because we are actually not producing enough for our own needs, prompting us to import from other rice producing countries.

Believe it or not and whether our Congress knows it or not, the apparent shortage of rice in this country is directly caused by the shortage of water. We had a glimpse of this problem when we had a dry spell, a problem that was temporarily solved by the onslaught of strong rains. To go directly to the point however, there is practically a shortage of irrigation water in most parts of the country, a problem that greatly hindering our capability to produce rice economically.

No one is saying it yet, but even now, our Congress and our bureaucracies should already take quantum steps to increase our supply of irrigation water everywhere, using all natural and artificial means. It may be too early to say it, but I think we should even start putting up desalination plants already, if that is the only way to solve this supply problem.

The production of additional water should be a hot issue, even if the news media is not yet hot on its trail. Even now, our bureaucracies should already make the policies and our Congress should already make the laws at an alarming rate, even if the real alarms are not yet sounded by whoever should do it.