Rating public service delivery

EDITORIAL

Criticisms and snide remarks still hound the State of the Nation Address of President Macapagal-Arroyo last week. Despite her “glowing accomplishments,” critics say, nobody but her lackeys believe her pronouncements as people only relate to the government in terms of their financial status.

They also said the president was lacking in sincerity considering the series of large-scale corruption issues which hounded the administration over the years. According to the SONA, the administration passed the test of public governance with flying colors. According to her critics, everything was a sugar-coated litany of imagination. How does one rate quality or quantity of public service delivery?

In 1994, the Civil Service Commission launched the Mamamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na Program, now shortened and simply called the Mamamayan Muna Program, as a government campaign to address need for behavioral reforms in the bureaucracy. It was designed to minimize if not totally eradicate discourtesy, corruption, arrogance and inefficiency in the public service.

Through the program, the public sends to the Commission feedback or reports and commendations on the quality of service delivery of government agencies. These reports may be in the form of commendation of good service rendered by service providers; complaints/grievances for inefficient and undesirable actions of service providers; request for assistance on pending transactions, and suggestions and recommendations aimed at improving government programs and services.

It also provides immediate recognition of state workers who exemplify the best service delivery through conferment of the Gantimpala Agad Award. GAA awardees are commended by the CSC either for quality service or for acts of honesty or heroism.

The agency Bilis Aksyon Partner (BAP) is the MMP focal person in the agency that purportedly ensures prompt action on reports received from the public. The BAP handles all feedback and reports received from the public or from the different offices of the CSC and other government and non-government organizations.

On June 3, 2002, the CSC launched the TEXTCSC Project to support objectives of Republic Act 6713 which provides for responsive public service. It was touted as an alternative medium, anchored on objectives of CSC’s Mamamayan Muna Program of providing the public with a tool to send feedback on government services.

But over the years, according to the CSC itself, there were only a few feedbacks or complaints from a public grown skeptical to government programs. The people would rather complaints were aired though the media. As corruption cases were exposed with some if not many, traced to Malacanang and top government agencies in terms bribery, kickbacks and other forms of corruption involving multi-billion government projects, the public stopped wondering and according to surveys, just wanted a change of government in the next elections.

The SONA, according to critics, was not really a gauge of how much the government did to alleviate the poor plight of the people but lip service. All the people want now, pundits say, is for a change of government administration or government officials in the next national elections. As to the Mamamayan Muna, Hindi Mamaya Na Program, the mamamayan (masses) can wait for another 10 months.