ASPAP News and Events
Freedom from crooks
BASED on the outcome of Tuesday's presidential forum on “Integrity and Human Rights,” the presidential candidates need to do more to prove to the public they have a full appreciation of the interconnectedness of the justice and human-rights issues, on the one hand, and corruption and poverty, on the other.
For while most of them have been heard every so often spouting bold promises to fight corruption and eradicate poverty, they have not quite shown us that they will do so as part of a broader governance framework. Or one that's not hostage to the notion that democracy and economic progress are exclusive of each other; or that socioeconomic development can be pursued outside of the nexus of justice and human rights.
At Tuesday's forum, for instance, diplomats, human-rights experts and academics were clearly frustrated over the apparent lack of interest of the presidential candidates to discuss their human-rights agenda.
“A bit frustrating,” was the understatement of Chairman Leila de Lima of the Commission on Human Rights, one of the conveners of the forum—the others being the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Bisyon 2020. She said they were all hoping for a 100-percent attendance, or at least most of the candidates, who last week were active in all three forums on economic and related issues, successively sponsored by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Fair Trade Alliance, and the Federation of Philippine Industries.
And even there, as we pointed out in an earlier editorial, most of the candidates' responses to the questions thrown in these three economic forums indicated more or less just shopping lists of to-do's; so much so that one is left hoping it's only because they—and their expert advisers—are still finessing their strategies on such challenging issues as the fiscal health, growth and human development, business and state policy, local industries and globalization, among others. Given that, it wasn't really surprising that little interest was displayed on Tuesday on the issues of justice and human rights vis-à-vis economic freedom.
And yet, as de Lima underscored at the sidelines of the forum, “issues on human rights and [addressing] corruption are two vital components of good governance.” She couldn't help adding, “I can't imagine any candidate who will not use these topics as a centerpiece [of his platforms].”
Asked why there are no other presidential bets attending the rights forum, dean Alex Brillantes of the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance hazarded a guess, “Baka nagsasawa na...[Maybe they're getting tired of this].” It wasn't clear if he meant the candidates are tired of appearing at forums and want to hit the campaign trail anew, or are tired of topics on human rights.
How, indeed, can anyone professing a wish to lead the country ever tire of these topics? UNDP country representative Renauld Meyer put it so well when he said, at the same forum on Tuesday, that the problem of corruption in the Philippines is similar to a cancer which can still be cured if only the patient “is psychologically prepared.” And by the way, there is no such thing as a small cancer in this context—the “more we are psychologically prepared, [the] easier [it is] for us to address corruption.”
Corruption as a systemic problem in the Philippines has weakened the institutions, impaired the justice system and hindered economic development, in his view, and this is best reflected in the Maguindanao massacre which, coincidentally, was perpetrated three months ago on Tuesday. To Meyer, it “reflected the systemic roots of corruption and how the rule of law has been used and abused to amass wealth.” That is why corruption should be tackled with a human-rights slant to put a human face to the problem. Amen. Sadly, few were listening.
3 presidential bets vow to open their bank records
Three presidential aspirants vowed to open up their bank accounts to public scrutiny should they win in the May 10 elections, a move seen to promote transparency among government officials.
Liberal Party standard bearer Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, independent presidential candidate Senator Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal and Ang Kapatiran Party's Olongapo City Councilor JC de los Reyes all agreed to waive their rights to their bank accounts' secrecy.
Three presidential aspirants vowed to open up their bank accounts to public scrutiny should they win in the May 10 elections, a move seen to promote transparency among government officials.
Liberal Party standard bearer Senator Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, independent presidential candidate Senator Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal and Ang Kapatiran Party's Olongapo City Councilor JC de los Reyes all agreed to waive their rights to their bank accounts' secrecy.
The three were the only candidates for the highest office to show up at the presidential forum held at the Integrity and Human Rights Conference in Makati City on Tuesday.
Aquino said he was willing to undertake the move “if there is a question about my integrity."
Madrigal and de los Reyes followed suit, adding they would oblige their future Cabinet members to do the same. Even before the campaign period, Aquino's running mate Mar Roxas had challenged his opponents in the vice presidential race to waive their rights to banking confidentiality.
“Those are things that have to be monitored because corruption doesn't happen on top, it also happens on [lower] levels," Madrigal said during the same forum. "I have nothing to hide."
Under Republic Act No. 1405, banks are disallowed from identifying depositors as well as the amount of their deposits, including investments in government bonds.
"[Such transactions and investments] are hereby considered as of an absolutely confidential nature and may not be examined, inquired or looked into by any person, government official, bureau or office," a portion of the law's section 2 reads.
However, the same law allows a depositor to waive the right to confidentiality through written consent.
The Monetary Board, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' policy-making body, can also order an examination of a bank account should there be “reasonable grounds" that bank fraud or a serious irregularity has been or is being committed.
The Commission on Human Rights organized Tuesday's event in cooperation with the Civil Service Commission, the United Nations Development Programme, Transparency International Philippines, and the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines, Inc. (ASPAP).
Businessmen from Business for Integrity and Stability of Our Nation 2020 (Bisyon 2020) was also among the convenors.
The forum was organized to allow the aspirants to discuss their anti-corruption polices and plans for human rights reforms.
"We want them to see the close linkage between corruption and human rights because corruption is the worst form of human rights violation. It robs the people of basic services," said CHR chair Leila de Lima.
JC to Noynoy: I want you to succeed
Briefly, tension occurred between Aquino and de los Reyes after the latter told the senator that the LP should be more transparent.
De los Reyes' remark did not sit well with Aquino, who quipped that the senator had participated in Senate investigations like the “Hello Garci" scandal and had more experience in politics.
Minutes later, Delos Reyes took a different turn and virtually conceded to Aquino in the presidential race.
"Senator Aquino, there is a big chance that you will be the next president, based on the surveys. I want you to succeed."
On human rights
The forum likewise discussed the government's performance in preventing human rights violations and prosecuting culprits.
In 2007, UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston visited the Philippines to investigate the extralegal killings of political dissidents and journalists.
Alston later reported that the Arroyo regime failed to make substantive progress in addressing summary killings in the Philippines .
Madrigal also assailed the Arroyo administration for supposedly ignoring the Alston Report, which also revealed that the government's denial of death squad killings in the country undermined the administration's credibility.
While the CHR remains toothless in going after human rights violators, Madrigal said that the commission was bound to improve its performance with De Lima at the helm.
The senator also likened De Lima as the "light" amid the darkness of the Arroyo administration.
De los Reyes said he wanted to be remembered as a president who upheld human rights by "respecting life and the dignity of the human person."
Aquino, meanwhile, said the notion of human rights should not just be limited to extrajudicial killings and attacks on journalists.
He explained that deprivation of fundamental rights should also be considered a human rights violation.
He recounted that a gubernatorial candidate, which he did not identify, lost to his opponent who had money to dole out.
"Napakadaling tanggapin ang perang pambili ng bigas kaysa makita ang kalsada nilang maayos," said Aquino.
(It's so much easier to accept money that can be used to buy rice instead of seeing their roads fixed.)
The three aspirants later signed a pledge to fight corruption and human rights violations.
Institutionalized corruption next president's big challenge
By Philip Tubeza, DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
The incoming President will face a tremendous challenge in stamping out corruption with corrupt practices having been institutionalized in the Philippines, an official of Transparency International (TI) said Tuesday.
The incoming President will face a tremendous challenge in stamping out corruption with corrupt practices having been institutionalized in the Philippines, an official of Transparency International (TI) said Tuesday.
Speaking before the Second Integrity and Human Rights Forum in Makati City, Samantha Grant, program coordinator for TI-Southeast Asia, also warned that “envelopmental journalism,” or payoffs, had become “prevalent in the run-up to elections.”
“Any new government has a tremendous challenge to win back the respect of the people. To do this, they must tackle the institutionalization of practices currently accepted that are, in a word, corrupt,” Grant said.
The forum was organized by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in partnership with Bisyon 2020, TI-Philippines, Civil Service Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Three presidential candidates—Senators Benigno Aquino III and Jamby Madrigal and Olongapo Councilor JC de los Reyes—attended the forum and committed themselves to fight corruption and uphold human rights.
Extremely corrupt officials
“The main issue in this election is human rights and corruption,” said Loida Nicolas Lewis, chair of Bisyon 2020.
“At least the three candidates who came here today can look anyone in the eye and say they will fight for human rights. As to those who did not come, I will not say anything,” she said.
Grant said that 2009 TI Global Corruption Barometer surveyed Filipinos and the reply was that they “strongly believe” that corruption affected Filipino public officials and civil servants.
“The Barometer asked 1,000 people in the Philippines to grade civil servants and the average score was 4 out of 5, with 5 being extremely corrupt. Seventy-seven percent said government actions to counter corruption were ineffectual,” Grant said.
She said TI also conducted a National Integrity Study of the Philippines in 2006 but, four years later, the recommendations it made remained relevant.
“In any country with institutionalized corruption, integrity pillars (the judiciary, the executive, the police, and the press) themselves are continually compromised,” Grant said.
“According to the report, collusion, state capture, and leadership incapable of crushing vested interests are all areas that still need to be addressed,” she said.
“There should be no nepotism in appointments and there should be a clear will to prosecute those found guilty of corruption including the powerful. Too often it is the small fry targeted for obvious reasons,” Grant added.
Follow through needed
“To hear the candidates this morning, it would appear that they understand this message. But words and commitments are only a first step. Whoever is elected President will have to follow through. They will have to act on their words,” she said.
Referring to journalists, Grant said that the media survived on advertising.
“Criticizing the hand that feeds requires courage and conviction, particularly when jobs and livelihoods are at stake. No one expects this to be easy, particularly in a system that has tried for decades to coopt journalists, often successfully,” she said.
However, Grant also noted that 31 of the 57 people massacred in Maguindanao in November were press people and that this is “a horrifying example of what it means to support the ideals of democracy.”
European Union Ambassador Alistair Macdonald told the forum that the massacre “tarnished” the Philippines' reputation abroad and that this could be repaired only if the perpetrators were punished.
Don't trivialize human rights
CHR Chair Leila de Lima reminded the presidential candidates about the importance of human rights issues in the election and challenged them not to trivialize human rights with empty rhetoric.
CHR Commissioner Jose Manuel S. Mamuag said that extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances continued despite a declaration from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo adhering to the recommendations of a UN special rapporteur.
He said that the CHR had recorded 777 cases of extrajudicial killings since 2001. Last year, there were 47 political killings reported while there were 251 cases of enforced disappearances.
P1.92B lost to corruption
The Philippines loses P1.92 billion to corruption a year, said UNDP country director Renaud Meyer. “Over a 20-year period, that's close to P2 trillion.”
“In 2000, the cost of corruption was at 10 percent of the (gross national product). A more recent estimate put it at close to 20 percent of the national budget,” Meyer said.
“As a comparison, 16 percent goes to education and 4 percent goes to health. With this 20-percent figure in mind, let's think how many schools, hospitals, barangay clinics could have been built, how many kilometers of road could have been built,” he said.
Inquirer Headlines / Nation
MANILA, Philippines—The way it sounded, Olongapo Councilor John Carlos “JC” de los Reyes had conceded the presidency to Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. “Senator Aquino, there is a big chance that you will be the next president based on what the surveys are saying now. And I want you to succeed,” De los Reyes told the Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer in his parting remarks at the 2nd Integrity and Human Rights Conference Tuesday at Hotel InterContinental Manila.
De los Reyes' statement elicited a surprised buzz from the audience.
When it was Aquino's turn to speak, he drew laughter when he started off with: “Thank you to Councilor JC for acknowledging that I have a good chance of running this country.”
But De los Reyes, the standard-bearer of Ang Kapatiran party, later described his remark as just a bit of sarcasm.
Asked if he was serious about conceding to Aquino, he told reporters: “No, I said it with a smile.
“I'm here to win. Let's face it, [Aquino] has a big chance. But we have 70 plus days [before the elections], and I'm here to give it my all.”
De los Reyes went on to take a dig at the LP, saying it was not enough for a presidential candidate to commit to a moral, transparent and accountable government, and that his political party must do the same.
‘Never'
In a subsequent interview with the Inquirer, De los Reyes said he would never give up on the presidential race.
He said that with his remark, “I meant to impress upon the senator the need for a responsible and accountable political party for genuine reforms, not merely for an individual who would pursue a ‘personal ambition' to catch a smuggler or a corrupt official responsible for substandard infrastructure within the first two weeks of his presidency, or who would share the pork barrel with friend and foe alike.”
He was quoting Aquino in an Inquirer report on Feb. 20 on what Malacañang would be if the senator wins the presidency.
“In behalf of Ang Kapatiran party, I will never concede in favor of any of the [other] presidential candidates,” De los Reyes said.
“The only thing I will concede is that the major political parties have failed this nation, particularly in passing key legislation pursuant to our Constitution that would have liberated our nation from the dynasts, oligarchs and the elite.”
De los Reyes also said simplifying the complex by getting down to core-policy issues affecting human rights would put clarity in the electorate's bases for choosing who should be the next president.
He said this would prevent the risk of voters getting “drowned and confused” by the range of issues, including “peripheral issues,” being raised both in the media and in various forums.
“Oftentimes, these can already be addressed by the candidates' stand on matters of greatest concern,” he said.
Questioning politics
Earlier at the forum, there were slightly tense moments when De los Reyes urged Aquino to push the LP to be more accountable and transparent.
“All I'm saying is we really need a responsible and accountable political party. The political parties of before, even those in [the dictator Ferdinand] Marcos' time, did not work to uphold the Constitution, like the provisions against political dynasties or the full disclosure of government transactions,” he said.
De Los Reyes said he was not questioning the LP's moral authority.
“But I'm questioning the propriety of the kind of politics they're conducting,” he said, adding:
“One person believes this, but it is not adhered [to] by the membership. There are no clear and specific aspirations.
“What is the stand of the LP and Nacionalista Party on [political dynasties]? What is their stand on the pork barrel? These are obstacles to the progress of the people.
“What is their stand as a party, not as a presidential candidate? That's what we should ask. Whatever they say will be useless if they don't take a party stand.”
De los Reyes also said he was not attacking the LP standard-bearer.
“It's not him I'm hitting. It's everybody who espouses this kind of politics that breeds irresponsible and corrupt political parties,” he said.
Neither Aquino nor Villar
Asked whom he would support if it became a two-man race between Aquino and Sen. Manuel Villar, another survey front-runner who was a no-show at the forum, De Los Reyes said: “After today, neither.”
He said Aquino appeared “peeved” by his remarks.
But the senator responded with a joke: “Yan naman ang hirap sa kaibigan natin (That's the problem with our friend here)…”
He proceeded to point out that he and the LP were with De Los Reyes' party in fighting the scrapped National Broadband Network deal with China 's ZTE Corp., among other irregular government deals.
But then, Aquino said, drawing laughter from the audience, “the media would now say we're calling Kapatiran's bluff (sasabihin naman sa media, pinapatulan namin ang Kapatiran).”
He added that the people, especially the poor, were more concerned with basic matters, like putting food on the table. With a report from Jerome Aning
MEMORANDUM
ASPAP and IFES Held 10th Campaign Finance Monitoring Forum at the University of Sto.Tomas
Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines (ASPAP) was held last 18 September 2009 at the Thomas Aquinas Center Auditorium, University of Sto. Tomas (UST). With the Department of Political Science as the university's lead unit, the forum had COMELEC Chairman Jose Melo, represented by newly appointed COMELEC Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, as main speaker. The panel of reactors and audience were faculty and students of UST and other ASPAP-NCR Schools such as the University of the East, Centro Escolar University and Jose Rizal University.
With funding support from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES-Philippines) and under collaborative partnership with the Pera't Pulitika Consortium, ASPAP Inc. expects these fora hosted by it member-schools all over the country to be the venue to raise public awareness, discourse, advocacy and action for campaign finance monitoring by all critical stakeholders of electoral reforms in the pursuit good governance – the state, business, civil society, academe, youth, the media and all other equally important elements who have direct and indirect stakes in the upcoming 2010 Elections.
Officially launched during the first forum held on March 19, 2009 at the University of the Philippines' National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NPCAG), the following were the subsequent fora successfully hosted by selected ASPAP-member schools in strategic positions all over the country.
26 June |
Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City |
10 July |
Cebu Normal University, Cebu City |
17 July |
Western Visayas State University, Iloilo City |
24 July |
Western Mindanao State University, Zamboanga City |
4 August |
Siliman University, Dumaguete City |
21 August |
Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City |
28 August |
University of the Philippines, Baguio City |
11 September |
Holy Angel University, Angeles, Pampanga |
These fora featured Pera't Pulitika Consortium's experts, scholars and advocates of electoral reforms such as Ms. Malou Mangahas (PCIJ), Mr. Ramon Casiple (IPER), Atty. Luie Tito F. Guia (LIBERTAS), Dr. Amado Mendoza (UP/ASPAP), Dr. Alex Brillantes (UP/ASPAP) as well as Atty. Fernando Rafanan, Head of the Legal Office of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Faculty/scholars of the ASPAP Schools and the local COMELEC officials also participate as panel of reactors and/or resource persons.
To drumbeat support for monitoring campaign finance spending for the 2010 Elections, the series also launched a volunteer signature campaign intended to generate a nationwide list of committed and informed “campaign-finance-monitoring volunteers” who will be trained and mobilized in the 2010 Elections.
This project of ASPAP Inc. and IFES-Philippines will be followed by more collaborative activities between them and their institutional partners under the Pera't Pulitika Consortium – all towards concrete electoral reforms, anti-corruption and good governance.
2009 Visiting Researcher Scholarship
We are pleased to invite you to apply for the 2009 Visiting Researcher Scholarship on the theme “Organization of the Sub-national Entities.” There will be one researcher each year who will be granted a three-month research grant to investigate his/her research question in Switzerland as approved under the research agenda defined by CLRG and the Institute of Federalism (IFF), University of Fribourge , Switzerland . The research grant will cover transport costs (including plane fares and travel to Fribourg), commensurate salary, workspace, access to IFF library resources, and technical assistance.
Click here to view the Memorandum in full [ PDF:12kb ]
ASPAP Partners with LOGODEF for the
2009 KAME Awards
Under its partnership agreement with the Local Government Foundation (LOGODEF) signed in April 2008, the ASPAP Inc. network has been tapped to take the lead in the 2009 Search for the Kondrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence (KAME) Awards. Now on its fifth year, the KAME Award recognizes constructive local government leadership and local government reforms at the provincial, city, municipal and barangay levels. In 1996, it was recognized by the Senate of the Philippines through Resolution No. 68, making it the only foreign award for local governments in the Philippines.
The KAME Award is being pursued by the Kondrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in partnership with LOGODEF, one of the country’s premier institutions promoting decentralization in the Philippines through training, research, recognition and replication of best local government practices and innovations.
For this 2009 KAME Awards, the ASPAP Inc, through its Regional Chapters and lead schools in the region, will work closely with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the various local governance stakeholders in their respective communities, in the process of identifying and selecting excellent local government leaders and local government initiatives and reforms. A Regional Coordinating Committee, also chaired by the ASPAP Chapter, will oversee the regional selection processes and will report directly to a National Search Committee. Awarding of the selected winners will be on December 2009.
Nomination forms can be secured from the LOGODEF, the ASPAP National Office and its designated regional chapters, and all DILG Offices.
2009 Forum on Campaign Finance Monitoring
With the support of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the ASPAP Inc, through its Regional Chapters and lead schools all over the country. Will hold a nationwide series of fora on campaign finance monitoring to engage the government, academe, civil society, media, business and the public in general, in an open and frank discussion, discourse and analyses of campaign finance monitoring in the Philippines. This is intended to generate awareness, advocacy and action about campaign finance monitoring as a critical issue in the country’s political processes, particularly as the country gears up for the 2010 Presidential Elections.
To be started by the first forum on 19 March 2009 (1:00 PM) at the Assembly Hall of the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) of the University of the Philippines (UP), the fora will feature resource persons and experts on the subject from the Pera’t Pulitika (PAP) Consortium such as Mr. Ramon Casiple of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms (IPER), Atty. Luie Tito Guia of the Lawyers’ League for Liberty (LIBERTAS) and Ms. Malou Mangahas of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ).
The subsequent fora that will run from June to September 2009 will be in the following cities: a) Zamboanga and Cotabato in June; b) Cebu and Davao in July; c) Baguio and Iloilo in August; and, d) Naga, Angeles and Manila in September.
Please see attached Programme for the UP-NCPAG Forum on 19 March. For details about the subsequent fora and arrangements for individual and/or institutional participation in said fora, please coordinate with the ASPAP, Inc Office through Profs. Mina Cabo and Eli Ricote.
ASPAP President Visit to jumpstart
Region 2 - Chapter’s Projects 2008
Dr. Grace Gorospe-Jamon and Prof. Eli Ricote, ASPAP Inc.’s President and Treasurer respectively, made a quick visit to ASPAP-Chapter 2 last 31 July 2008, in time for the Chapter’s planning session hosted by Director Renato Brion of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) at the DILG Regional Center in Carig Sur, Tuguegarao City.
Attended by the representatives of the various ASPAP-member schools in the region such as Cagayan State University, Isabela State University, Nueva Viscaya State University, Saint Louis University and Saint Paul University in Tuguegarao, the gathering proved to be an appropriate venue for Dr. Grace Jamon to talk about the need to formally establish the chapter as a collaboration of ASPAP schools with its duly elected officers from among their official ASPAP representatives. She reiterated how the chapter, once officially established, can benefit from ASPAP’s various upcoming projects that would be mainstreamed to its chapters all over the country.
Prof. Ricote added that these projects which have prospective funding sources from donor agencies like the USAID and WB, will substantially help the ASPAP Chapter and the individual schools strengthen their respective faculty development and research objectives. This can also a very rich venue for the necessary academic and institutional linkages required of higher educational institutions.
Both Dr. Jamon and Prof. Ricote noted the visibly strong partnership between the DILG and the ASPAP schools in the region. Dir. Brion responded how this partnership had long provided the venue for collaborative projects and activities. Dr. Jamon even suggested to Prof. Ricote to document this case and highlight its innovations as an ASPAP regional chapter.
Dr. Jamon and Prof. Ricote were in Tuguegarao City as they were invited to be facilitators in the National Security Council’s (NSC) Local Peace and Security Assembly (LPSA) for Region 2, which culminated in a presentation of the assembly’s resolution to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Cagayan State University’s Dr. Nelia Cauilan, an active ASPAP Member also invited as facilitator in the LPSA, made the necessary arrangements for Dir. Jamon and Prof. Ricote’s short visit to ASPAP-Region 2.
EROPA SEMINAR 2008
The EROPA, in partnership with the Asia-Europe Foundation will hold EROPA SEMINAR 2008 on October 23-25, 2008 in Manila. The seminar's theme is: “Governance in a Triptych: Environment, Migration, Peace and Order.”
The event will be hosted by the Civil Service Commission in cooperation with the Career Executive Service Board and the University of the Philippines - National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG).
Download the AIDE MEMOIRE here [PDF: 50KB]
Raul P. De Guzman Foundation
Scholarship for the 2008 EROPA Seminar on “Governance in a Triptych: Environment, Migration, Peace and Order”
Click link to view MECHANICS OF THE GRANT [PDF: 20KB]
Panibagong Paraan Project Launched
in ASPAP General Assembly
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As highlight of its 2008 General Assembly held back-to-back with the UP-NCPAG Colloquium, the ASPAP launched its British Embassy-funded Panibagong Paraan Project last 27 June 2008.
Entitled “Strengthening the ASPAP-LGU Partnership For Improved Governance and Service Delivery at the Local Level,” the project which was selected through the World Bank-initiated Panibagong Paraan ’08 Program, will be implemented in selected ASPAP Regional Chapter sites along with their respective LGU partners. Employing the “town and gown” approach to local governance, this partnership will provide a concrete venue where the ASPAP school can be directly involved in actual local governance.
The launching was graced by representatives from the British Embassy led by Second Secretary Nadja Freeman who commended ASPAP for its initiative to go down to the level of LGUs and directly provide them assistance. UP-NCPAG Dean and ASPAP Secretary General, Dr. Alex Brillantes and reelected ASPAP President, Dr. Grace Gorospe-Jamon, both responded with great appreciation to the British Embassy and the Panibagong Paraan Committee for their recognition of the ASPAP’s efforts to bridge PA/Governance theory with actual governance practice through real partnerships with local government units. Dr. Jamon particularly committed to harness the tremendous prospects that the ASPAP Regional Chapters can do to truly help their partner LGUs in actual projects and activities.
Aside from the launching the Panibagong Paraan Project, the newly elected officers of the ASPAP Inc. were inducted by Commissioner Mary Ann Fernandez of the Civil Service Commission. This was followed by the General Assembly where Dr. Jamon reported on the numerous achievements of ASPAP in 2007. The Regional Chapter Presidents also provided their respective updates and developments. Updates on the ongoing projects as well as several upcoming activities and projects were also discussed during the assembly.
ASPAP Celebrates Philippine Public Administration
with UP-NCPAG
In support of the UP-NCPAG’s major activity to celebrate the UP Centennial, the ASPAP Inc. co-sponsored a Public Colloquium on Philippine Public Administration last 26-27 June 2008 at the UP-NCPAG in Diliman, Quezon City.
With the theme “Is There a Philippine Public Administration? A Timeless Issue,” the colloquium featured papers and researches written by the country’s most prominent scholars, authors and educators in the field of Public Administration and Governance (PA/G). The papers/researches tackled topics and concerns about Philippine PA towards: 1) Redefining and Relocating the Discipline; 2) Revisiting Philippine PA’s Historical Past; 3) Locating Philippine PA with Sectoral Linkages and Concerns; as well as the emerging 4) Trends and Issues in Philippine PA.
Majority of the papers noted the crucial role of the ASPAP Inc. as the primary venue where PA/Governance institutions all over the country can create and sustain necessary collaborative academic, research, faculty-development and extension activities and projects – all with the intention of further strengthening the instruction, study and practice of PA/Governance the country.
The colloquium was attended by a huge audience of Philippine PA/Governance faculty, researchers and scholars gathered by the ASPAP Inc. from its extensive network of PA institutions all over the country. The colloquium was followed by the ASPAP Inc.’s 2008 General Assembly and election of officers where the incumbent President, Dr. Grace Gorospe-Jamon of the Development Academy of the Philippines, was unanimously re-elected by the ASPAP Inc. Board.
ASPAP News, Events and Announcements may be viewed at the beta site of ASPAP Blog.
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