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Claudine Joyce Montelibano (Chapter 11)

Reinventing government is not an easy task especially here in the Philippines.
Reinvention is the process whereby there is innovation and improvement of something that have
defects and errors. When we speak about reinventing government, we mean innovation or
improvement to our government. There are many steps, strategies, procedures and innovations
which I will discuss on this paper and these strategies should be done in order for our
government to achieve the total reinvention and if our government succeeds, they could now
serve the public better. But first, I would like to emphasize that there is a need for improvement
or innovation of our government because there are already defects and distorted actions inside
our government as stated on the second sentence. There are many problems that our government
faces nowadays. There is corruption, economic recession, health problems that adds up to the
major problems of our government and other related problems. Change in government is a long
term goal that should prosper otherwise we would end up non sense, nonsense in sense that we
could not depend to our government which is supposed to be the one who could empower us to
become better Filipino citizens. I am looking for the positive outcomes that will happen if ever
there will be reinvention to our government. I could say that situations or poor services will
change if the ten principles will be applied in our government. There will be positive results and
complaints of the people will be decrease, again if these ten principles will be adopted. I would
not make my statement longer, I want to show my concern to the Filipino people and I want the
government will listen to my little voice, to my little voice that could change the government and
destroy the ruling of traditional government.
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Now, let me present to you the ten principles that I learned from the book entitled Reinventing
Government. The ten principles are as follows:
Catalytic Government: Steering rather than Rowing
Community Owned Government : Empowering rather than serving
Competitive Government : Injecting Competition Into Service Delivery
Mission Driven Government: Transforming Rule Driven Organizations
Results Oriented Government : Funding Outcomes Not Inputs
Customer Driven Government : Meeting the Needs of the Customers not the Bureaucracy
Earning Rather than Spending : Enterprising Government
Anticipatory Government : Prevention Rather Than Cure
Decentralized Government : From Hierarchy to Participation and Teamwork
Market Oriented Government
There are many problems here in the Philippines where I could apply these ten principles. This ten
principles could bring change in the whole Philippines. I will now start my discussion on the ten
principles. :

Discussion on Catalytic Government:
One of the problems that confront our society is the problem on healthcare .In this case, the government
should act as catalyst in delivering the basic healthcare services needed by mothers in our country during
the pre and post natal stage. Its because in the Philippines, many babies as well as mothers are
experiencing critical conditions because of incomplete facilities present at some public hospitals in the
Philippines. So as an agent for change, the government should impose change to this problem by
providing enough budget for the purchase of the hospital facilities especially in delivery rooms. Also the
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screening of new doctors should be done, so that the health and safety of women as well as the children
will be assured especially during delivery.
Discussion on Community owned Government:
There are still people in some barangays here in the Philippines that were not empowered by the
government. There are still drug cases that could not be solved in some barangays here in the Philippines.
The people has less participation on the matters that are happening in their community or locality. Drug
case cannot be solved alone by policemen , theres a need for the participation of inhabitants to stop this
drug cases. In connection with this, our government should empower people by enlightening their minds
about the danger of drug tolerance. In this way, inhabitants would think wisely, most probably they would
participate to solve drug cases on their own localities.
Discussion on Competitive Government:
As we all know, there are always delays and efficiencies in the services provided by the government. As a
matter of fact, in some municipalities, public hospitals and different public institutions, there are always
delay because there monopoly of services. Yet, we people still go to the services they are offering. But
competition will improve this scenario. If competition will be present, definitely poor services will
improve and monopoly will dissolved. This principle should be applied.
Discussion on Mission Driven Government:
Our government here in the Philippines mist be mission driven government not rule driven government.
Public employees working on different government institutions are tied up by strict and procedural rules ,
and this not good because they could not decide on what they think as correct so they could not also give
customers better services. If you are a government employee, you could not immediately change defective
facilities with new because you need first to make a report about replacement and you will have to wai
until your request is approved. As government employees , you should be mission driven.
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Discussion on Result Oriented Government:
Our government institutions here in the Philippines do not really evaluate the results of the services they
provided for the public. Some government institution still continues in giving the public unsatisfactory
services. As government, they should evaluate the services they provided for the public so that they would
know their errors and mistakes so that they will not do it again. Results should be checked to ensure that
the government services are really quality services.
Discussion on Customer Driven Government:
Here in the Philippines the public or the people are not treated as customers sometimes. There are always
delays and in errors in the delivery of services to the people and this the reason why I would like to apply
this principle in this scenario or situation. Every Filipino deserves to given quality services and our
government should do its best to satisfy the needs of the public.
Discussion on Enterprising Government:
Our government should run like a business and like a business the government should also give its people
quality services such as healthcare services, education, and other basic services. I conclude that if our
government would run like a business, it would likely satisfy the needs of is people and the government
will improve because they will treat its people as valued customers.
Discussion on Anticipatory Government:
This principle is about the idea that prevention is better than cure. This principles exists in Philippines
already but there are still problems that we encounter, it is because our government doesnt know how to
make this principle effective. Our government learned to prevent problems such as health problems,
economic and even social problems but there are still people who are victims of different diseases, our
economy is stiil unstable and there is still poverty. It simply shows that our government is weak and
doesnt know to anticipate the weight of problem that it would prevent.
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Discussion on the Decentralized Government:
This principle is already present in the Philippines. There is now the so called devolution of powers from
the national government down to the local governments. our national government already decentralized
power to the local governments and now local governments could function on their own, local
governments could now implement their policies and they could improve their respective localities but
they are not absolutely free from the intervention of the national government.
Discussion On The Market Oriented Government:
The market should be used as catalyst to serve all sectors of the state. The market will be used as a lever
in order to deliver services to the public. If this principle will be applied in the Philippines, definitely
there will be jobs for all and the distribution of basic services will become more efficient and effective.

Based on the discussions presented regarding the ten principles, I conclude that most of the
problems present in our country is the problem on poor services delivered or offered by the government to
the people. It is realized that the problem on the delay of delivery of services is something that we
Filipinos cannot avoid. But amidst all of this problem the biggest question is, would the ten principles
change the status quo? How can we compare the results of the reinvented government and traditional one?
The answer is yes. The results of the problems when applied with ten principles are totally different with
those of the results in traditional one. It is very obvious that with a reinvented government the services of
the government were delivered to the people more efficiently thats why it can easily be said that a
reinvented government really calls for a change. A change that has something to do with the flaws and
anomalies of the present system which sometimes is also the reason for the enlargement of the problem in
the society.

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