Accountability is an integral part of public management and a cornerstone of national

development.
Considering such, discuss the various types of administrative
accountability. In your opinion, is there a pronounce lack of accountability in our
government? Explain. Recommend solutions to (address) improve accountability in the
government.
The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life,
make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can.
John W. Gardner, US Secretary of Health and Education, 1965-68
According to the Civil Service Commission, under a democracy such as in the
Philippines, the peoples fundamental faith in the integrity of political institutions is what
holds the system together even under the most difficult times. The present situation in
the Philippines is a test of this principle. Whether or not the test is passed with success
is a matter yet to be seen. However, at this stage, what could be gainfully learned from
present experience is the knowledge that peoples trust seems to lie on the existence of
ethics and accountability mechanisms. As shown and proven with quite a measure of
success by many studies, ethics and accountability are keys not only to effective
government but also to effective governance.
In the book, Public Service Accountability: A Comparative Perspective by Bruce
Stone, O.P. Dwivedi, and Joseph G. Jabbra, administrative accountability means that
internal rules and norms as well as some independent commission are mechanisms to
hold civil servant within the administration of government accountable. Within
department or ministry, firstly, behavior is bound by rules and regulations; secondly, civil
servants are subordinates in a hierarchy and accountable to superiors. Nonetheless,
there are independent watchdog units to scrutinize and hold departments accountable;
legitimacy of these commissions is built upon their independence, as it avoids any
conflicts of interests.
There are four types of accountability: 1) traditional accountability; 2) managerial
accountability; 3) program accountability; and 4) program accountability.
Traditional accountability focuses on..
Managerial accountability concerns itself.
Program accountability is concerned with.
Process accountability emphasizes
According to Guillermo ODonnell, one of the main challenges that the
Philippines should immediately address is how to combat and control the problems
of corruption. The absence of effective measures to counter this perennial

demon would result in a lack of accountability.

exemplifies a government that lacks accountability.

A corrupt public official

Lack of accountability can be seen in how politicians and elite Filipinos

are treated in our society. When they have done something against the law,
they are not held accountable with what they did but instead walk freely as if
nothing happened. A perfect example is in the case of the so-called fertilizer scam
in which funds for fertilizers were distributed to congressmen during the harvest season and not
a single centavo reached the hands of their constituents. Up to now, nobody was held
accountable for such crime. Another example is the plunder case against the former President
Arroyo.
It
has
been
years
and
yet
she
is
still
free

of this Also, even with various agencies mandated by law to check and
balance the government, ADD PA
The Office of the Ombudsman, Sandiganbayan, the Civil Service Commission
and the Commission on Audit are mandated by our government to ensure accountability
and transparency on its overall operations.
The Office of the Ombudsman (Ombudsman) is mandated by the Constitution as
protectors of the people who shall act promptly on complaints filed against officers or
employees of the government including members of the Cabinet, local government units
and government-owned and controlled corporations and enforce their administrative,
civil and criminal liability in every case where the evidence warrants in order to promote
efficient service by the government to the people.
The Sandiganbayan, or the governments anti-graft court, is mandated by the
1973 and 1987 Constitutions. It covers criminal and civil cases against graft and corrupt
practices and other offenses committed by public officers and employees with Salary
Grade 27 and above, including those in local government units and government-owned
or controlled corporations, which are related to their official duties as determined by law.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) is the central personnel agency of the
government and is tasked in the recruitment, building, maintenance and retention of a
highly-competent and professional workforce. It is also one of the three independent
commissions established by the Constitution with adjudicative powers to render final
disputes and personnel actions on Civil Service. It covers all national government
agencies, local government units and government-owned and -controlled corporations.
The Commission on Audit (COA) is the constitutional commission mandated to
be the supreme audit institution of the government. It has jurisdiction over national
government agencies, local government units, government-owned and controlled
corporations and non-government organizations receiving benefits and subsidies from
the government.
Our government have initiated numerous programs and policies in promoting
ethics and accountability in the public sector. However, the issues of ethics and
accountability pose a continuing challenge to the Philippine government.

I recommend that there should be a firmer implementation of the policies

promoting accountability.

This was displayed

when the
impeachment
of then President
Joseph Ejercito
Estrada on charges
of cronyism and
corruption was

aborted,inevitably
opening the
floodgates of public
discontent and what
resulted was another
popular uprising
known as EDSA 2
last January 2001.