LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Vice Governor Ericson ‘Tagel’ Felipe said there is still hope for reforms to be put in place in the bureaucracy to achieve the desired paradigm shift in the behavior of people and their perception on the government.
Felipe was a recipient of a short-term study grant at the National University of Singapore–Lee Kwan Yew School of governance and another one in Japan to bolster his objective perception on how government is to be administered and the needed reforms that should be instituted to achieve the desired change leading towards better governance.
He admitted that the institution of reforms in the bureaucracy will be an uphill climb but it should start before it is too late not to compromise the future generations who are the future leaders of the nation.
“What remains in us is hope, that is why we should not lose the hope that we can realize the reforms we want to put in place not for our own benefit but for the sake of the future generations” Vice governor Felipe stressed.
The vice governor underscored that even the current batch of leaders in both the national and local levels should be willing to embrace the desired reforms that should be instituted to slowly eradicate the misguided practices that have plagued the bureaucracy for over a century so that the present generation can contribute in the paradigm shift and the change in the overall perception of the people on governance.
According to him, numerous leaders are actually offended when people discuss about malpractices in government but they must accept that there is something wrong in the system and try to work on how to improve and correct whatever is wrong so as not to serve as the living example of bad governance.
On the other hand, Felipe explained that there is also a need to change the perception of the people on elected officials as providers of benefits to their persons because this perpetuates the tendency for politicians to be involved in corruption in order to provide the many personal and business needs of the relatives and supporters, instead of the politician attending to the overall needs of the constituents.
However, Felipe pointed out that such reform will have to take some time to be realized if people can internalize and understand the very purpose why there is a need to change attitudes and achieve better governance purposely for the welfare of the greater majority.
He stipulated that any effort to institute paradigm change in peoples’ minds will have to be worked out by the present leaders to start the process which can be pursued by their successors until such time that the overall objective of bringing back the perception on good governance shall have been restored and that people will have the full trust and confidence on their leaders to what is right without any strings attached.
He expressed hope that under the present administration, there will be giant moves in achieving changes in the bureaucracy and better perception of the people on government because leaders were able to show the way and set the examples for them to emulate.
