NSTP2

• Governance is the management of a State's resource endowment through processes, mechanisms, and institutions where citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise legal rights, meet obligations, and mediate differences
• Governance involves how government interacts with civil society, encouraging and facilitating people's participation not only in service delivery but also in evaluating and monitoring government performance
• Good governance pertains to the existence of efficient and accountable institutions, respecting human rights, the rule of law, and ensuring people can participate in decisions affecting their lives for societal development
• Characteristics of good governance include accountability, participatory management, transparency, adherence to the rule of law, and efficiency and effectiveness in meeting constituents' needs
• Principles of good governance focus on the organization's purpose and outcomes, effective function and roles, promotion of values, transparency in decisions and risk management, and capacity building of governing bodies
• Social mobilization involves community participation through deliberate processes to organize efforts toward a common purpose, respecting community needs and building capabilities for self-development
• Social mobilization components include growth in capabilities, empowerment of deprived people, transformation of social institutions, enhancement of ecological resources, and dynamic cultural innovation
• NSTP students can initiate self-help organizations to help deprived communities lead their self-development process through mobilizing savings, providing credit, building confidence, and establishing community financial institutions
• NSTP students play a catalyst role in social mobilization by identifying community needs, analyzing problems, guiding self-help group formation, developing institutions, increasing resource access, and implementing self-reliance activities
• Guidelines for social mobilization at the grassroots level include using a participatory approach, working with groups, promoting self-reliance, starting small for quick success, being flexible, and addressing conflicts among community groups
• Voting or suffrage is a privilege and right given to every Filipino citizen, it is a responsibility that every Filipino is expected to fulfill earnestly
• By voting, a Filipino is directly involved in the nation's affairs and has a stake in national interest
• Casting a vote makes a Filipino part of the nation's conscience, affecting the history of the nation, the well-being of the community, and the fate of the family
• Elections make a fundamental contribution to democratic governance by enabling voters to select leaders and hold them accountable for their performance in office
• Elections serve as forums for the discussion of public issues, facilitate the expression of public opinion, and provide political education for citizens
• Elections reinforce the stability and legitimacy of the political community, linking citizens to each other and confirming the viability of the polity
• Elections serve a self-actualizing purpose by confirming the worth and dignity of individual citizens as human beings
• Cheating during elections can include actions like registration of non-qualified voters, also known as "packing of voter's lists," to ensure a candidate will have captive votes
• Corruption is the deviation of officials from the norm of what prevails at a given time, often in the form of bribery, nepotism, and appropriation of public resources for private use
• Corruption can also be defined as the impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle, involving acquiring money, position, or other profit by dishonest and illegal means
• The word "corruption" is derived from the Latin word "corruptus," meaning "corrupted," and it involves the abuse of a trusted position to obtain material benefit not legally justified
• Corruption has been considered a great sin since ancient times and negatively affects public administration and the political system
• The earliest records of corruption date back to the thirteenth century BC, with examples found in the Assyrian civilization and Roman law defining corruption as giving, receiving, or claiming benefits to influence an official in connection with his work
• Corruption is defined as giving, receiving, or claiming benefits to influence an official in connection with their work
• Early Christian faith condemned corruption, but it later developed greatly in ecclesiastical structures, reaching its peak with the selling of indulgences in the Middle Ages
• Machiavelli believed republics were more corrupt than other regimes, stating that corruption leads to moral degradation, bad education, and bad faith
• Sir Francis Bacon, a philosopher, diplomat, and lawyer, was known for both receiving and taking bribes; he was caught in 28 cases of accepting a bribe but defended himself by claiming he accepted bribes from both parties involved
• Corruption has been occurring in society for a long time, but it has received more attention in recent years with increased research on its negative impacts since 1995
• Causes of Corruption according to Ronquillo, et al:

  • Bad examples set by leaders in government
  • Low and unrealistic salaries of government officials
  • Marked discrepancy between cultural and legal norms
  • Excessive discretionary powers accorded to public officials and red tape in bureaucracy
  • Complex judiciary system hindering prosecution of corrupt public servants
  • Segments in the bureaucracy prone to corruption
• Common driving forces of corruption identified by Svensson:

  • Developing countries or countries in transition
  • Low-income countries
  • Countries with closed economies
  • Influence of religion (Protestant countries have lower corruption levels)
  • Low media freedom
  • Relatively low level of education
• Effects of Graft and Corruption:

  • Ill Effects: loss of respect for allegiance to the government, dislocation of national economic planning, wastage of government funds, cost passed on to the public, accentuation of existing inequalities
  • Positive Effects: gainful employment, supplement mechanism for investment, increased effectiveness level of bureaucracy
• Preventive Measures against corruption include implementing provisions of the constitution, acting promptly on complaints by the Ombudsman, and observing the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards
• Major Effects of Corruption:

  • Economic level effects: hindering economic development, wasting state resources, shutting out investments, impairing resource distribution, weakening state income, misusing public expenditure
  • Political level effects: undermining government role, spreading mistrust, weakening democratic reform, depriving right people of high positions, undermining monitoring
  • Social level effects: collapse of social structure, spread of hatred, undermining national security and social ladder