Transformation

The current administration came into office on a platform of good governance, and has made it – via the daang matuwid or straight path – its battlecry. And yet we are confronted with scandal after scandal, exposés of anomalies and ill-gotten wealth, although admittedly some of them were pre-June 2010. Sometimes it seems like good governance is merely a catchy phrase, and officials pay it lip service simply because it is politically correct to do so.

For the past couple of years I have participated in the bi-annual Performance Governance Forum undertaken by the Institute for Solidarity in Asia, which implements the Performance Governance System undertaken by various national government agencies, government-owned or controlled corporations and local government units. They undergo four increasingly rigorous stages of the PGS, with audits and evaluations at the end of each stage. To attain the final certification – Institutionalization – all reforms and systems should be firmly in place so that good governance becomes integral to and ingrained in the life of the organization, regardless of who heads it. This is verified by independent audits and measured by quantitative as well as qualitative evaluations.

Some organizations do better than others; some have shown promise, some are disappointing, but there are those that show such remarkable transformation as to bolster one’s faith that good governance is not an impossibility in these our fair shores. The eight of us on the panel for the Philippine Army’s bid for Institutionalization at last Tuesday’s revalida were surprised but absolutely delighted at what the Army has become, four years and four (if I count right) commanding generals since it started on the PGS path in 2010.

Their performance audit showed results that I am sure surprised even the Army leadership – net trust and satisfaction ratings several times higher than set targets, validated by on the ground interviews and site validations. Areas that previously dreaded the sight of soldiers in camouflage now request for their continued, if not permanent, presence.  Finally getting sufficient basic equipment – and maintaining a high level of equipment readiness – the Army is now able to carry out their mandate of defense and development, in particular the latter as they are often the first responders after natural disasters, such as Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Their mantra – “Towards a world-class Army that is a source of national pride” – resounds not just with the higher echelons but with practically all the 85,570 proud soldiers, a good number of whom accompanied their chief, the very personable and articulate Gen. Hernando Iriberri, to the revalida. The soldiers have their own individual scorecards to chart their personal journey of transformation, in a nifty little booklet called “Game Plan” (“My Part in the Army Transformation Roadmap”) with an accompanying workbook.

The Army Transformation Roadmap has led the Philippine Army on their admirable journey of transformation, a long way indeed from the scandals of pabaon and ill-gotten wealth that plagued the uniformed service a few years ago. We salute our Army; they are, indeed, a source of national pride.