PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP

Participative leadership that involves all members of a team in identifying essential goals and developing procedures or strategies for reach those goals. This  style of leadership can be seen relies heavily on the leader functioning as a facilitator rather than simply issuing orders or making assignments. 

One of the main benefits of participative leadership is that the process allows for the development of additional leaders who can serve the organization at a later date. Because leaders who favor this style encourage active involvement on the part of everyone on the team, people often are able to express their creativity and demonstrate abilities and talents that would not be made apparent otherwise. The discovery of these hidden assets help to benefit the work of the current team, but also alerts the organization to people within the team who should be provided with opportunities to further develop some skill or ability for future use. This also expands the range of possibilities for the team. When leadership styles that essentially leave all the direction and decision making in the hands of one individual, it is much more difficult to see a given approach from several different angles. When the leadership style encourages others to be involved in the decision making process, a given course of action can be approached from a variety of perceptions. This can often point out strengths or weaknesses to the approach that would have gone unobserved and thus unresolved without this type of participatory brainstorming and decision making.

One potential disadvantage of participate leadership is the time factor. This leadership style does often involve the need for more time before action is taken. This is only natural, since the very nature of participative leadership means allowing input from every member of the team. However, the extra time necessary for this process often leads to decisions that ultimately benefit everyone to a greater degree than faster decisions that are more limited in scope.

Extra bonus for govt workers

NQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

P10K bonus OK'd for government workers

ABS-CBN News Latest Philippine Headlines

The Philippine Star

Posted at 11/28/2010

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino has authorized the granting of a P10,000 Productivity Enhancement Incentive to state employees on top of their Christmas bonus and 13th month pay.

Under Administrative Order No. 3 signed on Nov. 25, Aquino said the government’s austerity measures have greatly contributed to keeping the fiscal deficit within target.
“The economy has stabilized; investors’ confidence, trust and faith in the Philippine government have been restored; plans for the effective implementation of government programs such as on education, health, poverty alleviation, and job generation are pursued under the platform of good governance,” Aquino said in the order.

“These accomplishments were achieved through the unwavering support, commitment, and collaborative efforts of all government employees from all sectors and levels of Philippine bureaucracy,” he added.

State employees in the executive branch, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), and government financial institutions (GIFs) hired on a permanent, temporary, casual or contractual status are entitled to the one-time productivity bonus if they have rendered at least four months of service as of Nov. 30.

Government employees who have rendered less than four months of service as of Nov. 30 will receive the bonus on a pro-rated basis: 40 percent for service rendered for three months but less than four months, 30 percent for service rendered for two months but less than three months, 20 percent for work rendered for a month but less than two months, and 10 percent for work rendered for less than a month.

The employees should also not have received any additional year-end benefit in the current fiscal year other than the P5,000 Christmas bonus.

The productivity bonus for employees of the executive branch will be sourced from the 2010 budget savings of the national government agencies (P7,000 for each employee) and from savings in the allotments of the respective agencies of state workers (P3,000 for each employee).

If the savings of the agencies are not enough to fund the balance of P3,000, it is advised that the bonus be given at a lower but uniform rate.

For employees of GOCCs and GIFs, the productivity bonus will be sourced from the savings of the corporate budgets for 2010.

If the corporate savings are not enough to fund the bonus, a partial but uniform rate can be disbursed.
Employees of the Senate, House of Representatives, the judiciary, the Office of the Ombudsman, and constitutional offices are also entitled to the bonus which may be charged to savings in allotments of their offices.

The granting of the bonus to employees of local government units (LGUs) will have to be determined by the local council.

The productivity bonus will likewise be sourced from the LGUs’ savings in 2010.

The payment of the bonus to state employees shall be made not earlier than Dec. 15.

LEGAL PROCEDURE

Katarungang Pambarangay

The “Katarungang Pambarangay” or the barangay justice system is governed by Sections 399 to 422 of the Local Government Code. It has helped lessen the burden of our courts by settling at the barangay level conflicts and disputes between residents of the same barangay. Please take note of these issues regarding barangay justice:

Where is corruption most prevalent?

At a first, indiscriminate glance, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published annually by TI, seems to confirm the stereotypical notion that corruption is predominantly a problem of the South. While the Scandinavian countries come out on top, most of sub-Saharan Africa ranks at the bottom. It would not only be wrong to conclude, however, that - according to the CPI 2008 - Somalia and Myanmar are the most corrupt countries in the world; it would also be counterproductive. The index is not intended to brand any one country or territory, or to pit the North against the South. Rather, it is a tool to raise public awareness of the problem and promote better governance. Corruption is as much a problem of the North as it is of the South. Recent scandals in Germany, France, Japan, the US or the UK attest to that. It is well-established checks and controls that make the difference in proportion. People are as corrupt as the system allows them to be. It is where temptation meets permissiveness that corruption takes root on a wide scale. Such an environment is more likely in the emerging democracies of the South and East. There, administration and political institutions are still weak and pay scales are generally very low, tempting officials to "supplement" their income. In dictatorial systems, meanwhile, administrative and political institutions are nothing but an extension of the usurper's corrupt practices.

The North also carries part of the responsibility for the situation in the South due to its role as the bribe-payer. After all, it is largely Northern corporate interests that supply the bribe payments. Until recently, governments of the North not only tolerated these corrupt practices, but they even rewarded them with tax deductibility. Fortunately, the 1999 OECD Anti-Bribery Convention has made the bribing of foreign officials a criminal offence. TI has addressed this aspect with its Bribe Payers Index (BPI), the logical complement to the CPI. In addition to the question of the regional pervasiveness of corruption, the issue of corruption by sector is often raised. The BPI provides statistical evidence as to which business sectors are most prone to corruption. According to these results, the problem of corruption is particularly prevalent in public works and construction, followed by the arms and defence industry. The sector with the least detected corruption was agriculture.

What are the costs of corruption?

The cost of corruption is four-fold: political, economic, social, and environmental. On the political front, corruption constitutes a major obstacle to democracy and the rule of law. In a democratic system, offices and institutions lose their legitimacy when they are misused for private advantage. Though this is harmful in the established democracies, it is even more so in newly emerging ones. Accountable political leadership can not develop in a corrupt climate. Economically, corruption leads to the depletion of national wealth. It is often responsible for the funnelling of scarce public resources to uneconomic high-profile projects, such as dams, power plants, pipelines and refineries, at the expense of less spectacular but fundamental infrastructure projects such as schools, hospitals and roads, or the supply of power and water to rural areas. Furthermore, it hinders the development of fair market structures and distorts competition, thereby deterring investment. The effect of corruption on the social fabric of society is the most damaging of all. It undermines people's trust in the political system, in its institutions and its leadership. Frustration and general apathy among a disillusioned public result in a weak civil society. That in turn clears the way for despots as well as democratically elected yet unscrupulous leaders to turn national assets into personal wealth. Demanding and paying bribes become the norm. Those unwilling to comply often emigrate, leaving the country drained of its most able and most honest citizens. Environmental degradation is yet another consequence of corrupt systems. The lack of, or non-enforcement of, environmental regulations and legislation has historically allowed the North to export its polluting industry to the South. At the same time, careless exploitation of natural resources, from timber and minerals to elephants, by both domestic and international agents has led to ravaged natural environments. Environmentally devastating projects are given preference in funding, because they are easy targets for siphoning off public money into private pockets.

How do you define corruption?

Transparency International (TI) has chosen a clear and focused definition of the term: Corruption is operationally defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. TI further differentiates between "according to rule" corruption and "against the rule" corruption. Facilitation payments, where a bribe is paid to receive preferential treatment for something that the bribe receiver is required to do by law, constitute the former. The latter, on the other hand, is a bribe paid to obtain services the bribe receiver is prohibited from providing.

What is "transparency"?

"Transparency" can be defined as a principle that allows those affected by administrative decisions, business transactions or charitable work to know not only the basic facts and figures but also the mechanisms and processes. It is the duty of civil servants, managers and trustees to act visibly, predictably and understandably.

EDITORIAL

Making monsters
Philippine Daily Inquirer
11/19/2010

It became clear in the traumatic aftermath of the gruesome massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, a year ago: the rule of violence that was associated with the Ampatuan family in the province could not have been possible without sins of omission or commission of the Arroyo administration. A report prepared by the New York-based Human Rights Watch and issued this week is a useful and sobering reminder of that fundamental but often-fudged fact.

THE STATE OF THE NATION (Part 1)

A Situationer: Perfecto Yasay Jr.

Sometime last August, I found myself between two friends doing a post mortem of the results of the presidential elections over a cup of coffee. “What is wrong with our country?” asked the fellow on my left. Without batting an eyelash the friend on my right sarcastically replied: “Everything is terribly wrong with the Philippines today!”

THE STATE OF THE NATION (Part 2)

Purpose of the Separation of Church and State by: Perpecto Yasay

Before I share with you my views about the critical issues that beset the nation, let me briefly clarify the concept of the “separation of Church and State” so that we may have an idea of how we can carry out our prophetic mission, distinctly and separately from what government must do in the performance of its responsibilities, and also identify areas where mutual cooperation can be pursued towards the easing of our difficulties without one hampering, preventing or undermining the efforts of the other.

THE STATE OF THE NATION (Part 3)

Poverty as a Fundamental Pressing Problem

by: Perpecto Yasay

I believe that the fundamental and critical problem that plagues the country is poverty. I say fundamental because once we have eradicated the principal causes of poverty we would have removed the formidable impediment to our development and progress, paving the way to improving the quality of life of our people, strengthening their hope and confidence in the future, and nurturing and unleashing their potentials for nation building. Critical because, unless we are able to eradicate the causes of our poverty, the continued sufferings and uneasiness of our people can further fan the flames of violence leading to the dismemberment and demise of our Republic as we know it.

THE STATE OF THE NATION (Part 4)

by:Perpecto Yasay

The Causes of Poverty

We all know that our land is profuse with natural resources. A good number of our country’s tycoons and privileged families figure as among the wealthiest in the world, but we have not been able to harness this richness or curtail the growing poverty among our people mainly because of serious inequitable distribution or sharing of the nation’s income, wealth and resources; incessant conflicts, high population growth rate and systemic corruption.

THE STATE OF THE NATION (Part 5)

by: Perpecto Yasay

Unrestrained Corruption

Corruption, which should be defined as the use of public resources and/or public power for personal benefit is evidently one of the main governance issues that contribute to the growing poverty of our people.

|Activism is not a crime!|

Greenpeace Philippines 
Activism is not a crime! - Unjust Sentence for Anti-whaling Activists Condemned by Greenpeace Feature story - September 7, 2010

Greenpeace has condemned as disproportionate and unjust a one year jail term, suspended for three years, imposed on two Greenpeace activists, who exposed widespread corruption in the Japanese government’s Southern Ocean whaling program.

Former VP De Castro to face Senate probe on housing loan mess again

APEC is for America

Why is APEC important for America?
 Washington DC, United States, 29 March 2010 - APEC Senior Official, Kurt Tong discusses APEC and priorities for 2011, when APEC will be hosted by the United States:

[QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO APEC]

What is APEC?

APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. It is an organisation of economies in the Asia-Pacific region formed to foster economic cooperation and trade among them with a view of enhancing international trade. Its members work together to reduce trade barrier, open investment opportunities, ease the exchange of goods, services, resources and technical know-how, and strengthen economic and technical cooperation among them.

APEC Leaders' Declarations

APEC Economic Leaders Meetings are held once a year in the APEC host economy. Declarations from these meetings set the policy agenda for APEC.

[APEC Leaders' Declaration]

APEC LEADERS ECONOMIC VISION STATEMENT

Blake Island, Seattle
20 November, 1993

We have held an unprecedented meeting of the economic leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. In this post Cold War era, we have an opportunity to build a new economic foundation for the Asia Pacific that harnesses the energy of our diverse economies, strengthens cooperation and promotes prosperity.
Our meeting reflects the emergence of a new voice for the Asia Pacific in world affairs. As we prepare to enter the twenty-first century, we believe our dynamic region, representing forty percent of the world's population and fifty percent of its GNP, will play an important role in the global economy, leading the way in economic growth and trade expansion.

The foundation of our economic growth has been the open multilateral trading system. Therefore, we pledge our utmost efforts to bring the Uruguay Round to a successful conclusion by December 15. We are determined the Asia Pacific region will lead the way in taking concrete steps to produce the strongest possible outcome in Geneva. Increased participation by APEC economies in a strengthened GATT system also will facilitate greater regional cooperation.

Our success has been the result of the ability of our societies to adapt to changing circumstances. Our economies are moving toward interdependence and there is a growing sense of community among us. We are united in our commitment to create a stable and prosperous future for our people.
Recognizing our economic interdependence as well as our economic diversity, we envision a community of Asia Pacific economies in which:

The spirit of openness and partnership deepens, enabling us to find cooperative solutions to the challenges of our rapidly changing regional and global economy;

We are a vast Asia Pacific market of two billion people where dynamic economic growth continues, contributing to an expanding world economy and supporting an open international trading system;
We continue to reduce trade and investment barriers so that our trade expands within the region and with the world and goods, services, capital and investment flow freely among our economies;
Our people share the benefits of economic growth through higher incomes, high skilled and high paying jobs and increased mobility;

Improved education and training produce rising literacy rates, provide the skills for maintaining economic growth and encourage the sharing of ideas that contribute to the arts and sciences;
Advances in telecommunications and transportation shrink time and distance barriers in our region and link our economies so that goods and people move quickly and efficiently;
Our environment is improved as we protect the quality of our air, water and green spaces and manage our energy sources and renewable resources to ensure sustainable growth and provide a more secure future for our people.

We recognize this vision will become a reality only if we work together actively to secure it. We are convinced we can succeed. We intend to use our shared vision as a guide for developing the future of our region.
We reaffirm our support for the continued development of APEC as a forum dedicated to producing tangible economic benefits to the region. We urge APEC to expand its economic dialogue and advance its specific work projects. The entrepreneurial spirit and market-oriented policies that have driven our economic dynamism will continue to be fostered within APEC.

We welcome the challenge presented to us in the report of the APEC Eminent Persons Group to achieve free trade in the Asia Pacific, advance global trade liberalization and launch concrete programs to move us toward those long-term goals. We ask APEC to undertake work aimed at deepening and broadening the outcome of the Uruguay Round, strengthening trade and investment liberalization in the region, and facilitating regional cooperation, including in such areas as standards.

We agree to convene a meeting of APEC Finance Ministers to consult on broad economic issues including macroeconomic developments and capital flows. We believe such discussions will help us address some of the challenges facing the region, including ensuring non-inflationary regional growth, financing investment and infrastructure development, and promoting capital market development.

We ask business leaders to establish a Pacific Business Forum to identify issues APEC should address to facilitate regional trade and investment and encourage the further development of business networks throughout the region. We also ask APEC to strengthen its policy dialogue on small and medium size business enterprises.

We agree to make an investment in our future generations by establishing an APEC Education Program to develop regional cooperation in higher education, study key regional economic issues, improve worker skills, facilitate cultural and intellectual exchanges, enhance labor mobility and foster understanding of the diversity of our region. We agree to establish an APEC Business Volunteer Program to promote cooperation among us in the areas of human resource development and the exchange of management skills and techniques.
As members of APEC, we are committed to deepening our spirit of community based on our shared vision of achieving stability, security and prosperity for our peoples.