A most fundamental choice

IN the field of governance, there can be no more fundamental choice to be made other than that of choosing, and committing to, a few core values. These, after all, help shape the identity of the governance unit. In the case of our country, the core values we choose help define our character as a people, moving forward to our “Dream Philippines.”

Fortunately, such choice is not to be made as though we were given a completely blank check. Our country’s culture, history, and traditions do help guide the final choices we make; it is not so easy to disregard these, nor would it be prudent to do so. Nonetheless, a clear, explicit choice has to be made.

But by whom is the choice made? The straightforward answer has to be: the people. But in practical terms, nowadays, people make their choices through the constitution or basic document they decide to adopt. In our case, such a basic document exists; moreover, there is a fundamental continuity between the original 1935 Constitution and the 1987 Constitution. It is best to consult these two closely related versions: they articulate a number of core values; the only problem, from the governance standpoint, is that there are too many of them. The suggested good practice in governance is to adopt only three, in which case they would be rather easy to remember. Limiting the choice to three, from the rather extended list anyone can read off the fundamental charter of our land, is not too restrictive, once we consider that several values are so closely interconnected with one another that the choice of one, broadly understood, would also encompass many other related values.

There is another practical guide we can go by in trying to identify the core values of our people: Simply ask various groups of people in different governance units what core values they really wish to hang on to and be identified with. In our work in the governance field, we have had the opportunity to pose this question to many different groups. It is not surprising to find many communalities in the choice they put forward.

Another practical guide is to observe the many ritual practices the many different organizations in our country observe. Whether it is a State of the Nation Address or a simple gathering of some local chapter of a national or global club, we sing the National Anthem and we say a little common prayer (an address to the Almighty God).

At the end of the day, however, following the principles of good governance, the choice of core values rests on the top leadership, which then cascades the core values down and thereby seeks buy-in from all levels and units within the enterprise. In the case of a corpora- tion, this task is reserved for the Board of Directors; in the case of a national government agency, this task is for the agency head with active support and participation of the top management team. For LGUs, normally the local chief executive, with the advice and consent of the local council, makes this determination.

For the Philippines, where there is now active talk and serious effort at changing the Constitution, the sovereign will of the people will once again have to be expressed through a plebiscite. However, this does not preclude ordinary citizens from putting forward and proposing a set of core values that they think should help define the Philippine future.

This is what we are seeking to accomplish: to get as many Filipinos to think, reflect deeply, and decide on what the core values of the Filipino people should be. These should be core values in line with our history and culture, and fully consistent with some of the widespread practices we already are observing in our country. The core values put forward are not meant to be imposed; rather, they are presented as well worth imbibing and using as the basic reference for all our major decisions and actions as a people.

Other suggestions and proposals are welcome. They are actively solicited.