A REMINDER ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY

Emil S. Macapayag

Article XI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Section 1 is all about Accountability of Public Officers. It is stated that, “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”

There are established mechanisms to make public officers accountable and responsible for their actions. The Ombudsman and Supreme Court are independent entities that have the power to hear and decide cases involving public officials. Public officials and employees can be held liable through administrative, civil and criminal actions, and can be suspended or removed from office, after following the prescribed due pr ocess.

As public employees, we must be conscious at all times of our oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution. We must follow our laws and properly discharge the duties of our position. Since we are entrusted with public resources and our salary came from the taxes of every Filipino, we must reciprocate it with honest, sincere, and quality service by doing our jobs with utmost dedication and professionalism.

Public servants must serve the people (our customers) regardless of their social status, political affiliation, race, color, language, religion, etc. In fact, we should give priority in serving the less fortunate, indigents and marginalized citizens because they deserve more than anyone else in this country and they badly need the services that the government has to offer.