POLITICIANS ACCEPTABILITY OF THE ANTISIGNAGE OF PUBLIC WORKS ACT IN TUGUEGARAO

A Thesis Proposal Presented to Jaypee G. Alegado, M.B.A Professor

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course Thesis Writing 1

by: Jastise Lourd R. Azurin John Henry Ugale Mae Margareth Nebreja Rexelyn C. Castillo

APPROVAL SHEET

The undergraduate thesis proposal entitled: Politicians acceptability of anti -signage of public works act in Tuguegarao, prepared and submitted by Jastise Lourd R. Azurin, John Henry Ugale, Mae Margareth Nebreja, Rexelyn C. Castillo, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the subject Thesis Writing 1 is hereby recommended for oral examination.

DATE: _________________

Prof. Michael John Tamayao Adviser

____________________________ Chairman

_________________________ Member

_______________________ Member

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers would like to acknowledge and give thanks to the following for the help and support they have extended to them. To the almighty God, for his grace and ever loving presence, to the parents of the researchers who has never ceased to uplift their morale, to the Dean of the College of Business, Entrepreneurship and Accountancy, Dr. Emerita P. Geron, for her support and approval of the letters sent out to the correspondence, to the professors who helped out especially, Professor Jaypee G. Alegado, for his guidance and the knowledge he has shared, to the Local Government Unit of Tuguegarao City who has openly given their statements without hesitation and fear of criticism and all the correspondence whose invaluable information that lead to the completion of this thesis.

-J.L.R.A -J.H.A.U - M.M.L.N -R.C.C

DEDICATION

The researchers would like to dedicate this research to God, to serve as an aid, no matter how small and minute, in his grand design of the world and all human interaction and to their parents, friends and love ones, may it be a way to help improve the way of life of man and guide us all into a better and more desirable future.

-J.L.R.A -J.H.A.U - M.M.L.N -R.C.C

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: The Problem and its background Introduction ----------------------------------------Conceptual Framework ----------------------------------------Research Paradigm ----------------------------------------Statement of the Problem ----------------------------------------Research Hypothesis ----------------------------------------Scope and Delimitation ----------------------------------------Definition of terms -----------------------------------------

6 8 9 10 11 12 12

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Article II, section 27 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states: The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption. while Article XI, section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states: 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. these are the words and provisions in the 1987 Philippine Constitution that Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has written in her explanatory note for the bill which she has filed, Senate Bill No.1967, otherwise known as the Anti-Signage of Public Works Act.. The bill had originally been filed during the Thirteenth Congress of the Philippines, First Regular Session, but has not earned much support and thus was not legislated or passed as a law. Senator Miriam then saw it fit to be re-filed and was thus done so this year, the senator saw it fitting to be re-filed due to the abuse of some politicians in the use of public funds to give credit to themselves by placing and printing of their names and faces on projects or

tarpaulins to inform the people, not of the project, but of the action done by the officials thus giving them more credibility even if they had done very little in the proliferation or continuance of the said public works or project. In the wordings of Senator Miriams explanatory note: It is a prevalent practice among officers, whether elected or appointed, to append their names on public works projects which were either funded or facilitated by their office. This is unnecessary and highly unethical. Crediting individual public officers, instead of the Government, lead to the following evils: firstly, such a system fosters and promotes a culture of political patronage and corruption, and diminishes the importance that the public needs to place on supporting government officials, not because of their popularity, but because of their essential role in policy determination, whether on local or national level; and secondly, it diminishes the concept of continuity in good governance in the mind of the public. This bill seeks to curb this unethical practice. The bill was met with great opposition and distaste amongst the senators peers thus the bill remains to be in the stage of deliberation. The opposition states that, the attachment of their names or faces are justifiable, because without the concurrence of their office to the said public project then the project would not have been funded and thus would die out and cannot be pursued. The mentioned acts and noticeable behaviour was undeniably done in Tuguegarao, a fast developing city in the Philippines. Politicians, appointed and elected, are indeed using public funds to post and attach their names and faces on bill boards supposedly made to inform the public that the government has a project for the benefit of the public. Since Tuguegarao City manifest these activities then it is a fitting location to investigate and know the acceptability of the proposed bill amongst public officials.

Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework used was the working hypothesis method. Working Hypothesis is a hypothesis that is provisionally accepted as a basis for further research in the hope that a tenable theory will be produced, even if the hypothesis ultimately fails. We shall work on a hypothesis that politicians acceptability of the anti-signage of public works act shall affect the over-all implementation and in general the approval of the bill. Using the inputs from the various politicians in Tuguegarao this research seeks to create a small scale model of the over-all acceptability of the bill in a nationwide setting, considering that humans and people who are in the same circumstances tend to think and react in the same manner. The researchs conceptual framework will then allow other researchers to take a peek at the political view of the bill in Tuguegarao thus allowing a wider and deeper understanding of the bill in the country.

Research Paradigm
Hypothesis: 1. Politicians acceptability of the anti-signage of public works act in Tuguegarao shall show a reflection of the support and extent of implementation of the bill if it passes into a law and said acceptance would also reflect the chances of the bill to be passed as an actual law. 2. Gather inputs from politicians from Tuguegarao. Such inputs would include information such as their positions, projects entered or engaged in, have they ever attached their names/face in public works/projects, have they ever heard of the bill, their acceptability of the bill and the reason behind such acceptance or decline.

1. Analysis of the data gathered. 2. Assess the extent of the act of attaching names/faces in public works/projects in Tuguegarao. 3. Tally and compare data gathered to draw conclusion. 4. Assess the rationale given whether is it true, just or accurate? 5. Assess the knowledge of the people and investigate the effects of such attachment of names/face to public works/projects.

Conclude based from the data gathered and analysis made what is the acceptability of the bill in Tuguegarao and the extent of support the bill might accrue in case of its ratification and approval and lastly to conclude or give an estimate to the chances of whether of whether not the bill shall be passed as a law.

Figure 1. Shows the data that the researchers would like to accrue and the way the data shall be processed.

Statement of the Problem The general objective of this study is to determine the acceptability of Politicians towards the Anti- Signage of public works act in Tuguegarao, for the people to have a better insight on how these politicians feel about the bill. In addition, the study seeks to answer these questions as well: 1. Will the level of acceptance affect the support for the bill in case of its approval and passage? 2. Will the bill prosper in congress taking into consideration the acceptance of politicians? 3. Do the politicians view the bill as a fair and just bill considering the fact that these politicians were indeed the one who brought the matter of the project into consideration of appropriation? 4. Do political plans of politicians affect their acceptance of the bill?

Research Hypothesis This study will be guided by the null hypothesis: 1. There is no/low acceptance of politicians of the anti-signage of public works act in Tuguegarao.

Significance of the Study This study shall be conducted in the hopes that it will serve as basis and a source of knowledge to the following: To the readers that they may know the meaning and rationale of the Anti-Signage of public works act, its benefits and the practices it wishes to quell and the disadvantages they may bring to hard working public officials. To the Legislators from Congress that they may have an idea and basis of the acceptability of the bill amongst their fellow politicians, their thoughts and reactions to the bill. To future researchers that it may serve as a source of data to supply the researchers with significant input concerning the bill and actions of politicians before the bill was proposed and their reaction upon its first reading. To the researchers that they may have a material feel on the politicians actions and mentality considering the anti-signage of public works act. To the citizens of Tuguegarao that may be educated of the opinion of their public officials on the proposed bill.

Scope and Delimitation This research shall only be confined in Tuguegarao and shall evaluate only the acceptability of Politicians to the Anti-Signage of Public Works Act. The level of governance to be evaluated shall begin at the Barangay level up to the Municipal level only. It shall exclude the provincial level of governance although the Capitol is located in Tuguegarao, for the reason that the capitol practices acts that are a violation of the bill outside of Tuguegarao.

Definition of Terms The following terms was used in this research and is therefore defined as used in this research for better understanding and analysis of the research. Anti-Signage of Public Works Act a bill filed by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago during the 15th Congress of the Philippines, it is geared to curtail the acts of public officials like posting names and faces on public projects or projects that uses public funding. Politicians those people who are in public office, either elected or appointed. Public Works these are projects or undertakings of the government which are funded by taxes accrued by the government. Signage a post or sign relating or pertaining to an individual person, an example of such is a picture, a name or an alias.

City - is a town or other district possesses corporate existence and usually its own local government.