Tag: moral governance

DOST-NRCP awards research grant to PRLS

The Department of Science and Technology – National Research Council of the Philippines (DOST-NRCP) has awarded the Policy Research and Legal Services (PRLS) a research grant to assess sufficiency of foreign aid and development partners in the Bangsamoro region. 

Led by Director Nassef Manabilang Adiong, with staff researchers Kebart Licayan, Aisah Solaiman, and Shahid Calalagan, the PRLS launched the research project “Needs Assessment and Foreign Aid in BARMM.”

The said project will be implemented under the DOST-NRCP’s program, “Support to the Promotion of a Science-Culture on Basic Research in the Regions for Global Competitiveness.”

Today, the research team attended a pre-implementation meeting via Zoom teleconferencing. It was spearheaded by NRCP Executive Director Marieta Banez Sumagaysay. 

Research grantees are oriented  about research undertakings, guidelines and procedures. Allocation mechanism and ground monitoring of the NSTEP focal region were also discussed in the meeting. 

The PRLS is the only BARMM-based and non-academic institution to receive the grant. Other recipients include various universities in Mindanao.

Merit-based Recruitment: Exploration of the Concept of Merit in the Bangsamoro

Merit-based Recruitment: Exploration of the Concept of Merit in the BangsamoroDownload

As the newly formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is at its critical juncture of establishing its foundation, hiring competent civil servants is one of its crucial tasks. The aim of the paper is to theorize a better hiring process for the Bangsamoro government. To realize the proposed objective, this study pursues a conceptual exploration of the notion of merit-based hiring process set by the Civil Service Commission standards. It clarifies what merit-based hiring means as opposed to a recruitment shaped by the padrino system. These two contradictory concepts provide ground for an assertion that a merit-based system should be advanced based on practical and moral grounds. Lastly, the paper notes the conceptual limitation of the merit-based hiring as it fails to address the moral question, which is critical in BARMM government. Grounded on Moral Governance Framework for BARMM, the paper enriches the concept of merit-based hiring in view of the five principles of faith, freedom, moral authority, common good, and social ethics. As a result, the study does not only set the vocabulary for a rational critique of the meritocracy and padrino system; but more importantly, it provides an initial attempt to concretize the moral governance framework as seen essential in setting the foundation of BARMM government.

Keywords: Civil Service, Merit, BARMM, padrino system, moral governance