In his June 9 column titled “Aquino breaks up his Cabinet,” Rigoberto Tiglao misrepresents the intention of Executive Order 43 as a scheme to “dissolve” the Cabinet. On the contrary, President Aquino configures his Cabinet to be responsive to the changing needs of the times. The EO does not replace the Cabinet system, it strengthens it into one that is focused on fulfilling his social contract with the Filipino people, oriented to achieving results, and thrives in synergy and accountability.
Focused. EO 43 is not solely a fiat to reorganize the Cabinet but an omnibus instruction by the President to the whole Executive to focus all its actions and resources into fulfilling the five Key Result Areas (KRAs) of the social contract. Through the EO, he seeks focus and optimal impact of all government programs, activities and projects given the available resources. This means the Cabinet has to be reconfigured along these KRAs.
Results-oriented. All Cabinet officials, through the clusters, are tasked to peg concrete and measurable targets to be achieved by 2016 along these five KRAs. Furthermore, this facilitates zero-based budgeting: funding for activities that are not aligned with the five KRAs will be scaled down or even shelved. Ultimately, all of us in the Cabinet – not only the cluster chairs – will be held accountable by the President on how we use each and every government peso to fulfill the social contract priorities.
Dynamic. The EO also introduced clear lines of collaboration among agencies and the clusters. The President did not intend to create isolated silos: after all, the success of each KRA will be influenced by the developments in others. The delivery of social services will depend on how agencies adopt good governance. The success of peace efforts will entail targeted anti-poverty interventions in conflict areas. Economic growth has to be sustainable, and the integrity of the environment is an important factor to that. As each cluster fleshes out their targets and outcomes, they will have to collaborate with the other clusters and ensure that their activities complement each other.
Accountable. Dynamism is not limited in the government, for the EO mandates the clusters to consult with civil society, private sector and other stakeholders in setting targets and assessing their accomplishments. In other words, the Cabinet is not anymore an exclusive enclave of alter egos, but a mechanism to take the people’s voice fully into account.
To conclude, I emphasize that in electing President Aquino, the people expect him not to concentrate power unto himself but to empower his Cabinet with the right mix of delegated authority and accountability; not to bore his alter egos to death in long drawn-out meetings but to put them into action; and most importantly, not to micro-manage state affairs but to exercise vast and undivided leadership over the nation. That is the core intent of EO 43.
—FLORENCIO B. ABAD,
secretary,
Department of Budget
and Management