BULACAN STATE UNIVERSITY

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

City of Malolos, Bulacan

Name: Guia Marie D. Brigino CP #: 09234586835

Case #7: WHO IS IN POWER?

I. INTRODUCTION

Philippines is composed of different educational region in which are headed by a

regional director who shall be answerable to the Department of Education. The schools

and divisions are governed or led by a Regional Director whose function is to implement

and uphold the education laws, policies, program, rules, and regulations of the

department in his regional area.

Governing educational regions entails number of tasks; some of these functions

are delegated to some authorities vested with powers as extensions of leadership at the

top. It is a mean that which converts policies and plans into work plans and into units of

productions.

There are times that in arrangement of functions perform by personnel; units are

then classified into divisions, departments, sections in an organization, problems that they

come across with sometimes leads into misunderstandings that are resulting in questions

of authority. People who have high positions are sometimes making revisions on the

existing policies for the good and betterment of the organization and for the achievement
of common objectives. Thus, proper dissemination to concerned authorities or personnel

should be observed to avoid conflict and to strengthened team work within the

organization. This will also lead the concerned individuals in policy formulation and

implementations.

II. CASE HISTORY

In matters of appointment, a regional director adopted bottoms- up policy, that is,

principals recommended appointee to the superintendent and the superintendent

recommended these appointees to the regional directors.

Later the regional director reversed himself and adopted top down policy of

appointments, that is centralized screening and selection on the ground that this minimize

graft and corruption. The division superintendents and principals protested that the

director’s new policy is authoritarian and undemocratic. They contend that graft and

corruption can also arise in a centralized system of decision making.

III. ISSUES

Who is right? The principals and the superintendents, or the regional director?

Under the Education Act who is vested with the power of appointment?
 IV. DECISION

The Regional Director as the agency head, and vested with the appointing power

by the law, has the right of choice which he may freely exercise according to his best

judgments, deciding himself who is best qualified among those who have the necessary

qualifications and eligibility. According to RA 9155, Chapter I Section 7 B, The

regional director was given the authority to hire, place and evaluate all employees in the

regional office except for the position of assistant regional director. Evaluating all

schools division superintendents and assistant division superintendents in the region;

Planning and managing the effective and efficient use of all personnel, physical and fiscal

resources of the regional office, including the professional staff development. Managing

the database and management information system of the region and approving the

establishments of public and private elementary and high schools and learning center.

Also as stated in Batas Pambansa 232 Section 12 which states the special rights

of school administrators: School Administrators shall in accordance with existing laws,

regulations and policies of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, be accorded

sufficient administrative discretion necessary for the efficient and effective performance

of their functions. School Administrators shall be deemed persons in authority while in

the discharge of lawful duties and responsibilities and shall therefore be accorded due

respect and protection. Regional Director being the head of the Educational Region he is

assigned in, shall be responsible for the school divisions and districts within his

administrative region. The principals and superintendents have the right to express their
opinion on matters of appointment made by the regional director. However , certain

policy in the Governance of Basic Education clearly stated the authority of the regional

director and as well as of the principal and division superintendent but the power of

appointment is clearly left to the discretion of the head of agency and that is the regional

director.

V. IMPLICATIONS

The implication of the Regional Director’s top down policy is; the Regional Office

will be burdened with another work load aside from accomplishing his primary duties

and responsibilities such as defining educational policy framework, developing basic

education plan, monitoring, evaluating and assessing regional learning outcomes. If all

the appointments of all employees of the entire region considering the bulk of the

departments workforce will be added on his responsibility. However, this kind of policy

can minimize problems involving graft and corruption with the logic of only few

individuals will be involved in ranking, promoting, and appointing prospective

employees of the whole region.

In bottoms- up policy the Regional Office will be relieved of another

responsibility which is ranking, promoting, appointing the entire region employees and

applicants. And down in the division level the number of possible appointees becomes

lesser and the task in screening, ranking, and appointing applicants becomes a lighter

work for them.