AN ISLAND FIRESTORM Philippines has much to offer to the world: beautiful sceneries, paradise of beaches and tropical forests

awaiting to discover. These are Mother Natures gifts and blessings to Filipinos. Developing countries such as ours need to understand and study further the impact of commercial development. Establishments must conform to Health and Sanitary requirements and must secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before the City/Municipal Building Office permits the construction and the City/Municipal Engineering Office must strictly supervise and inspect the course of construction if all requirements have been followed. Through this course of action, if all officials of said agencies do their job right will prevent hazardous element raised in case

Is this essay helpful? Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 600,000 just like it!

GET BETTER GRADES

#1. If I were the official concerned, I shall close the beach temporarily. I will gather all officials of concerned agencies for the conference to address the problem. We will clean the beach free from coliform. We will propose a City Ordinance addressing sanitary and health requirements for establishments to follow. I understand this could be a long process. During the said process, I shall make sure business continues. I will ask establishment owners their views and suggestions on how we can continue to attract visitors even if swimming will be out of their activities, which they can still enjoy the beautiful sceneries, taste what we can offer and maybe add additional attractions. Until such time the beach is free from coliform, will I decide to re-open it to the public. I am a public official committed to serve public interest, welfare and safety.

WANTED: DEAD HEROES

The Philippine Government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had pursued without let-up campaigns to curb illegal logging. Several years ago, DENR issued directives banning the cutting of certain tree species classified as endangered or facing extinction.

Narra (Pterocarpus Indicus), considered a national tree is one of the premium tree species that is prohibited from cutting.

To stem the tide of wanton forest destruction, the government stations forest guards in strategic places all over the country to serve as checkpoints. Loading vehicles are required to stop for inspection. Invariably, the forest guards operating the checkpoints verify the documents that are presented before the truck passes through the checkpoint.

One early cold Sunday morning, in a far-flung area of South Cotabato, Rick and his five-man team sighted three truckloads of freshly-cut flitches approaching their post. In the normal course of his duty, he flagged-down the approaching trucks to signal it to stop for usual inspection. To his amazement, it was an infantry truck commandeered by uniformed men in full combat gears. A certain Alonzo, allegedly an Army Colonel alighted from the truck, executed a crisp hand salute and introduced himself as the Commanding Officer. Rick was stunned when he learned that the narra flitches are loaded inside the trucks.

He knew that the prohibited narra flitches were illegally cut based on the prevailing regulations. Sensing that his team was outnumbered, Rick courteously informed Alonzo that it was unlawful to cut trees without necessary permit, and asked the officer why they resorted to illegal logging. Alonzo replied, "We need funds to bury our dead comrades and to give for their bereaved families." Fearing for his life and the lives of his men, Rick became anxious.

If you were in Rick's shoes, how will you respond to the situation? Will you allow Alonzo to pass through or not? Why and why not?

NOTE: Years ago a Forest Ranger was sentenced and convicted by the Sandiganbayan for killing the henchmen of a Municipal Mayor in a logging town somewhere in Northern Mindanao. He was imprisoned at the the New Bilibid Prison for the crime. While in prison he appealed to the Supreme Court, that he only defended himself and the crime imputed was IN THE LINE OF DUTY, HE NEVER LOST HOPE and subsequently the decision of the Sandiganbayan was reversed by the Supreme Court and the forest Ranger was freed from prison and went home to his hometown paraded by his townmates as A LIVING HERO.

Most likely, the media already knows whatever information you would like to share with them. Depending on the subject and details, they may choose not to every air it let even let on that they know. I now see the media as just another arm of our lovely gov where the only ones who win are those with $$$$$$$

11 months ago Report Abuse

100% 3 Votes Not the right answer? Try Yahoo! Search

Search Yahoo! for
is w hist

Search

This question about "Is whistle blowing t " was originally asked on Yahoo! Answers United States

Other Answers (2)

Douglas S Whistle blowing is acceptable, regardless. I am not yet so cynical that I relieve those in power from at least attempting to right things gone awry. Blow the whistle, and let chips fall where they may.
o o

11 months ago Report Abuse

0% 0 Votes
Crede Sed Proba our nation only pays lip service to the notion of it, most of the people who come forward are convicted of crimes fired and ostracized
o

11 months ago

Whistle Blowing in the Public Sector

By Judy Nadler and Miriam Schulman
These materials were prepared for the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics program in Government Ethics by Senior Fellow Judy Nadler and Communications Director Miriam Schulman. The Center provides training in local government ethics for public officials. For more information, contact Judy Nadler.
What is the definition of whistle blowing? What does whistle blowing have to do with ethics?

How can government encourage whistle blowing? What ethical dilemmas does whistle blowing present? Resources on whistle blowing

What is the definition of whistle blowing?

According to George Kerevan, Word of the Week columnist for The Scotsman, The etymological origins of whistle blowing are gloriously obscure. Yet even without knowing the terms pedigree, we get a vivid picture from the words themselves. Kerevan suggests the obvious onea police officer shrilling on a whistle when he or she catches a crime in progress. Whistle blowing means calling attention to wrongdoing that is occurring within an organization. The Government Accountability Project lists four ways to blow the whistle: reporting wrongdoing or a violation of the law to the proper authorities. such as a supervisor, a hotline or an Inspector General refusing to participate in workplace wrongdoing testifying in a legal proceeding leaking evidence of wrongdoing to the media Of course, whistle blowing goes on in the private sector, where some of the most famous figures include former Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins and tobacco executive Jeffrey Wigand. But because government, by its very nature, is supposed to be open and transparent, full disclosure of unethical or illegal behavior in the public sphere is particularly important. Not all of the problems in the public sphere are, however, generated within the government organization; outside vendors, contractors, and individuals can participate in and even breed government corruption.

What does whistle blowing have to do with ethics?

A whistle blower once testified in a California court about how his boss had regularly ordered him to discard some of the companys toxic waste into a local storm drain rather than dispose of it properly. Why, the judge wanted to know, had the man finally decided to step forward after having participated in this illegal dumping for years. Well, the man explained, I was fishing with my grandson, and it suddenly occurred to me that the waste I was dumping was going to pollute the water so that he might never be able to go fishing with his grandson. Whistle blowing has to do with ethics because it represents a persons understanding, at a deep level, that an action his or her organization is taking is harmfulthat it interferes with peoples rights or is unfair or detracts from the common good. Whistle blowing also calls upon the virtues, especially courage, as standing up for principles can be a punishing experience. Even though laws are supposed to protect whistle blowers from retaliation, people who feel threatened by the revelations can ostracize the whistle blower, marginalizing or even forcing him or her out of public office. On the other hand, there have been occasions when the role of whistle blower has actually catapulted people into higher office and has earned the respect of constituents. (eg?)

How can government encourage whistle blowing?

In an article about whistle blowing in a business context , Lilanthi Ravishankar makes a useful distinction between external and internal whistle blowing. She argues that companies should encourage internal whistle blowing so that problems are solved within the organization before employees feel they must go outside to get action. The same is true for government bodies, which need to know about problems earlybefore illegal contracts must be renegotiated or aquifers have been polluted or the publics money has been squandered or unethical behavior has become front-page news. She makes several suggestions about how to encourage internal whistle blowing in companies. We repeat some of them here, with slight modifications for a government context:

Create a policy about reporting illegal or unethical practices, which should include: Formal mechanisms for reporting violations, such as hotlines and mailboxes Clear communications about the process of voicing concerns, such as a specific chain of command, or the identification of a specific person to handle complaints o Clear communications about bans on retaliation Get endorsement of the policy from top officialsmayor, manager, councilmembers, boards and publicize the organizations commitment to the process. Elected and administrative leadership must encourage ethical behavior and hold everyone within the organization to the highest standards, including the disclosure of activities that would have a negative impact on the publics business. Investigate and follow up promptly on all allegations of misconduct. Report on these investigations to the council or board.
o o

What ethical dilemmas does whistle blowing present?

When a person encounters wrongdoing in the public sphere, his or her first step should probably be to use the organizations internal whistle blowing mechanisms. William Black, professor of law and economics at University of Missouri-Kansas City, was himself a whistle blower when he worked as a Savings and Loan regulator in the 1980s. During a term as visiting scholar at the Ethics Center, he wrote about his experience: Whistle blowers in the public sector often face the unique problem that their disclosure may constitute a crime. This can create an ethical dilemma when the ongoing misconduct is severe and there is no reasonable prospect that the abuse will end absent blowing the whistle.I would still recommend trying to get the responsible organs (e.g., your agency's/department's congressional oversight committees and/or inspector general) to take action first unless the threat to public safety was imminent. All government bodies should have fairly straightforward lines of authority. For example, if a councilperson has a problem with city staff, he or she would go to the city manager. If an

employee of the water district sees wrongdoing, he or she would start with a supervisor and move up the chain of command, and so forth. Its always best to start with the mechanisms the organization has set up to deal with problems because these represent the best chance at an amicable solution. If this process does not produce results, however, its not enough to say, Well, I did my best. If wrongdoing is not being addressed within the organization, it may be time to move outsideto the district attorney, the grand jury, or to the press. Kirk Hanson, Ethics Center executive director, and Jerry Ceppos, former vice president/news, Knight-Ridder, have written on the ethics of leaking information to the press and suggest these considerations: The first thing a potential leaker should ask is the status of the information itself. Is the information classified, proprietary, or otherwise protected? Is there a system in place which clearly considers this information restricted? If the information is clearly intended to be protected, then the leaker must meet a stiff test if he or she wants to leak it. The second consideration is whether the potential leaker has a specific obligation, legal or ethical, to protect the information, or has the information only because another person violated his or her obligation to keep it secret. If so, then it is a much more serious matter to reveal it. The third consideration is whether the information is about public or private matters. Information about anothers sexual orientation, about his or her private finances, or about personal phone calls has more of a claim to privacy than information about a persons actions as a corporate executive or a government official. The difficult cases, of course, are those where the private life of individuals arguably influences their public actions. Hanson and Ceppos also argue that potential leakers must assess the good and harm their leak may do. When lives are at stake or millions of public dollars are being misappropriated, those concerns for the public good trump the harm to personal privacy or government secrecy. On the other hand, a leaker must determine if the conduct he or she is exposing represents actual wrongdoing or if it is simply represents a policy disagreement. Of course, much of the publics business should be debated in public, and speaking up about disagreements on most issues is not only acceptable but also desirable. Closed-door sessions, however, are secret for a reason. Revelations about a citys interest in a particular piece of property may boost the price of that parcel. Exposure of sensitive information about a hiring or firing decision may needlessly cause harm to an individual. As much as council or board members views may differ on these issues, they should remain secret if the problem does not rise to the level of misconduct.

Resources on Whistle Blowing

Articles About Government Ethics on This Web Site Articles About Ethical Decision Making on This Web Site Links to Other Sites About Whistle Blowing Introduction to Government Ethics Homepage November 2006

Printer-Friendly Page
NEW MATERIALS

A Constitution for Facebook Lori Andrews discusses Internet privacy The Role of the Corporate Board (video) The board as the soul of the company Ethical Dilemmas for Non-profits Short scenarios for fundraisers Football, Concussions, and Character Fox Sports analyst Mike Pereira on improving the culture of the game Making the Punishment Fit the Crime What should be Dharun Ravi's sentence?
CENTER NEWS

Religious Liberty Michael McConnell, authority on freedom of religion, to speak April 17 Should Pre-med Students Be English Majors? The role of liberal arts in preparing health care professionals, May 3

Health Care Ethics Internship Now accepting applications from SCU students Follow us on
The views expressed on this site are the author's. The Markkula Center

for Applied E