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THE PROBLEM
Background of the Study
The whole education and formation of values is a lifetime effort of love. Love
requires unity of life, family and community. Only with universal charity can a person
thoughts, ideas, speech, words and deeds for himself/herself and for others be animated
as virtues in action (Angelo, 2010).
In life, you make some decisions which may be wrong or right without knowing it
and you have benefits from it either financially or emotionally, you may tend to do it.
Ethics help us to differentiate between right and wrong.
Descartes had made a statement: I think, therefore I am, but thinking is not
enough to be an ethical person. A person should be able to differentiate between right and
wrong. A society without ethics is like a judge of animals which kill other animals for
survival. The difference between man and animals is the capacity to think in various ways
and do choose which is best ethically.
Ethical decisions can be made using a school of thought. Epicurus believes that if
every person in the world is cautious, honest and just, then there will be a just society.
The basic thing is that the society will be a moral society if everybody is ethical. John
Stuart Mills believed that a person should not live for the pleasure, person should make
his own choice and only then will he feel responsible for his choice and therefore, his
decision.
Gonzales (2009) stated in his book, Employee Values are a Good Indicator of
Success, which employers look for when hiring full-time employees in addition to
relevant skills, employers seek employees who have the personal values, characteristics,
and personality traits that spell success. Good personal values are what make the
foundation for a good employee. Internships are an excellent time to show employers that
you have the personal traits that they value in their employees. Do not make the mistake
of missing the opportunity to show your supervisors at your internship that you have what
it takes to be successful on the job as well as possessing the personal characteristics they
value. An internship is an opportunity to learn the skills and behaviors along with the
work values that are required for success in the workplace.
The observance and adherence to ethical standards and public accountability are
critical parameters of the employees work performance and organizational success. This
is particularly evident in office and work units which are mandated to render services
with utmost levels of efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and relevance.
The Local Government Office is one distinctive part of the local government setup and policy-making body. As a service department to various clienteles, administration
and other clients, this office secures and maintains the credibility and integrity of the
offices records, and other vital reports and data which are supportive and critical to the
operations and standards of the local government units.
The strict adherence to ethical standards and the exercise of public accountability
among the employees of the local government units are therefore expected to be the most
functional avenues for the attainment of high levels of efficiency and effectiveness in
service delivery.
One basic policy of government concerning employees conduct and discipline is
stressed on the well-known dictum that public office is a public trust. Although this basic
concept is already firmly rooted in our system of government and is universally accepted
in all democratic governments, a categorical declaration thereof in the Constitution is
deemed necessary as it will always serve as a reminder to public offices of the Sacred
Character of the tasks and a warning that violation thereof would be nothing less than a
sacrilege. (De Leon 2005).
Any government office is trust for it is create for the sole purpose of effecting the
end for which the government has been instituted which is the common good and not for
the profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family or class of men. A public
official or employee, therefore, occupies a very delicate position which exacts from him
certain standards which generally are not demanded from or required of ordinary citizens.
A public official, in truth, is the trustee or servant of the people, and as such, he is
enjoined to serve his office with the highest degree of responsibility, integrity, loyalty,
and efficiency and at all times be accountable to the people. As a matter of fact, the act
of a public official should not only be legal but moral as well. He should be a role model
of honesty, competence and high standard of morality worthy for emulation. To a public
official who regards public office as a public trust, poverty with honor is preferable to
riches with dishonor.
In the performance of his duties and functions, and even in private life, a public
official must act with justice by giving everyone his due. He must not practice the socalled palakasan system whereby favored parties are given undue advantage or
preference on the basis of personal, political and other extraneous considerations.
Moreover, the norms of conduct of government employees shall be observed in
the course and discharge of their duties. Employees shall uphold the public interest over
and above personal interest. All government resources and powers of their respective
officer must be employed and used efficiently, effectively, honestly and economically,
particularly to avoid wastage in public funds and revenues. They must discharge their
duties with the highest degree of excellence, intelligence and skill. They shall endeavor to
discourage wrong perceptions of their roles as peddlers of undue patronage. (Azucena,
200)
Government employees shall remain true to the people at all times and act with
justness and sincerity. They shall not discriminate against anyone especially the poor and
underprivileged. Respect for the rights of others is of paramount importance and shall
refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morale, good customs, public policy, and
public interest. (Azucena, 200)
A high incidence of collusion and corruption by government employees has been
robbing the government of millions of tax payments. In a study made by the University of
the Philippines on the incidence of graft and corruption in the city of Manila, 22% of
government funds is lost in overpricing of supplies, 53% of businessmen complaining of
the extremely slow processing and approval of business permits. It took months or weeks
except when a facilitation fee is paid to fixers and their partners among city hall
employees. (David, 2001)
Business and industry has found out long ago that the educational background of
an employee is not a sufficient index of his skill and efficiency on a particular job, while
the school system takes charge of the general preparation of the youth for an occupational
profession. The profession of specific skills and inculcation of work ethics of those in the
labor force must be undertaken by the employers and employees themselves. Since
training increases the skills and ability of employees to perform specific jobs,
government undertakes trainings for employees. Included in these trainings are values
formation and ethical conduct for employees. This is essential because the government
wants to get the best out of every employee in its payroll.
Employee may have some shortcomings which he may not be aware of and he can
and will be glad to do something about it. It may reveal weak points or specific problems
such as excessive tardiness or absences. A performance rating which is a periodic view of
the employees; performance is conducted by the CSC among government employees.
This serves as a basis for appropriate supervisory counseling and guidance. It also
stimulates employees desire to improve himself.
of local government
Age;
Gender;
Religion;
Civil Status;
Educational Attainment;
Monthly salary;
Length of Service?
Research Hypotheses
The study tested the following hypotheses at the 0.5 level of significance:
1. There are no significant differences between the perceptions of local government
employees on the adherence to the norms of ethical conduct embodied in R.A
6713 in the three Municipality classes.
2. There are no significant differences in the level of adherence to the norms of
ethical conduct of the local government employees when grouped according to:
2.1 age;
2.2 gender;
2.3 religion;
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
civil status;
educational attainment;
monthly salary; and
length of service
Definition of Terms
The following terms were used in the study and were defined lexically and
operationally for clear understanding of the research under consideration.
Administration. It is the overall operation and management of an organization.
In this study, it refers to the various functions and procedures in the governance of the
local government unit.
Age. Refers to the age if employee respondent expressed in number of years
reckoned from his last birthday.
Civil Status. Refers to the marital status of the respondent whether he/she is
single or married. Married respondents also refer to widow or widower.
Classes of Local Government. It refers to the class municipality they belong,
categorized as 1st to 5th class based on the Department of Finance classification.
Educational Attainment. Refers to the grade or degree the respondent has
achieved.
Gender. Refers as to whether the respondent is male or female.
Length of Service. It refers to the number of years the respondents have been
employed in the local government units.
Observance. This refers to the extent by which the code of conduct is carried out
or practiced in the Municipal Treasures Office.