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Policymaking
Policy making is no-easy task. Despite what we may currently think about the current policymaking
system of the country due to all the constant and never-ending problems we so happen to face, it is much
more difficult than what we simply see on the surface.
Policies are much more than just concepts that we must conform ourselves to, as it contains the
elements of obedience, protocol as well as universal application. This hopes to create a system in which we
can thrive—one where there is no chaos. Furthermore, these policies aim to solve problems that we face in
our society. On paper, these policies are tasked to be the solution. But with many problems policymakers
face, we end up not feeling the effects of the policies as it is often overshadowed by the problems preventing
progress in the first place.
Policymaking has many problems, as it needs to follow a process and ensure that all criteria of good
policymaking sustains itself are met and that they are sustainable for as long as the problems persist in
society.
A problem within the policymaking system that is very prevalent is the amount of time officials
allocate for gathering information and the policy process itself. This proves to be a challenge for our
policymaking system as it is the main cause of failed policies. These failures stem from the misguided
assumptions given by the lack of available information gathered from the public. These policies tend to
draw a lot of backlash from the stakeholders as certain policies would intersect with the agendas of the
stakeholders, thus deeming the policy rather ineffective as these policies frequently end up being
overlooked by the majority of people.
Given the context and foundation our current policymaking system which was built upon, creating
a policy does not only involve the lawmakers and its general public but involves a vast number of businesses
and businessmen behind the curtains as well. The issue with this is that with these third parties being
involved, the ability to govern becomes much more difficult for these politicians as these would cause issues
on the side of the third parties. Furthermore, the process of policymaking must be viable to majority of the
citizens. Considering the economic gap between the rich and the poor, there is difficulty in creating policies
that are applicable to all, and may sometimes overlook the state and living conditions of stakeholders.
An example of this would be the various traffic policies that the MMDA has been trying to
implement throughout the past couple of months. Different policies have been tried and tested, such as the
Odd-Even Coding Scheme of Pasig City. The issue sparked outrage within the communities affected by the
scheme, as it failed to acknowledge the effect it would have on those families or individuals who could only
afford one vehicle.
Now, looking at the various stages of development all policies have to go through, we can clearly
see in which element the policy had failed or was lacking in a sense. This policy failed to address the
stakeholders and the communities affected by it. Despite the policy being drafted and implemented with
good intentions to stop an obvious problem, it proved ineffective in the end.
As a driver who often acknowledges the policies and appreciates the effort put in by local
government units in order to address issues regarding traffic, policymakers should look past just simply
solving the problem as there are both pros and cons in every policy that should be studied thoroughly, in
order to avoid problems that involve public backlash regarding certain legislations. As each moment spent

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creating one policy could easily be spent making others, this shows how time is of the essence. With all the
issues policymakers need to address, time is of the essence and each second counts.
If I were given the opportunity to speak face-to-face with one of our local government leaders, I
would raise questions concerning the process of creating these policies, moreover than the actual policy
itself. More importantly, the problems should be tackled at the very root of what the policies want to
achieve. I would seek to improve the way these policies go through the stages and ensure that all the needed
elements are present in order to avoid failed policies. These can be further achieved by creating Standard
Operating Procedures that test the performance of policies based on comparable standards of which have
been tested and applied in different communities. Once the system has been improved, the government
would have a much easier time implementing these policies, eventually providing a proven solution to
various issues we face.