Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

the majority political positions in the Municipality since
1992. But there is always the possibility that political
changes might cause discontinuation of the project.
Jose Panganiban has difficulty looking for investors and
improving access roads going to the site from the main
highway. Because the Padillas have lost the provincial
governorship and the opposition won the position since
2001, Jose Panganiban has been out of priority areas in
the provincial development projects.
CONCLUSIONS
Long-term Development Project by Local
Governments
The case studies clearly show that there are several
local government units that planned and have been
implementing long-term development projects more or
less ten years consecutively. Although the case studies
suggest developmental tendency of local governments
of Cebu City, Agusan del Norte Province and Jose
Panganiban, this does not mean those LGUs are
developmental on the whole. Those who control the
local governments may extract investable surplus in
forms of corruption or misuse. In fact, the present and
former mayors of Cebu City were allegedly involved
in several corruption scandals, which were revealed
while they were fighting over certain political issues.
However, it is certain that those LGUs are trying to
foster long-term entrepreneurial perspectives in their
localities by increasing incentives and improving off-site
infrastructures that can be used by everyone. When they
are able to establish export-processing zones and start
operating, they will produce “collective goods” for their
constituents in forms of jobs and business opportunities.
The projects will have a significant impact on their local
economies.
Regarding the hypothesis whether there are variations
of local governments from predatory to developmental
to in-between in the Philippines, we cannot make any
definite conclusion from this research only. However,
combined with the results from previous case studies,
the framework of this study seems to have certain
advantages than the previous frameworks since it
can show both predatory and developmental local
politicians/governments in a model (see Figure 3). The
framework of this study can also show the changes of
local politicians’/governments’ types in certain time
frame. Let me take up two examples. In this study, the
Cebu city government after 1990s can be considered
as developmental local government; however, the same
city government in 1960s was described as predatory
one in a previous study. An academic team from Local
THE STATE, DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBALIZATION
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Government Center, University of the Philippines
(1967) studied on the Cebu city government in 1966
and made a detailed report on its organization and
management, personnel administration, and fiscal
administration. According to the report, the city
government of Cebu in 1960s showed the features of
a predatory local government. Findings of the report
pointes out that “the city government suffers from over
staffing of non-qualified, non-technical personnel”
(Local Government Center: 1967, 38) and it also says
that “[w]hile big surpluses were realized during the
period under study which indicate financial stability,
vital areas like economic development and social
improvement have remained neglected. Expenditures,
in fact, have been concentrated on the costs of operating
and maintaing the governmental machinery”. (Local
Government Center: 1967, 21) On the other hand, in
the case study of Severno (1996) on Agusan del Norte,
Edelmiro Amante, the father of the present Agusan del
Norte Governor and the present congresswoman from
the province, was described as predatory politician.
Senior Amante, a former timber company lawyer
and Marcos ally, was awarded a timber concession by
then President Marcos and also known for his violent
followers. However, when his daughter was elected
as governor in 1995, the lady Amante reviewed the
provincial economic plan and included Ecozone projects
of Nasipit and Tubay in the provincial long-term
development plan. The governor created a taskforce and
designated the provincial DTI director as chairman.
Her brother, the present governor has committed to
continue the projects. The decline of logging in the
province might force the young Amantes to pursue longterm
development. Applying the framework, it can be
stated that a political clan with predatory tendency may
shift to developmental tendencies over time as a result
of changing circumstances (see Figures 4 and 5).
As expected, the role of the local chief executive is
significant in the whole process of project development
and implementation. This is especially so if a chief
executive who initiated the project possesses the
ability to maintain political supports crucial to the
continuation of the project. The ability of a chief
executive to maximize formal/informal rules, to create
an organizational framework, and to institutionalize
expenses of the project costs is also very important.
His ability to utilize existing external ties and explore
new external connections is crucial as well in terms of
looking for possible investors and resources.
Assessment of Implementation Mechanism
After the Aquino administration, the national government
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows