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Researcher: Crisha Dane S. DalaquitReference:Corpuz, O. D. (1957). The bureaucracy in the Philippines.

Manila: Institute of u!li" #$%inistration, &ni'ersit of the hilippines.

Book Summary: The Bureaucracy in the Philippines

In his stu$ of The Bureaucracy in the Philippines, Onofre Corpuz atte%pts

to sste%atize a %assi'e "olle"tion of $ata spannin the lenth of hilippine

"olonial rule until the perio$ of his *ritin. +e $efines the !ureau"ra" as thea$%inistrati'e instru%ent or oranization *hi"h e-ists in %o$ern politi"al

"o%%unit for the attain%ent of the "o%%units so"ial o!/e"ti'es (1957:0), e%phasizin its i%portan"e in %o$ern o'ern%ent an$ o'ernan"e.

&sin historioraph, Corpuz offers the stu$ as a steppin stone to the

stu$ of the hilippine !ureau"ra", %ain it one of the %ost i%portant

*ors in the fiel$.

The Evolution of the Bureaucracy

The Bureaucracy!eins *ith the assertion that the nati'es o""upin the

ar"hipelao *ere "i'ilize$ prior to the perio$ of Spanish "olonization, a "lai%

e"hoin that of 2izal3s earlier points in his annotations to Mora3s Sucesos.Corpuz $es"ri!es the 'illae "o%%unities for%e$ in the pre4Spanish era as

politi"all self4"ontaine$ an$ e"ono%i"all self4suffi"ient (1957), !ut he

also e%phasizes that the nature of these "o%%unities, $espite ser'in asproof of "i'ilization, har$l lai$ the !asis for the esta!lish%ent of a!ureau"ra". he la" of pu!li" finan"e, the infor%al an$ personal !asis for

"i'il relations, the e-isten"e of a !arter e"ono% an$ the a!sen"e of

"o%%unit4supporte$ infrastru"ture *ere e'i$en"e enouh of that.

hus, Corpuz oes on to sa, stru"tural oranization *as ne"essar for

Spanish "olonization of the islan$s. he earlier tra"es of self4suffi"ien" of'illae "o%%unities transfor%e$ into a hihl "entralize$ for% of

a$%inistration as the Spaniar$s "onquere$ *ith the s*or$ an$ the "ross.

he nee$ to "entralize *as also reinfor"e$ ! the nee$ for easiera$%inistration, so %u"h of the Spanish population in the islan$s *as"on"entrate$ in the ur!an "enter. he ten$en" to "entralize %a$e "onfli"ts

a%on the Spaniar$s ine'ita!le, *hether it *as an issue !et*een the

Chur"h an$ the state, a "o%petition !et*een ri'al !usinesses or feu$s *ithinthe fa%il. hese "onfli"ts *oul$ also ha'e reper"ussions on the

!ureau"ra", *hose %e%!ers *ere often %ire$ in "ontro'ersies an$ la"e$se"urit of tenure6 *hat !e"a%e the nor% *as for !ureau"rats to use their

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positions to a%ass *ealth, to see the prote"tion of patrons, or to $onothin.

or a !ureau"ra" that *as theoreti"all $epen$ent on its ho%e o'ern%ent,the a"tions of its %e%!ers *ere not effe"ti'el "he"e$. ro!le%s su"h as

$istan"e an$ las in "o%%uni"ation %a$e s"rutin an$ o'ersiht $iffi"ult,i'in the su!or$inate a$%inistration so%e autono%. Counter'ailin

$e'i"es su"h as the visitadores generalesor the residencia*ere present toe%phasize the "olon3s su!or$ination, !ut the realit of its effe"ti'eness left

%u"h to !e $esire$.

In his further e-a%ination of the !ureau"ra", Corpuz also arues that the

!ureau"ra" !e"a%e a so"ial elite an$ a politi"al aristo"ra". Me%!ership

$urin the Spanish perio$ *as hihl sele"ti'e as the a$%inistrati'epositions *ere seen as the possessions of the %onar"h an$, ! e-tension,

the Spaniar$s. his pro$u"e$ the per"eption of the !ureau"rats "onstitutina so"ial "lass in so"iet, hihlihtin the %are$ $ifferen"es !et*een the

nati'es an$ the Spaniar$s not onl in ter%s of "ulture an$ ra"e, !ut also*ith respe"t to the offi"es the "oul$ hol$.

+o* $i$ this in$ of "olonial a$%inistration en$ure for %ore than three"enturies8 hile there *ere so%e e-"eptions to the lot of !ureau"rats

o!tainin positions for their o*n ain, these in$i'i$uals *ere fe* an$ far in

!et*een. #s %u"h as !ureau"rats su"h as Mora, Cor"uera an$ the lie trie$to refor% the !ureau"ra", it re%aine$ internall an$ %orall "orrupt.

Corpuz offers the e-planation that its lone'it reste$ on the restri"tion of

the "olon3s intelle"tual, so"ial, an$ e"ono%i" life, an$ as soon as the ti$esof e"ono%i" "hane an$ politi"al $is"ontent e%ere$ *ith the openin of the

"olon3s ports, the "olon "oul$ not $epen$ on its !ureau"ra" to eepthins toether.

he situation in the ho%e o'ern%ent "oul$ not also !e e-pe"te$ to

"ontri!ute to the sta!ilit an$ strenth of the !ureau"ra" in the hilippines.

art politi"s in Spain pro$u"e$ a see%inl ne'er4en$in turno'er of!ureau"rats, lea'in the fate of the a$%inistration to the spoils sste%.

Often, %ilitar offi"ers *ere sent to fill positions $espite ha'in 'irtuall nono*le$e or e-perien"e in a$%inistration, an$ the ina!ilit of these offi"ers

to o'ern *as ara'ate$ ! the in"o%peten"e of !ureau"rats. he "ler,

then, *ere i'en %ore politi"al po*er, an$ Corpuz stresses that in fillin therole of the !ureau"ra", the "ler inherite$ the hatre$ asso"iate$ *ith a

"orrupt an$ ineffi"ient "i'il ser'i"e that e-ploite$ the "olon.

he su!sequent #%eri"an "olonization pro$u"e$ a !ureau"ra" unlie that of

its pre$e"essor, *ith the a$%inistration affe"te$ ! the in$i'i$uals that

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"onstitute$ the hihest position: the o'ernor4eneralship. #""or$in toCorpuz, +arrison3s a$%inistration a'e *a to in"rease$ %e%!ership in the

!ureau"ra" ! ilipinos. he e'entual transfer of "ontrol to ilipinos *ashalte$ onl un$er oo$, *ho 'ie*e$ the !ureau"ra" as too entren"he$ in

politi"s. +o*e'er, the "o%position of the !ureau"ra" ! then *as %a$e up

of a sinifi"ant per"entae of ilipinos, an$ an atte%pts to $e4ilipinize the"i'il ser'i"e *as i%possi!le.

Corpuz arues that the "i'il ser'i"e *as not et %ature un$er the #%eri"an

a$%inistration, !ut %ore proressi'e atte%pts at $e'elop%ent *ere alrea$

in pla"e. he o!tain%ent of positions in the !ureau"ra" *as refor%e$, too,throuh the esta!lish%ent of the %erit sste% an$ the o!ser'an"e of it. he

refor% of the !ureau"ra" "a%e han$ in han$ *ith %o$ernization, an$ the!ureau"ra" !e"a%e a 'alua!le apparatus in "reatin an$ inno'atin so"ial

"hane.

he !ureau"ra" influen"e ! #%eri"an rule *as not *ithout its fla*s. Its

!re'it an$ its la" of esta!lishe$ tra$itions "ontri!ute$ to a non4"lass"hara"ter *hi"h, thouh theoreti"all politi"all neutral, re%aine$ 'ulnera!le

to parties an$ politi"ians intereste$ in %anipulatin the a"tions of the

!ureau"ra" in their fa'or. he "reation of a %ultipart sste% see%e$ tore$u"e this o""urren"e, !ut the !ureau"ra" "oul$ not *holl resist future

atte%pts to i%pine on its interit.

In su%, the $ifferen"es !et*een the Spanish an$ #%eri"an perio$s of

"olonization la larel in ter%s of its a$%inistrati'e approa"h an$ its

%e%!ership. In the Spanish era, the a$%inistration of o'ern%ent *as notseparate fro% the Chur"h3s influen"e in spite of the "onfli"ts that "oul$

e%ere fro% su"h a stru"ture. he #%eri"an perio$, on the other han$,souht to re%o'e the "he"s %a$e ! its pre$e"essor on the $e'elop%ent of

the "ountr6 a %ore li!eral approa"h *as utilize$ in %an aspe"ts, to thepoint that e'en %e%!ership in the !ureau"ra" !e"a%e a""essi!le to

ilipinos so%ethin that *as uni%aina!le $urin the Spanish era e-"eptin the lo*est positions. hus, ilipinos *ere finall i'en the a!ilit an$ the

institutional apparatus to tae o'er responsi!ilities of self4o'ern%ent.

Evaluating the Post-Colonial Bureaucracy

#fter e%phasizin the "apa"it of ilipinos for self4o'ern%ent, Corpuz

a$%its that the !ureau"ra" in the 35;s $i$ not ha'e its i%perfe"tions. hatare the *eanesses Corpuz hihlihts8 irst, nepotis% an$ the spoils sste%

persist, sustaine$ ! *hat Corpuz 'ie*s is the so"ioloi"al "on$ition of the

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i%portan"e of inship ties to ilipinos.