Leadership at the Local Level

Leadership, as concept in management and in behavioral and social sciences, is

essentially a relationship that involves use of power, authority and influence. In societal or

organizational settings, culture and context inevitably define who wields power, authority and

influence over whom. As societies and organizations evolve and develop over time, their

goals, processes and values change. These changes are reflected in how societies and

organizations define the nature and essence of leadership, particularly in terms of power,

authority and influence relations.

Leadership may also be defined as the process of influencing and supporting others to

work enthusiastically toward achieving objectives. It is a critical factor that helps an individual

or a group identify its goals and then motivates and assist in achieving the stated goals.

Ways to Define Leadership

There are many ways to define leadership and to classify how leaders work and act.

Kurt Lewin, a German-American psychologist, identified three major types of leadership:

authoritarian, participative, and delegative. Authoritarian or autocratic leader is concerned

with what, when and how things should be done. This kind of leadership tends to centralize

power and decision making rests largely on the leader.

The Democratic type of leadership appears to be the most conventional. Though final

decisions still rest upon the leader, they are first consulted from the people actively

participates in the undertakings of the government. Authority is decentralized in this kind of

leadership.

The third type is the delegative or laissez-faire leadership. Little or no guidance is

seen here from the leader. Actions and decisions rest from the group. This type of leadership

is also known as free-rein leadership on other references.

While Lewin’s leadership styles have been very influential and widely used in

categorizing leaders, an attempt to classify Filipino leaders has also been made. Remigio

Agpalo in his paper on “Leadership and Types of Filipino Leaders: Focus on Ferdinand E.

Marcos and Corazon Aquino” (Agpalo, 1988) identified four types of leadership. He classified

Filipino leaders according to their organization and ideology. First is the “Supremo”

characterized by strong organization and ideology. Second type is a “Visionary” who has an

ideology but a weak organization. Next is the “Organization Man” who leads a strong

organization but without an ideology. The last type is the “Paradux”. He combined the Latin

word “dux” meaning leader and a Greek prefix “para” which means faulty or disordered. He

referred this type for those traditional Filipino politicians who neither have an ideology nor a

strong organization.

In 1991, Agpalo modified this schema and added another dimension. He then also

considered the normative by seeing a leader as either being good and beneficial, or venal

and oppressive. With this, he came up with four dichotomies: the pangulo-tyrant, the

prophet-false prophet, the price-dictator, and the patron-trapo.

Leadership at the Local Level

Every local government unit shall exercise the power expressly granted, those

necessarily implied, as well as powers powers necessary, appropriate, or incidental for its

efficient and effective governance, and those which are essential to the promotion of the

general welfare in the respective local government units.

Within their respective territorial jurisdictions, Local Government Units shall ensure and

support, among other things, as stated in Section 16, Book 1 of the Local Government Code:

the preservation and enrichment culture;

promote the health and safety;

enhance the right of the people to a balanced ecology;

encourage and support the development op appropriate and self-reliant scientific and

technological capabilities;

improve public morals;

enhance economic prosperity and social justice;

promote full employment among their residents;

maintain peace and order; and

preserve the comfort and convenience of their inhabitants

In the Philippines, positions in local governments range from govenors in the

provinces and in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, to mayors for municipalities

and cities, and captains for the barangays.

Case Study: Leadership of Mayor Alfredo S. Lim

1. Personal Profile

Alfredo Siojo Lim, also known as Fred Lim, was born in a family of Chinese descent on

December 21, 1929 in Sampaloc, Manila. He considers himself to be a pure Manilenyo,

having spent most of his life in the city.

He accomplished his formal education at the University of the East, with Bachelor

degrees in Business Administration and Law, which he completed in 1963. But instead of

pursuing a legal profession, he decided to join the ranks of the police force.

His career in the police can be considered a colorful one, with highlights ranging from

arresting notorious drug pushers and relatives of political figures; even his involvement in the

People Power Revolution in 1986, which can be argued to be the one that made the doors of

politics open to him. Upon his retirement as Police Major General of the Manila Police District

in 1989, he was offered a role as head in the Bureau of Customs, which he refused, and

instead taking a role as head of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Upon popular demand from people for him to run as Mayor of Manila, he accepted the

challenged and ran in 1992, promising to get rid of the city of vices and crime. After his

surprise victory, his political career bankrolled by that point.

He tried his luck in national positions at some point, by running as President under the

Liberal Party in 1998, which he lost; and as Senator in 2004. However, he returned as mayor

of the city in 2007, and currently running for his third and final term against his former ally,

Joseph "Erap" Estrada.

2. How Mayor Lim Was Known

Ever since his assumption as mayor of the city in 1992, Mayor Lim was known for his

intensive campaign against crime, vices and immorality. To highlight this, his first order of

office was to close down the "girlie bars" in the district of Ermita which he claim to be bastions

of prostitution in the city. Similar campaigns against pornography was launched by his

administration after that.

Mayor Lim was given a monicker of "Dirty Harry" as an allude to his background as a

police officer, and for his focus on crime prevention. He launched controversial strategies to

deter crime, such as presenting criminals in front of the media, or spray-painting houses of

alleged criminals in order for them to be identified or for them to be driven away from the city.

Though the effectiveness of these schemes has been disputed, Mayor Lim has gained a

reputation on being serious to reduce crime in the city.

However, Mayor Lim has another side. With his background coming from a poor family,

he believes that every Manileno should have access to social services, such as education

and healthcare. He inaugurated the City College of Manila in 1995 to complement the

Pamantasang Lungsod ng Manila; he also ordered the scrapping of school fees in the city's

public schools. He also launched the building of schools, hospitals, health centers, drug

rehabilitation facilities and parks. The mayor also launched beautification and infrastructure

projects to revive certain parts of the city, such as the Manila Zoo, Liwasang Bonifacio and

Museo Pambata.

3. His Platform of Government

Mayor Lim's platform of governance was aptly named as LIM: Linisin, Ikarangal ang

Maynila. The focus is two-fold: addressing the city's crime condition and improving the

delivery of social welfare for the city's residents. It is composed of a 11-point agenda:

1. All-out war against criminality

2. Fire Protection

3. Health Security

4. Improvement of Education

5. Livelihood Opportunities and Job Creation

6. Historical and Cultural Awakening

7. Environmental Conservation and Preservation

8. Urban Planning & Rehabilitation

9. Bring City Hall Closer to Citizens

10.Transparency

11. Enhance Senior Citizens

Using this framework of governance, Mayor Lim has lead the development of the city.

Currently, the city has 6 city-owned hospitals, 72 Elementary Schools, 32 High Schools and

58 Health Centers and Lying-In Clinics. The city has also launched infrastructure projects,

such as roads and street-lighting projects. Big redevelopments are on-going or has been

finished in the city, such as Cityplace in Binondo the San Lazaro Race Track, and

condominium projects in the University Belt area.

4. Issues and Controversies

The Mayor has not escaped issues and controversies during his stint as mayor of the

city. The following are the issues that have caused the most noise:

a.) Vitas Slaughterhouse Case

In 2008, Mayor Lim ordered the take-over of the Vitas Slaughterhouse, a meat-

processing plant that is owned by the Manila City Government. During Mayor Lito Atienza's

term in 1999 the plant was leased to a private operator, Dealco Inc. that will manage the

operations of the slaughterhouse. However, the mayor ordered the takeover of the plant from

the contractor for alleged under-reporting of gross sales so that it can avoid paying leases to

the city government.

The takeover was alleged to be abusive, as a certain Dennis Alcoreza filed a case

against the city police and the city government, accusing them of "him being dragged and

manhandled outside the slaughterhouse." A case was filed against the Mayor and other police

officials who led the takeover.

As of the latest developments, the Ombudsman has cleared the Mayor for his

involvement in the Vitas case, saying that he has "acted in good faith" when he ordered

control of the slaughterhouse.

b.) Political Rivalry and Gridlock

In an interview, the mayor has confessed of him being "unlucky" with his vice-mayors,

who turned out to be his rivals in office. An example would be his former Vice-Mayor Lito

Atienza, who ran as Mayor against him in 2001, and his current Vice-Mayor Francisco "Isko

Moreno" Domogoso, who is now running against him under the ticket of another rival, Former

President Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada.

When Mayor Lim assumed office in 2007, he ordered the removal of the Buhayin ang

MayniLA projects of his predecessor Atienza, such as re-opening of portions of Rizal Avenue

which was converted into parks, and the controversial closure of bars in the Baywalk area,

citing that there is an ordinance prohibiting these structures in the area.

His relationship with Vice-Mayor Domogoso has been stained as well. The rift started

when the vice-mayor decided to run under the ticket of Mayor Lim's rival, Joseph "Erap"

Estrada. A "word war" escalated between Lim and Domogoso when the latter accused the

former of death threats. Lim retaliated by accusing him and 28 other councilors of having

"ghost employees."

The Mayor has also experienced gridlock between him and his city council regarding

the issue of the Pandacan Oil Depot. Mayor Lim vetoed the ordinance that will order the

closure of the depot, in which the councilors have committed in over-riding this veto.

c.) Urban Renewal

Most have noticed that the city has been left behind in the aspect urban renewal,

especially with nearby cities such as Quezon City, Makati and Mandaluyong which has

housed new business districts. While Manila has preserved some of the country's historical

buildings, most of the city remains decrepit due to buildings which has been left into disrepair.

Floods is also a perennial problem of the city, especially in the Espana and University Belt

areas.

The Mayor however has launched several projects to improve the city's landscape,

including road works, street-lighting projects, parks and greenery. Several redevelopment

projects are ongoing, and a proposal to build a new Financial Center near the city's South

Harbor has been proposed.

d.) Other Issues

Other issues that hound the city are:

Reclaiming the city's status as the country's center for business and culture

Attracting local and foreign investors

Solving poverty and related issues

Enhancing discipline (Traffic, sidewalk vendors, among others)

Police Brutality

Personal issues (such as Mayor Lim's son being accused of drug trafficking)

Conclusion

Mayor Lim has been one of the most well-known mayors in the country, noting that he

heads the country's capital city, and that it is rare to have a local chief executive that came

from a police background. His relentless campaign against criminality is to be expected,

coupled with his concern in improving social welfare as he came from a poor background.

However, it can be noticed that the mayor has a lot of tasks in his hands, for he does

not head just any city - he is the leader of a city once known as the country's seat of power,

much worse, it is a "dying city." While the other cities of Metro Manila has reaped the rewards

of investment, Manila sits on a standstill.

Mayor Lim, nevertheless, has been successful in bringing to Manilenos the services

they need in order to improve their quality of life. Still, issues and concerns remain that serve

as roadblocks for him to achieve his projects. In a sense, what the city needs is a mayor that

is transformational - someone with a vision to change the way things are done in the city, and

the will to inspire people to change things. What may be lacking to the mayor is a long-term

focus - a vision on how he wants to see Manila in the future, more so plans to make it

happen.

It can be noted though that the mayor has contributed a lot to Manila and it's way of

governance. He seeks to run for his final term next year, and as he promised in his Twitter

account, he wants his final term to mark a "legacy" in the city. This is something still need to

be awaited, as the city's residents are the ones most capable to judge his performance.

References

Alfiler, Concepcion. “Leadership for the 21st Century: Challenges and Likely Responses”.

From Government to Governance: Reflections on the 1999 World Conference on

Governance. Eastern Regional Organization for Public Administration., 2000. Print.

"Dirty Harry Files COC, says will retire in 2016." Rappler.com 1 October 2012. Web. 14

October 2012.

Joaquin, Nick. May Langit Din Ang Mahirap: The Life Story of Alfredo Siojo Lim. Philippines:

Atlas Pub., 1998. Print.

"Isko, 28 Dads Rap Lim; Mayor Strikes Back." The Philippine Star, 23 June 2012. Web. 14

Oct. 2012.

"Lim Insists: Vitas Slaughterhouse Takeover Legal." The Philippine Star, 19 July 2008. Web.

14 Oct. 2012.

"Lim Vetoes Removal of Oil Depot." The Philippine Star, 13 September 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 1

2012.

"Manila takes over Vitas Slaughterhouse." GMA News Online. 11 July 2008. Web. 14 Oct.

2012.

"Mayor Alfredo Lim." Political Intel. Aksyon TV. Quezon City, 27 July 2012. Television.

"Mayor Lim: I’m unlucky with vice mayors." Rappler.com, 5 July 2012. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

"Mga Nagawa sa Lipunan." Ang Mga Pananaw ni Alfredo S. Lim. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.fredlim.com/nagawa_sa_lipunan.html>

"Si Fred." Ang Mga Pananaw ni Alfredo S. Lim. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.fredlim.com/si_fred.html>