Willingness to accept a set of professional and ethical principles and follow these principles in the conduct of their daily affairs

“TATAK” of a true

Professional

CODE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE FOR THE PROFESSIONS

IN THE PHILIPPINES

CODE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE FOR THE PROFESSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES

This code is adopted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the 42 Professional Regulatory Boards to cover an environment of good governance in which all Filipino professionals shall perform their tasks.

This code covers the common principles underlying the codes of various professions and could be used by all professionals who face critical ethical questions in their work.

CODE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE FOR THE PROFESSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Professionals are required to have:Ethical commitment

-a personal resolve to act ethically

GENERAL PRINCIPLE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

Ethical commitmentEthical awareness

-the ability to discern between right and wrong

Ethical commitmentEthical awarenessEthical competency

–the ability to engage in sound moral reasoning and consider carefully the implications of alternative actions–involves knowing when to apply and when to forbear from applying knowledge, based on ethical principles–it concerns the manner in which expertise is exercised and qualified in order to encourage trust

SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

But the application of ethics in modern economic industrialized society has been twisted and tangled in pursuit of another less noble principle-

expediency:grasping for advantage rather than for

what is right.-Desmond Berghofer

Professionals are committed to a life of service to others. They protect life, property, and public welfare.

1. Service to Others

Bhopal Tragedy:World's worst industrial disaster

It occurred on the night of December 2-3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. A leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in the exposure of hundreds of thousands of people. Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259 and the government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. Others estimate that 3,000 died within weeks and that another 8,000 have since died from gas-related diseases. A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries including 38,478 temporary partial and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.

Causes!!!!!

• Storing MIC in large tanks and filling beyond recommended levels

• Poor maintenance after the plant ceased MIC production at the end of 1984

• Failure of several safety systems (due to poor maintenance)

• Safety systems being switched off to save money—including the MIC tank refrigeration system which could have mitigated the disaster severity

2. Integrity and Objectivity

Professionals shall perform their responsibilities with the highest sense of integrity, imbued with nationalism and spiritual values, be free of conflicts of interests, without prejudice and shall at all times maintain objectivity.

• Integrity from the Latin adjective integer which means “whole

or complete”In ethics, integrity is regarded as the quality of having

an intuitive sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivations for one’s actions

• Objectivitythe state or quality of being objective

Objectiveof, or relating to a goal or aimundistorted by emotion or personal bias

Margala Tragedy

The collapse of Margala towers 8th October 2005

CAUSE OF TRAGEDY??????

Earthquake or poor quality of construction???

Because the intensity of earthquake recorded in Islamabad was 6 as reported by US Seismic centre Denver Colorado, USA and Geological Survey of Pakistan The ground acceleration was as low as 0.05 g

That is why all the other buildings are still standing!!

NO!! Not the earthquake!!!!!

it was just the triggering factor

Was it the poor quality construction?

• No record of quality control • No use of vibrators • No technical supervision (Police report) • No material testing during construction • No standardisation of concrete • Use of grade 40 TOR (cold twisted bar) steel instead of Grade

60 deformed bar steel • Misalignment of columns – reported 1993 • Sagging in the beams – reported 1998 • Extremely poor quality raft • Plumbing leakages due to substandard materials

YES, indeed!!!

Corruption

Despotism

Professionals shall undertake only those professional services that they can reasonably deliver with professional competence.

3. Professional Competence

Professional competence refers to the capability to perform the duties of one's profession. To provide professional services, a certain level of competence is necessary.

To be professionally competent, one must have:

KnowledgeTechnical skillsAttitudesExperience

The THREE MILE ISLAND Accident

The accident at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania on March 28, 1979 was one of the most serious in the history of the U.S. nuclear industry.

The THREE MILE ISLAND Accident

The TMI-2 accident was a result of:

Human errorInsufficient trainingBad operating proceduresUnforeseen equipment failure

4. Solidarity and Teamwork

Each profession shall nurture and support one organization for all its members.

Solidarity refers to the ties in a society – “social relations” - that bind people to one another.

Teamwork refers to the cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal.

Together Everyone Achieves MoreTogether Everyone Achieves MoreTogether Everyone Achieves MoreTogether Everyone Achieves MoreTogether Everyone Achieves More

“Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

~Vince Lombardi

TheCHALLENGERDisaster:A NASA Tragedy

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.

The CHALLENGER Disaster:A NASA Tragedy

WHAT HAPPENED?

The commission’s report cited the cause of the disaster as a failure of an “O-ring” seal in the solid-fuel rocket on the Space Shuttle Challenger’s right side.The officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) allowed the

shuttle launch to take place despite concerns voiced by NASA engineers.

The report also strongly criticized the decision making process that led to the launch of Challenger, saying that it was seriously flawed.

“...failures in communication... resulted in a decision to launch 51-L based on incomplete and sometimes misleading information, a conflict between engineering data and management judgments, and a NASA management structure that permitted internal flight safety problems to bypass key Shuttle managers.” –Rogers Commission

5. Social and Civic Responsibility

Professionals shall always carry out their professional duties with due consideration of the broader interest of the publics.

Social responsibility-the obligation to take action that

protects and improves the welfare of society as a whole as well as organizational interests

Civic responsibility-refers to the actions of a good citizen in which the individual acts in a manner

designed to promote the common good.

The LOVE CANAL DisasterFrom 1942 to 1953, a landfill in the Niagara Falls area known was the Love Canal, was contaminated by Hooker Chemical and then sold to the city after being covered up by layers of dirt. The city then allowed homes and schools to be built over the landfill and people started to feel the effects of the hazardous waste.

11 of the chemicals were carcinogenic and caused serious health problems.

Residents were stricken with a disturbingly high rate of miscarriages, birth defects, nervous disorders, and cancers.

"one of the most appalling environmental tragedies in American history“

"a public health time bomb"

The chemicals leached through the soil and leaked into people’s basements.The toxic wastes contaminated the groundwater and polluted the air.

Every professional shall remain open to the challenges of a more dynamic and interconnected world.

6. Global Competitiveness

Globally competitive professionals who gain a thorough understanding of the economic, social, and technological changes taking place across the globe enhance their ability to compete in the worldwide market.

7. Equality of All Professions

All professionals shall treat their colleagues with respect and shall strive to be fair in their dealings with one another.

All professions are

EQUAL!

Everyone shall treat other professionals with respect and fairness.