Chapter 5

On Implementation Strategies

A substantial portion of public policy literature notes the sad truth about most policies
and why many of them fail. With many studies asking why most policies are
unsuccessful, it is safe to conclude that such is the norm. In fact, several examples can
be drawn from the Philippine setting. The Clean Air Act, for example, has not stopped
vehicles that did not pass emission tests from travelling on our roads; the Solid Waste
Management Act did not result in the construction of Materials Recovery Facilities for
every barangay -the list goes on and factors that caused their lack of success vary.

Understanding why policies fail is critical to ensure that better implementation

procedures are written in the future, or for our purposes, that the ordinance's
implementation strategy is fool proof. The paragraphs below summarize the reasons
why policies fail along with notes on how we can apply these lessons to our own
implementing procedures. 

Lack of Coordination

According to Pressman and Wildavsky (1973), policies fail due to the "lack of
coordination between various agencies." It is established in their research that there
should be clear lines of communication. In the case of the Zero Plastic Ordinance,
entities that will be involved include the DENR, the 23 local government units under the
provincial government, the DepEd and the provincial government itself.

Weaver (2010) says that numerous "approvals by agencies with very different
objectives may lead to stalemate and inaction. Poor coordination mechanisms between
multiple implementing agencies may lead to breakdowns and delays in programme
delivery, bureaucratic run-arounds and other forms of poor service, as well as cost-
overruns." While LGUs are bound by law to implement the ordinance, their cooperation
is vital to its success. Coordinating with so many public stakeholders will not be an easy
task. It also must be noted that the work that these players will put in will not be equal.
One mayor who is a staunch supporter of environmental policies, for example, will dive
into communicating the new ordinance to his or her departments while another mayor
currently battling a rising incidence of dengue will likely tackle the information
dissemination after he or she has finished taking care of the dengue problem. 

The Problem with the Top-Down Approach

The natural course of government is to disseminate information from the top down.
While effective, it has disadvantages. It cannot be denied, based both on literature and
observation, that there will always be a weak link in the chain of command. As Thomas
Reid said in his Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man, “a chain is no stronger than
its weakest link” akin to the Basque proverb "A thread usually breaks where it is
thinnest”.
This is not to suggest that the top down approach be abandoned as it is vital for smooth
operations. However, for the policy to be implemented as fast as possible, a plug-and-
play method is recommended. To do this, the provincial government will follow the
traditional method of communicating the information to the local government units but it
must work hand in hand with the immediate coordination of the communications offices.

It is strongly suggested that flyers be forwarded by the provincial communications office

to the communications offices of the different LGUs, and if possible, to all the
barangays. Posts for social media will also be uniform. Using this simple information
dissemination technique will prevent said information from getting lost in the chain of
command as well as stop it from being miscommunicated.

Lack of Resources

It is the wish of governments around the world to achieve their goals with a minimum
outlay of resources. This, however, can be problematic as sufficient money, applicable
technology, well-trained human resources, and time are needed for the government to
deliver its services to the people. (Weaver, 2010) For our purposes, there will be a need
for the inclusion of a budget in the ordinance itself and getting said budget ready. 

It is acknowledged though that securing sufficient resources can be a convoluted

process. This means that time will be needed before the ordinance is fully implemented
and due to the possibility of dealing with insufficient resources, implementation will be
gradual.

Implementation Timeframe

Governments rarely have time to work on everything on their agenda but it is imperative
that the Implementing Rules and Regulations have a schedule attached. It is
recommended that mayors are given x number of days to implement the ordinance. A
timeframe will push the mayors to work faster in implementing the policy and will help
the provincial government achieve its recycling goals within a few month's time.

Differing Belief Systems

In an ideal world, implementing a policy that is backed by science is easy and if it

comes with compliance challenges, political will will make stakeholders adhere to the
policy. It is sad, however, that in the real world, political pressure will not change the
attitudes, routine practices, and beliefs of citizens. Assuming that they will adhere to the
ordinance because it makes sense, is a potential downfall for the policy itself. Due to
this consideration, the ordinance must launch a hyperlocal awareness campaign to
ensure success. Training the barangay captains, who are at the forefront of
implementing laws, is suggested in this case as they are the ones who will disseminate
information on the ground.
The possibility of citizens not abiding by the law also brings to light the need for
punishments. Punishments in the form of fines is a sound idea that should be included
in the ordinance. However, better implementation procedures and a good awareness
campaign design is predicted to result in better compliance across all ages. 

People Who Do Not Care

Information dissemination is the key but due to apathy, the policy can fail. Compliance
issues do not only rely on how effective we are in our awareness campaign as the
general public's cooperation will be needed as well. There is a need for the public to
play its part for a policy to be successfully implemented. 

The suggested solution is a campaign that will trigger an emotional response. 

The policy itself will also need a section that addresses education for the young so that
they know how to use the recommended method for collecting plastic waste. This can
include a short field trip to the collection area where they are taught how to exchange
used plastic for goods or cash along with details on why they should do it. 

Lack of Dedication on the Ground

A good policy is not a guarantee that it will be practiced as agents on the ground are
more autonomous than believed. (Lee and Faulker, 2010) Said agents can fail to notice,
selectively attend to policies or even intentionally ignore it due to their own interests or
agenda. Corruption can be one reason but these agents' beliefs can also be the culprit.
It is vital that before the awareness campaign, individuals who will lead the campaign on
the ground, are given the education and the tools that they need to explain the policy. In
our case, the barangay captains can be invited to a forum that will introduce said policy
to them.

Aside from giving them knowledge on the core reasons of the policy and how it will be
implemented among other details, these agents will also need to be closely monitored.
It is of course unfair to question the dedication of leaders and bureaucrats on the
ground as they "do not actively try to undermine policies". (Spillane, 2002) However, the
possibility of it happening needs to be curbed right from the start.

A Bad Policy

The simplest theory that is often ignored is explained by Hogwood and Gunn (1993)
who note in their work that "a policy is implemented poorly at the frontline because the
policy itself is bad". As Hogwood and Gunn (1993) explain, poor understanding of the
problem, its causes, effects, and solutions can lead to a bad policy. It is noted, of
course, that we endeavor to make the policy a good one but will still keep this
observation in mind so that the ordinance itself and its implementation strategy are well
thought out. The ordinance must be adequately designed to minimize policy mishaps.

Information Dissemination (Non-Traditional)

 Publish ordinance online

 Summarize ordinance
 Summarize steps on how to deliver recyclable plastic to the recycling facility
 Disseminate information to the mayors
 Design awareness campaign materials or press kit
 PGIN communications team disseminates press kit to LGUs' communication
offices
 Press release from provincial government
 Local news channel coverage
 Meeting with barangay captains
 Hyperlocal (barangay level) information dissemination
Conclusion

The implementation design or the Implementing Rules and Regulations must be

thorough enough for the provincial government to pinpoint which part of the system is
not working up to standard. The system, although simple, has many parts: the provincial
leadership, its communications office, the 23 mayors and their communications offices,
the barangay captains, the public school system or Deped in the province, the DENR,
and the general public. This means that point persons for the implementation process
must be established to get a full overview of what is happening on the ground after the
ordinance's launch. This will also help the provincial government monitor the progress of
said ordinance.

The Implementing Rules and Regulations will be written after the research is done. 

 
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