Juan Miguel Luz

Associate Dean
Asian Institute of Management
Focus Area(s)
Civil Service
Critical Tasks
Civil service corruption
Evaluating performance
Extending services to insecure or remote areas
Sequencing reform
Interviewers
Rushda Majeed
Country of Reform
Philippines
Town/City
Makati City
Place (Building/Street)
Asian Institute of Management
Country
Philippines
Date of Interview
Monday, March 21, 2011
Abstract
Juan Miguel Luz describes his involvement with the conception and execution of the Textbook Count Project as a senior official in the Philippine Department of Education. Beginning with a description of the problems with the department prior to his appointment, Luz outlines how corrupt department officials awarded textbook contracts to favored, often unqualified publishers, and further critiques the poor controls on textbook quality and delivery at the time. He describes the steps taken under Textbook Count One, Two, and Three to overhaul the bidding, production, and nationwide delivery of textbooks, emphasizing the importance of relying on non-governmental organizations such as Government Watch, the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections, and even the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in inspecting the quality and quantity of books delivered. Luz describes the success of the project, supported by the World Bank, in reducing the cost of textbooks, establishing stringent quality controls, and ensuring the timely delivery of needed textbooks to public schools all across the country. Providing numerous examples of corruption, Luz offers valuable insights into the challenges of monitoring services and holding both suppliers and civil servants accountable.
 

Full Interview

140 MB
Juan Miguel Luz Interview
Profile

At the time of this interview, Juan Miguel Luz was serving as an associate dean of the Center for Development Management (CDM) at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). Earlier on, from 1997-2005, he was a member of the business and development management faculty at AIM, and also served as the managing director of the AIM Center for Corporate Responsibility from 1999-2002. In 2002, he entered public service as undersecretary of the Philippine Department of Education, where he was in charge of finance and administration. He held this position until 2006, and during his tenure, was part of significant reform within the department, including the numerous Textbook Count projects that helped improve the quality and availability of textbooks to local schools. From 2006-2008, Luz served as president of the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, an international NGO with programs in Southeast Asia and East Africa. He rejoined AIM in September 2009, and remains actively involved with a number of non-profit organizations, including the Knowledge Channel, the Philippine Center for Population Development, and Philippine Business for Education. He has also authored books on the strategic management of non-governmental organizations, corporate-community relations and education management. 

Keywords
sustainability
schools
partnerships
delivery
distribution
education
civil society participation
monitoring
procurement
accountability
Philippines
Conflict of Interest
Not specified