Capacity of Higher Educational Institutions in Delivering Graduate Programs in Public Administration 140 Capacity of Higher Educational Institutions in Delivering Graduate Programs in Public Administration

The concern on capacity has become an intriguing study to examine the capacity of state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) in the Philippines to deliver quality graduate programs. This paper is a comparative assessment on the capacity of to deliver graduate programs in Public Administration of four HEIs in the National Capital Region (NCR), namely: Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration (UP-NCPAG), and the University of Makati (UMak) using indicators in six capacity areas, to wit: Human Resources, Knowledge Management Resources, Physical/Material Resources, Organizational/Leadership Resources, Networking/Linkage Resources, and Cross-border Services employing a qualitative, multi-source case study research design such as direct observations, documents or archival records, verbal reports from key informants (key informant interviews or KII), survey questionnaire, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The results show that UP-NCPAG is very strong in four capacity areas; PUP is strong in all capacity areas; UMak is very strong in two capacity areas, strong in two capacity areas, but moderate in two capacity areas; and PLM is very strong in one capacity area, strong in three areas, but moderate in two areas.

It is worth noting that the graduate programs in the area of governance carry other names; when analyzing all other SUCs and LUCs in the list one by one, variant names such as public management, public affairs, public affairs management, public service, government management, governance, and fiscal administration among others begin to emerge. The reason behind this is that the HEIs concerned may have introduced innovative changes in the curriculum to tailor fit it to client needs or the local circumstances in the community or area in which it is located. Such multiplicity of names referring to the same or similar academic field thus warrants the use of the umbrella or generic term 'governance education'. Accordingly, they may be all categorized as Governance Education Institutions (GovEd institutions), or GEIs, in short. Licuanan (2017) pointed out gaps that need to be filled up as soon as possible in her report on the state of Philippine higher education. For example, she said that of the 107 LUCs, only 18 were CHED-recognized. Also, HEIs had a faculty profile of doctorate degree holders (13.32%), master's degree holders (40.37%), while the rest (46.31%) only have undergraduate degrees.
HEIs received only 12.4% of the total budget allocated for the whole education sector. Moreover, persistent issues hound the HEIs, among them: 1) limited access to quality higher education for the poor and underprivileged, 2) commercialization due to the unchecked proliferation of HEIs and their programs, 3) deteriorating quality due to low productivity in research and development aside from a deficient science and innovation culture, and 4) questionable and corrupt practices. While the assessment is relatively wide in scope, many other compounding issues and concerns still remain that follow-through studies have yet to bring out into the open. All HEIs are covered by two mechanisms to ensure quality standards in their programs/ courses. First, CHED, as the supervisory authority over HEIs, requires them to have "high standards of instruction as manifested by the quality of (their) teachers," in addition to a "strong staff development… as evidenced by an appropriate budgetary allocation and/or systematic plan for staff development programs" (CHED Memorandum Order No. 09, series of 2003). Still, some HEIs are not able to keep up with the abovementioned CHED requirements. Second, their membership in an accrediting organization demands compliance by member-schools to prescribed standards and policies.
In other words, one significant issue stands out: SUCs and LUCs have differential capacities.
It can be hypothesized then that some of them have high standards, others have standards that may be considered average, and still some have less than average standards. What may account for the variance? This brings into the picture a brief digression to discuss the twin phenomena of capability and capacity of institutions to deliver their programs successfully.
In agreement with the insights of analysts decades back -with Franks (1992), Goodman, et al. (1998), and Imbaruddin (2003)  resources are mobilized and allocated properly or adequately (Goodman et al., 1998 There are several definitions on what "capacity" is. For the purposes of the paper, the definition is limited to that of Goodman et al. (1998) and of Imbaruddin (2003, p. 12, citing Franks, 1992. Goodman et al. defines it as "the ability to carry out stated objectives." Imbaruddin says that it is "the ability of the individual or group to actually carry out their responsibilities." Grindle and Hilderbrand (1999)    On the other hand, others see capacity as beyond the usual training approach -as the ability to deliver or to implement better. Capacity is part of an effort to improve results and performance.
In both approaches, the idea of capacity is regarded as an input or as a means to achieve higher program development results. This idea is equated with effective performance management in the form of better service delivery. This is evident in many definitions of capacity. As defined Imbaruddin (2003)

C ro s s -B o rd e r S e r v i c e s C a p a c i t y
is interrelated with networking/linkages, particularly at present when ASEAN regionalization has called for cross-border services between and among the ASEAN member-nations. Among the various categories of cross-border services, the education sector falls under "other private services," which also includes financial services, insurance services, telecommunications, and business/professional/technical services.

Methods
The study made use of a qualitative, multisource case study research design. It is multi- The unit of study is the HEI engaged in delivering graduate programs in governance. and has developed innovative programs in making education accessible not only to first-time college enrollees, but also to graduate students who want to earn an MPA or a DPA in an alternative way.  also on its prestige and as a pioneer in PA. It has little problems with attracting possible students because it is well-known nationwide.