‘Que sera, sera’

Classes in many public elementary and high schools started last June 5 but many others especially in private schools began theirs only last Monday. Unlike many times over in the past, this year’s school opening went on uneventful.

This is because the usual drama over lack of classrooms and shortage of school buildings are now gradually becoming things of the past. Thanks to the apparent success of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) that boosted the school-building program of the government.

Much more classrooms could have been constructed though if only the twin evils of graft and corruption would be totally out of the picture. Thankfully, the efforts of non-government organizations and corporate social responsibility of private companies filled much of the classroom gap all over the country.

One of the most active supporters of the government’s school building program is the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII). STAR editors were invited last week to a sit-down, getting-to-know-you lunch with the newly elected officials of the FFCCCII at the Manila Hotel organized by our multi-awarded columnist Wilson Lee Flores. Himself a Chinoy, Wilson as always was profused with his introduction to each and every STAR editors with the FFCCCII officers.

The premier organization of Chinoy businessmen all over the Philippines, the FFCCCII was established in 1954. It is the umbrella organization nationwide of local regional chapters and diverse industry chambers where Chinoys are engaged in from retail to manufacturing, agriculture, energy, apparel, hotel business, among other trade and industry sectors.

As far as I knew anything about the FFCCCII activities, they are into school-building program of the government while this was still part of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or the infamous pork-barrel allocations in Congress. 

But unlike the other PDAF-funded projects, the FFCCCII school-building program was recognized as the role model for all projects because of its cost-efficient and graft-free features. According to FFCCCII immediate past president Angel Ngu, their group has constructed 5,200 school buildings that produced 10,000 classrooms all over the country since they started this program in 1961.

Through the years, the FFCCCII was able to build two classrooms with two toilets per school building at a cost of P360,000 to P450,000, or half the cost from that of the government. 

Going on topics more related to their concerns, the FFCCCII leaders echoed the general sentiments of its over 1,000-strong membership all over the country. Now that the Supreme Court declared illegal the PDAF allocations, FFCCCII president Domingo Yap told us their group is now into supporting government project to build drug rehabilitation centers.

Yap told us the FFCCCII supports the war against illegal drugs launched by President Rodrigo Duterte by their commitment to build at least 15 drug rehab centers all over the Philippines. According to Yap, the first drug rehab center put up by the FFCCCII at the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao is already operational since this was turned over to President Duterte in inauguration rites held last Feb. 24. 

Given their all-out support to the present dispensation, it is thus no surprise FFCCCII officials like Yap, Ngu and Chinoy taipan Lucio Tan who is their chairman emeritus were among those invited to join the official business delegation to the twin state and official visits to China made one after the other by President Duterte.

Yap let out a curt reply to our query how the Chinoy businessmen in the country cope with the raging siege in Marawi City that led to the imposition of martial law all over Mindanao. “Que sera, sera!” Yap retorted.

This is something you say when you are stuck in a hopelessly unchangeable situation but have come to accept it. It is used to convey a fatalistic recognition about a future event.

It was the most unexpected reaction from a Chinoy businessman to speak in one of the most popular Spanish idiomatic expressions “que sera, sera” (what will be, will be). STAR Business assistant editor Conrado Diaz, who was seated across our table, wittily retorted: “Kung sira, sira!” Roughly translated, if it is broken, it’s broken.

Of course, his rough translation has a totally different meaning from “que sera, sera.” But if applied to the present situation at siege-stricken Marawi City, it best describes the situation now of the capital city of Lanao del Sur. Destroyed and crushed in ruins, Marawi City bore the brunt of the ongoing offensive by government forces trying to flush out the Islamic State (IS)-influenced Maute extremists.

 It sounded funny but it is no joke to see the city of Marawi reduced to rubbles by air strikes and fierce fighting between government troopers and heavily armed Maute bandits for the past three weeks already of the raging battle. In fact, government authorities are now talking about setting aside P10-billion reconstruction fund to help bring back the people to their feet in Marawi City.

As part of their social responsibility, the FFCCCII expressed their readiness to help alleviate the plight of the hundreds of evacuees fleeing from the war in Marawi City. For now, the FFCCCII won’t go into specifics yet until their group gets a clearer picture of how they can better assist the Marawi folks.

For sure, the FFCCCII’s track record of cost-effective and speedy construction of school buildings could very well be tapped to rebuild the schools destroyed in Marawi City. Already interrupted by the Maute siege, about 3,600 students displaced by the continuing clashes have reportedly been temporarily enrolled elsewhere when classes started last week all over the country.

Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones earlier allowed late enrollees from displaced students of Marawi City to be accepted until the end of this month. DepEd also ordered schools to accept students from Marawi even if they do not have the necessary requirements for the transfer. 

 The education of our youth, especially for young idealistic Muslims should be a primordial concern of the government in this planned reconstruction of the Islamic city of Marawi. Educating our young Filipino Muslims is the best means to cut them off from the evil influence and clutches of radicals and extremists like the dreaded IS international terrorists group. This is not something that can be left to a “que sera, sera” attitude.