Revenue Oriented Teaching Courses

This is my proposed version of ROTC = Revenue Oriented Teaching Courses. Instead of reviving the fallacy that a Reserve Officers Training Course will instill “discipline” in Filipinos, why not introduce special training courses that students can translate or use as a means for employment, address long existing problems while creating jobs all over the country?

For instance, instead of wasting time doing military drills marching under the hot Philippine sun, why not introduce Drivers Ed? Or teach students how to drive/ride two-wheel and four-wheel vehicles? Such skills make them employable at a bare minimum, or they can become self-employed in the TNVS industry of the Philippines. Another direct benefit of Drivers Ed is that we will have generations of Filipino drivers who will eventually have a better understanding of motorist and pedestrian responsibilities.

If done properly, such a Revenue Oriented Training Course will also help reduce ignorance among drivers and will ultimately reduce traffic violations as well as corruption since we reduce ignorance through education. Our version of ROTC can begin with how to ride bicycles, rules and rights of bikers and will surely help millions of students in provinces and far-flung places because such a program will require the availability and affordability of bicycles nationwide. Perhaps the DOTr could embrace such a concept and help incentivize local and foreign manufacturers set-up shop in the Philippines!

Another Revenue Oriented Training Course would be Swimming and Life Guard training course given the fact that we have so many non-swimmers in the Philippines in spite of the fact that we are an archipelago, known for beautiful islands and world famous beaches. Such a training course will surely create a supply and demand for real Lifeguards in many resorts and will help reduce drowning incidents and save lives.

This basic skill is mandatory for many FA’s or Flight Attendants in airlines and with our growing nautical highway and tourism, training people to have specialized skills makes them employable both here and abroad. Incidentally such a program could be a TESDA tract and intro to paramedics or EMS, which again increases employability.

Here in Metro Manila, we have a huge community of volunteer fire fighters but once you go into the provinces, municipalities and barangays, the number of fire-fighting facilities and offices begin to dwindle but the possibility of fires continue to rise with increasing growth and development or “urbanization.” LGUs have become very active and focused in generating income but are not well invested in firefighting, relying mostly on volunteers.

But if the national government were to create a Revenue Oriented Training Course on fire fighting designed at developing professional and employable individuals, then the LGUs in turn can invest on employment of these graduates. We need more fire fighters and less lawyers, politicians etc.

The point is to shift our educational orientation and misconception regarding employability and discipline. The first argument about instilling discipline is that it begins at home, then is followed up through education and media, and finally set firmly through the examples of leaders and institutions. Most parents have to earn a living, our schools are over-populated with students, and sorry but our record for integrity is pathetic considering the hundreds of millions that our elected officials spend just to get voted into office.

Leadership in the Philippines is not sacrificial, it is a business investment of a corrupt nature that has bought or corrupted the general population. ROTC did not fix corruption then, it did not fix the lack of discipline and it will not fix the problem today or tomorrow. Instead of wasting students time and lives, give them skills they can make a living with!

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The recent case of death by hazing grabbed headlines only momentarily. I’m sure that the perpetuators of the initiation and hazing will all be caught and charged and after that everyone will move on. Because we are human, we make mistakes both petty and serious. But does it end there. We have seen the same thing happen time and again and yes, justice was served but the criminal behavior never stops.

In government, there is what we call a “One Strike Policy.” It applies to law enforcers, it is being reapplied to the Bureau of Customs, etc. Why not apply the same to fraternities by way of legislation? Unless fraternities are confronted with such a law where any fraternity/ organization is banned and banished from existence for one incident of death by hazing, history will repeat itself.

The last thing any head of a fraternity would want to be credited with is causing the end of a fraternity or the listing of the fraternity as a criminal organization. Beating up someone is a crime, hazing is a crime, causing the death of an individual whether intentional or through reckless imprudence is a crime, so why not have a system where the organization or the fraternity is listed as a criminal organization?

The fact of the matter is that the neophytes and victims joined the fraternity, not a gang or bunch of best buddies. They signed up, enlisted or volunteered to be neophytes of the fraternity. In business, the company gets sued or takes the hit along with the executives and employees who caused injury, harm or financial loss.

I’m sure many of the fraternity members especially in the Senate will howl and cuss at this suggestion but if you do, then it is a reflection of the fact that you no longer represent the illustrious, honorable and civilized history of your respective fraternities. Go back in the history of such organizations and you will be surprised that before the introduction of physical and mental abuse of neophytes, fraternities represented intellect, discipline, leadership and respectability.

Along with that, fraternity leaders always held themselves accountable to higher standards. That was why they called non-members “barbarians.” Who is the “barbarian” now?

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