09 May 2011
This month of May, Promap Foundation, Inc. (or PFI), a group that I currently head as president is conducting its Values Round Table Discussion No.1 (or VRTD-1), the first of a four part fora on values that would be conducted over the remaining three quarters of this year.
Given the theme “Harnessing Filipino Values Towards a Stronger Philippines”, discussion topics in VRTD-1 shall be focused on the values (positive) that help make an organization successful, disvalues (negative) which can drag down an organization, and the identification of Filipino values that can be emphasized to reinforce the positive values. The foundation has lined up experienced resource speakers to expound on the three topics to prime up the audience, as well as an experienced resource person to facilitate the interaction that will follow.
Early on, PFI has recognized and acknowledged the importance of good moral values as a necessary ingredient in bringing about profound and sustained success for the endeavours of a person, organization, or country. This has been reflected in the focus of two of the foundation’s major activities related to its thrust in nation building, namely: the Skills and Values Training (SVT) Program launched in 2002 and the Private Initiative Program (PIP) launched in 2004.
The SVT Program was started in 2002 as a four day training on basic shop floor skills (e.g. basic mechanical and electrical skills, basic quality, basic productivity, etc.), and given for free to out of school youth who are of working age. This program, which also intends to create a pool of better prepared shop floor workers, was premised on the members’ thinking – culled from work experience – that the “technical competence” of a person must be complemented with the “right values”, for him/her to be a reliable factor in the successful operation and growth of the organization he/she belongs to. In line with this, the trainees are exposed to values formation subjects such as pappapahalaga at disiplina sa sarili, pamumuhay ng marangal, pagpapahalaga sa kapuwa, pagpapahalaga sa pamayanan at kapaligiran, pagiging makabayan, sariling pagsisikap, panuntunan sa hanapbuhay at pananagutan.
The PIP on the other hand was started in 2004 and was driven by, a) concern over the bleak outlook for the country and therefore the future of the young, and b) the thinking that we should not totally rely on government to decide on our future, but instead, we ourselves, as citizens, should initiate steps to influence our future. As such, the foundation’s Board of Trustees agreed to embark in an effort to develop a new generation or new kind of Filipino, by focusing on the very young in the remote barrios of the country so that they may grow up to be good and righteous citizens, endowed with better intellect and strong ethical values. The game plan is to develop a system that would satisfy the following: a) enable the 3 to 8 year olds in the barrios to avail of education whose quality is similar or equal to what’s being received by those who go to better schools, b) incorporate and emphasize the teaching of good moral values as an integral and major component of the child’s education, c) establishment of a system that can be sustained by the private sector, and d) having a system can be replicated in every barrio by an autonomous and private group free of any political influence.
The PIP was started in 2004 with a “pilot program” in a barrio where the foundation is currently supporting a school with a Day Care Center and Grade 1 & 2 classes. Although the project sounds like an impossible dream, the foundation’s trustees went ahead in pursuing it – with “eyes wide open” – fully aware that no one of the group may witness, if ever, the realization of the project’s goals.
This month’s activity however is an offshoot of the foundation’s recognition of what seemed to be the widespread deterioration in the values of the adult citizenry. Such is graphically evident in, among other things, the rampant graft and corruption both in government and the private sector, the disregard of the law by the very people who should implement them, the lack of good manners displayed by a lot of people, the lack of discipline in the streets by both the drivers and pedestrians. The PFI Board once more decided to do something about it by launching an effort to drumbeat the problem and raise the consciousness of the adult citizenry regarding the magnitude of this problem and its destructive effects. It started by inviting, in October 2008, manufacturing industry practitioners to engage in its first “Coffee Table Discussion on Values”. A follow up - Forum on Values - participated in by the same community was conducted in October 2009, with the theme “Living Values: Strategic Assets for (enhancing) National Competitiveness”.
To further create a higher degree of awareness regarding this problem, and to generate more involvement in the effort to address it, this year’s activity was designed to be a more ambitious one. This four part fora starts May 13 with the half day VRTD-1 at the Valle Verde Country Club and is planned to conclude with a 2 day Values Convention (as the fourth part) sometime in November. Participants in all four events are expected to contribute in making the sessions productive, meaningful and lively by way of their active sharing of thoughts and experiences.
PFI hopes that it shall gain, after each event, allies who shall get involved in propagating the effort of regenerating (if not strengthening) the good values among us Filipinos. Hopefully, this activity could generate sufficient committed converts that would initiate moves that can create the sustained chain reaction for the needed “critical mass” that could free us from this “shackle of corrupted values” which has been instrumental in depriving us of the progress and dignity that we, as human beings and as a people, deserve. Such “critical mass” creating moves can be by way of launching a personal values improvement mass effort, or providing active support for this foundation’s projects, or by just adopting a simple stance of making oneself a worthwhile example of a person with good values that can be emulated by others.
For those who may be interested in getting involved, PFI may be contacted through its email address, info@promap77.com or Fax, (632)6340318. Inquiries may also be sent to sl3.mekanico@gmail.com .
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