Good manners and right conduct

Batas Mauricio .

ALL of the people and groups tangling on the return of ROTC (or the Reserve Officers Training Corps) for college students have valid and even good points. I am convinced, however, that the most relevant point here is the one voiced out by President Duterte: that ROTC can be used to instill discipline among the Filipino youth.

It can no longer be denied that in our country today, more and more children no longer have discipline. A great majority of them have become openly rude and brash and disrespectful, towards God, their parents, and their fellow human beings. Many of them are even engaged now in deadly and destructive vices, and have become emboldened in committing even the most heinous of crimes.

Nowadays, Filipino children no longer constitute the hope of the Fatherland, as the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, once said. Rather, they have undoubtedly become the curses of the nation. If they are not going to be subjected to discipline now, or taught the rudiments at least of good manners and right conduct and fear and love of God, they are bound to make life very difficult for the entire country once the time has come for them to raise their own families, to run their communities, or to become citizens themselves.

I can only agree with the President’s view that an ROTC course can have an impact on bringing back discipline among the youth. But, I am prompted to ask: just how many Filipino children are actually given the privilege of studying in college where they have to undergo and pass the ROTC course as part of their tertiary educational requirements?

If we are to look at the latest reports from the government, the Philippine population has now breached the 100 million mark, with a total population of 107 million. Of this number, only 4.1 million belong to the category of youngsters still pursuing collegiate education, according to figures released by the Commission on Higher Education, on the other hand.

Do these figures have any effect on the overall discipline of minor school children and even on the overall discipline of the whole nation? From where I sit, with utmost due respect to the President, I believe that these figures do not have any relevance or materiality at all as far as discipline is concerned, simply because there are more Filipinos who would not be undergoing ROTC training. In short, it doesn’t really matter at all if ROTC training is brought back in our colleges.

Now, if the President really wants our country to have discipline once again, he must pay attention to the truth that good manners and right conduct, and fear and love of God, are concepts best taught by parents in every Filipino home.

This proceeds from the reality that instilling discipline, and the values of truth, fairness, honesty, and godliness, can take place only while the child is still a young human being with impressionable and highly moldable mind. A child that is taught discipline while he is still young grows up to be a disciplined citizen. No doubt about that!

That being the case, President Duterte and his entire government must endeavor to come up with a program geared to bringing back discipline (that is, good manners and right conduct, and fear and love of God as well) in every Filipino abode. There are many ways of doing this, and the most important of these ways is assuring that anyone or any couple wanting to marry (and thereby become parents in due time) have to have discipline and fear and love of God themselves.

How are we to assure this? We should force (yes, force!) the prospective husband and wife to undergo rigorous and honest-to-goodness seminars on good manners and right conduct and fear and love of God, first from their churches, and second from psychologists and guidance counsellors. I propose that the seminar is to last one full year before any marriage is to take place. At the conclusion of one year, the parties have to pass a board exam before they are finally allowed to marry!