Where are now the hope of the Father land?

Excerpts from the diary of Genesis M. Auza


“The State will eventually loss the hope of the nation if the latter will be continually exposed to this corrupt system of environment.”


Dr. Jose P. Rizal had high hopes to the youths in bringing the country to its heights of success, if not today, in the near future. During his days, Rizal was also one of those brave youths who fought against belligerent and oppressive aggressors of the land. He was the most that can be remembered of raising the patriotism and nationalism in the hearts of many Filipinos in the darkest days of its history.


According to our National Hero,

“The youths are the hope of the Father land.”


With his beliefs, many young men were inspired and sought the path Rizal made.


In our times, can we take the same challenge which echoed to the youths for many lifetimes?


I may not be in the right position to dissent on this matter since my experience is not that enough, due to my age, and I may not know everything; however, I guess, in this little way, I can open the eyes of many to the wisdom Rizal wanted to impart to the youth and to the rest of us.


To this date, I think Rizal’s words continue to live, but the spirit that gives it life has ceased to exist in the present. There is now a big question of where are now the youths once entrusted by the great hero to take good care of the country.


How could I say much of these words when I, myself, am a member of the youth sector of the community? On the second thought, I believe this question is not only right to me but to the rest of the youths.


To answer the question, so where are now the youths?


I can see the youths here, there, and everywhere – here in the school, there during elections and in their parents custodial attention, and everywhere – for they are out-of-school.


Here – in the school. The youths are trained well with competency in the tolerance of cheating. Yes, this is not to praise the teachers but to condemn the methods of education that we have, where we are tolerating the practice of cheating among the youths thus leading a wrong programming of their lives. Our youths are vulnerable to immoral doctrines and conducts that is why earnest possible lessons must be inscribed in their minds and hearts.


The youth spend their most of the years in school. The years they spend in school, where cheating is tolerated is enough to inculcate in their hearts corrupt practices which they may carry in the years to come. This is a serious ill programming practice where we are putting bugs in our own system. In the long run, I could guarantee an expectation that our system shall collapse in the years to come. This will need hundreds of years to fix the system again.


In school, as a teacher, I could observe that students are afraid of getting low grades – which is a good thing in the first hand. But what is sad about this thing is they do not study hard, yet expect to get high grades, and so instead, they resort to copying from other classmates and other forms of cheating.


I can assess that students nowadays, are more concerned and worried about grades and not concerned about what they know and what they don’t.


“Why?”


This is not a simple question as we are now questioning the moral and mental state of the youths.


So what is with the grades that they are becoming more concerned of than what they know?


I started asking myself and began looking for answers. I commence relating this situation to my family.


At home, our parents – this is true to most, if not all, of the families, encouraged the five of us, all boys, to study hard, get good grades, get good job, get high paying salary, get a house, get a pension in the advance age, and many others; or maybe, and more so like,


“Okay son. Take this course because when you graduate, you will land at a high paying job!”


The advice of our parents is always commenced with studying hard. But studying is not easy for a less hardworking child, so he loves shortcuts. Get good grades, graduate this course, get a good job, and get a high salary. That is what the students do.


So is getting good grades possible when you do not study? Can you get it by chance or luck? Of course, resorting to luck and chance are not the best option when you have a brilliant classmate as your sit mate.


In my years in teaching, and as experienced when I was just like these students, I could observe that a lot are proud that they are getting good grades – because that is what they are more concerned of – but failed to weigh the more important thing about grades – the true value of its equivalent which is the knowledge they learn.


As a teacher, I always encourage students that tests are only modes of measuring what the students do not know and not a mere method for getting of what their grades shall be.


Am I wrong – modes of measuring what the students do not know? Is it not measuring of what the students know? I think my contention is correct. Because in philosophy, the things which we do not know yet are more likely what interest us to learn more. That is the reason why we never stop on experimenting, researching and inventing objects valuable to our lives. And it is very true to life’s experience. We are ought to learn from mistakes and failures of the things that we do not know, because if not, we are bound at repeating it again and again until such time that we understand the true meaning of it.


Just like simple tests in the classrooms, we should not be afraid of getting low grades because, of these mistakes, we learn from them. If we want a shortcut – that is very subtle and dangerous because we are refusing the whole opportunity of learning what we do not know yet.


I wish this is the mind set for all of us and the mind set all the teachers must possess.


I can remember three very good mentors who have thought me these things: Atty. Angel Ucat Jr., my Law professor, Atty. Jannycer M. Auza, my brother and also my Law professor, and (Mrs.) Eufemia Oculares, my secondary Math teacher.


I realized, it should be my time to share the same wisdom and experience to the other youths like me.


There – during elections and while under the custodial and influence of the parents. The youths are trained with the skills in vote buying, kidnapping electorate, and many other forms of election deceits.

From the National to the SK level, vote buying is out of control and unstoppable especially in the province of Bohol.


Why? What happened?


The SK was primordially designed in order to inculcate leadership skills to the youth to prepare the latter as future government leaders. The objectives of the law which provides for its operation to our lands are good per se. But with deceitful intentions of getting into the government position, not for the service, but to increase the control, fame, power, and popularity, the once good is now far effective and less operative. And I strongly believe, this is not all alone the intendments of the youths who participate in such elections but also, of the parents who are more influential to the emotional and mental state of their children.


SK election ceased to become melting pots for firm, strong and honest leaders but a common ground for business pursuits, interest and investment of the rich and corrupt politicians already in the government positions.


Think of it. Is SK not used by corrupt politicians? Who are these SK Chairmen and Federated SK Presidents? Are not they sons and daughters of these people?


According to President Ferdinand E. Marcos,

“Everyone participates in the corruption in our country.”


Yes, the story does not end at the politicians but to the electorate as well. The people seem to contribute more in the corruption and vote buying.


I can recall, in my first year in teaching, I handled Politics and Governance with Philippine Constitution. I had 70 plus students under me coming from different courses. In one of our meetings, I interviewed every one of them, without prejudice to their grades – as I wanted honest answers.


“Would you or have you received money during election?”


Sad of what I learned, but that was their response - 94% received and would want to receive money in the election. I can remember only five who said ‘no’ to my question.


Not satisfied with the result, I asked the same question to my other class and I got an ‘Outstanding Yes’ from them.


Try to check. The community is very good at exposing the youth to ill practices thus influencing and programming them to go to the odd paths of life – corruption.


If it is the purpose and objective of the SK to train the youth to leadership, cannot we do it right away to our own selves?


Example, one of the traits we wanted to possess in leadership practices is discipline. Can’t we do it in our simple ways of preserving the environment clean by not throwing our garbage waste anywhere and by not littering in the public? That is discipline guys!


Another, in leadership we want to possess honesty. Can’t we not practice it and observe it during our class by honestly answering our assignments and test?Think of it again.


If we want to have SK election just for the sake of these objectives, well these can be done even without it. If you want to become a leader thus a model, how can you give what you do not have? It is a well-founded principle in Logic that he cannot dispose of what he does not have.


How can you as leader dispose and share discipline among the members if you do not have one? How can you teach honesty among your members if you are not one? This is a joint responsibility that we must accept.


According to John Maraginot, our brilliant trainer in one of the leadership trainings I once attended, “Transformational leadership does not call for a change all alone in the government side, in non-governmental sector, nor only in religious sectors. It calls rather a change which must commence from each one of us.”


True. Again, let me quote what once President Marcos said, “Everyone participates in the corruption in our country.”


I know some of us are losing hopes that there is no more solution to our present political condition. I heard even one of my Law professors once claimed, “If we cannot win them, let us join them.”


My professor simply did not believe me after I answered no to his question whether I received money in the last election and went on proceeding to the above quoted words.


I understand my Law professor was already 80 years old, maybe, experiences in life have made him frustrated about the realities in the present environment.


But if this may ever reach in your hand sir, I tell you now,


“You are not alone in this movement for change. Maybe we are only few at this generation who are ready for the truth but I believe a time shall dawn for the maturity of our brothers and sisters. And the change we longed seek shall be in our grasp.”


Everywhere – our out-of-school youths are exposed to the hard and cruel environment. In our own localities, in the cities, in radios, in the TVs and even in the internet, we hear of killings, prostitution, exploitation, war, rapes, drugs, human trafficking, abortion, adultery, disease, famine, and many other problems.


Many out-of-school youths who are mostly the ones needing more guidance are more exposed to this environment. What could we expect will happen to them if this will persist to be their everyday experience?


We are living in a social environment where our own character is mostly, by gradual and imperceptible process, couched and influenced in the course of time.


In Bohol, drug related incidents are rampant and continues to grow every day. Our own province is not anymore safe for the youths.


If this will not cease to exist, the State will eventually loss the hope of the Father land.


All of us must stay vigilant. Who should care about tomorrow but us who are in the present.


Tomorrow begins today.


If you care about tomorrow, share this to your friends.