Representatives from different organizations, institutions and government units convened in a meeting last August 29 at the Coconut Palace, CCP Complex, Pasay City, for a discussion on the launching of a movement for national discipline.
“Practically, this closed-door meeting is really to invite people who would like to remember and be part of the advocacy which is discipline and order,” says Michael Angelo Lubrin, spokesperson of the proposed movement.
While Vice President Jejomar Binay explains that the meeting aims to arouse the interest of discipline, as he identifies kawalan ng disiplina as a prevalent social problem.
The idea of launching a movement is now in its second phase of discussion, and was drafted by different sectors and organizations involved as they see the sectors agree on a lack of discipline in the Filipino people. Binay clarifies that it is a collective idea, and that everybody within the movement is both a leader and collaborator, expressing his wish that the movement should not be interpreted as a politically motivated initiative.
Public opinions
Over the course of the meeting, the participants revealed their views on discipline and how it should be promoted among citizens.
Rev. Gabriel V. Reyes, bishop of the Archdiocese of Antipolo, argued that discipline should stem from the outside. He relates how Bayani Fernando’s reforms in Marikina, which were initially viewed with disdain for being too disciplinarian, became popular among Marikina residents given the apparent impact on the city brought on by discipline observed by residents.
Ang Pahayagang Plaridel representative Larisa Jane Salaysay (IV, AE-BSA) highlighted the value of technology in promoting discipline among the youth. In this day and age, she says, the youth must learn to use technology not only to reprimand other people for their lack of discipline but also to share good examples of proper discipline. Beyond using technology, however, Salaysay admits that we should start inculcating discipline into our own personal groups before we use social media and other technology-based platforms.
Representatives from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) believe that the problems on traffic and waste management arise from a variety of causes, all of which involve a lack of discipline. For one, they suggest that while laws on traffic and solid waste management have already been created and implemented, the lack of disciplined monitoring and evaluation during the long run cripples these laws and makes them easy to breach. Moreover, the CHED reps contend that because of a lack of discipline in doling out funds, money goes into the wrong projects, further aggravating the problems mentioned. National organizations must re-organize in order to solve these problems.
Ideas for launching
Binay collated and presented the next steps to be taken after the meeting, to be part of the launching, with tasking to follow. The studies on the case of monitoring and implementation are other projects.
“Ito sana ay isang paraan upang maayos ang bayan at ito pong pag-uusap na ito’y binuhay po sa atin ang kaisipan, na bilang Pilipino ay sama-sama dapat tayo sa gagawin natin [May this be a way to put our nation into order, with the discussion reawakening in our minds that we Filipinos should be one in this movement],” says Lubrin.
As of now, there is still no specific date for the launching the movement; there may be another discussion to finalize everything.
“Let’s expect that there would be a final structure to be able to present an organizational structure and after it, process and approaches will be shown and there would be a formal launching with the vice president,” says Lubrin. “Let us see the perspective that change starts within ourselves, so hopefully, after launching it will give a new sound to us being Filipinos,” he adds. Furthermore in a personal interview, Binay thinks that during the lifetime of everyone, they can say that indeed they will be successful with the desire to extinguish undisciplined Filipinos.
