Ducky Paredes

 Malaya (06.19.09)

 

“10R actually stands for Recycle, Repair, Refurbish, Rehabilitate, Restore, Remodel, Repaint, Renew, Redistribute and Reuse.”

by Ducky Paredes

No, it’s not a cloak-and-dagger operation hatched by clandestine groups, or a sinister plot of Muslim secessionists, communist rebels, anti-social elements or malcontents in the military.

Neither is it something that involves deadly spies, cold-blooded killers or so-called “sleepers” secretly embedded in the entrails of a seemingly tranquil community, ready to spring into action and execute a plan that will bring death and destruction. Nor is it a cold war novel borne out of the fertile imagination of James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

In spite of its seemingly intriguing name, Operation 10R is actually an open, civic-inspired initiative being pilot-tested in Zamboanga. If there’s anything that copycats are most welcome to replicate, it is this movement that seeks to foster self-reliance as a means of upgrading the educational system of a particular locality without depending on the largesse of the national government. In a way, it may indeed be called a war – against the waste of resources, that is – with the schools and the community as the battlegrounds.

Hailed by Education Secretary Jesli Lapus as a timely undertaking that promotes the efficient use of existing resources in a time of economic crisis, 10R actually stands for Recycle, Repair, Refurbish, Rehabilitate, Restore, Remodel, Repaint, Renew, Redistribute and Reuse. The objective is to make usable again anything that may have fallen into a state of non-use or disrepair, such as a school room, tables, chairs, desks, cabinets, bulletin boards, electric fans, leaking faucet, even scrap materials that can be transformed into new furniture or equipment.

Lapus calls it a “best practice” that should be a model not only for public schools but also for everyone, so that limited resources could be maximized, and the life of facilities, learning tools and equipment could be extended. He specifically cited Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat for spearheading the movement that, Lapus says, is sure to benefit public schools.

Operation R10 has paved the way for greater cooperation among officials of Zamboanga City and other government agencies, such as the Region 9 Office of the Department of Education (DepEd), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Audit (COA).

The plan calls for the city government to contribute financial support while TESDA provides the manpower and the needed tool such as welding equipment and carpentry tools. On the other hand, COA conducts an immediate inventory of usable scrap materials from various public schools. Other participating colleges and universities are also expected to donate scrap materials in their possession. The schools are Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College, Western Mindanao State University, and Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology.

The project has received wide backing from the business sector. Among those that have expressed support are the Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association, Zamboanga Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Group of Zamboanga, and Los Contratistas dela Ciudad de Zamboanga. These groups have pledged to lend carpentry tools, donate construction materials and provide financial assistance.

Operation R10 seems a commendable initiative that harnesses the cooperation of various sectors of the community. Perhaps, it should move immediately from pilot testing wider scale implementation.  Perhaps, Operation R10 should include willing members of the construction industry, real estate developers and even individual homebuilders among its target cooperators.

These sectors could be a rich source of scrap materials. Most of us have seen how piles of scrap materials, such as small but still usable pieces of lumber and wood scaffoldings are often left at construction sites. I also remember that MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando even asked people to bring to his agency excess construction materials like gravel and side and that the MMDA will pay for these.

Another group that could be tapped for Operation 10R is the Parents-Teachers Association that has become a fixture of the academic community in every town and city throughout the country. For those who have gone through the public school system, or who have children who studied, or are still studying in public elementary and high schools in the country, the PTA is no strange animal.

PTAs are organized primarily to ensure that both parents and teachers get involved in addressing the needs and concerns of the students and the school. So, why not enlist their participation in such activities as Operation 10R, especially since PTAs are recognized by school heads and its activities therefore, have official blessings?

In what could be a fortuitous development in this regard, Secretary Lapus has designated the DepEd’s Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs (CSCA) as the lead office in handling the concerns and activities of PTAs. “The designation of the office is intended not only to ensure transparency in its transactions but more so, to make its activities more responsive to the needs of students,” said Lapus.

The organization, in fact, may collect voluntary financial contributions from its members and from outside sources to enable it to fund and sustain its operations, and to implement its programs that would benefit the students and the school. Lapus emphasized, though, that the DepEd continues to strictly enforce its “no collection policy” during the enrollment period, and that no teacher or any school personnel should be involved in collection activities.

This policy means that non-payment of the PTA contribution by the parent-member should not be a basis for non-admission of any enrollee, or the non-issuance of clearance to the student by any school. Lapus stressed that the PTA treasurer collects only on a per parent basis regardless of how many children they have in school.

 “We enjoin parents and the whole community to take a proactive stance as stakeholders in their children’s education,” says Lapus.

Isn’t R10 a better solution to the lack of classrooms than cutting down on the number of subjects that our schools teach our children (“Subjects like trigonometry, calculus, geometry, and algebra, should be taught only in college or as high school electives since these are not relevant to the everyday life of Filipinos.”) as suggested by a presidential aspirant in 2006?

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hvp 06.18.09)

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