Armed with a soldier’s grit and their firm resolve to help stabilize the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, Japanese seniors stood bravely and chose to be deployed to the nuclear station, exhibiting volunteerism.
On 11 March 2011, the Great Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami, a magnitude-9.0 earthquake which initiated a set of powerful tsunami waves, caused widespread devastation to Japanese land and coastal areas, inevitably and notably damaging also therewith, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
Almost three months thereafter, the devastation resulted to a nuclear crisis in Japan after the plant’s cooling systems had been severely affected. The plant had continued to emit radiation, thereby triggering explosions. Its company operator confirmed in reports that three of the reactors possibly experienced meltdowns.
A seventy-two-year-old retired plant engineer named Yasuteru Yamada was moved by the news concerning the plant and decided to contact one of his childhood friends who also happened to be an engineer. He sent e-mails and direct messages on Twitter and maximized social media for their noble cause as they also lobbied with the government. They had organized among themselves a team of professionals all past the age of 60 called the Skilled Veterans Corps, which received wide support from citizens and thus succeeded in their volunteering initiative.
It is through these kinds of moments that the statements, “The strength of a nation can be seen in the strength of its volunteers” and “You are only as strong as your weakest link” ring loudly and hold so much truth.
“I am seventy-two (years old) and on average I probably have thirteen to fifteen years left to live,” Yamada said in a BBC news report, adding that even if he was exposed to radiation, cancer could take twenty to thirty years or longer to develop.
Someone needed to step forward in the aforementioned situation and it is quite iconic that the iron-willed pensioners marched forward with cautious vigor – defying cynicism, echoing inclusivity, reciprocity and solidarity, swapping their uniforms for a radiation suit and leading by example to the youth.
Speaking of the youth, I came across a prominent Kapuso actor-and-host who exemplified the culture of involvement of selfless and brave volunteers.
Furthermore, Kristine Joy Cruz, JC Tiuseco, Diether Ocampo, Melissa Nacino, Nicole De Los Santos and many others have done their share in doing volunteer work in uniform, also as Reservists.
*Reserved Officer Training Corps*
As PO3 Cliff Mendoza PN NAVSOCOM (Res) has said, “There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.”
For Dong, doing volunteer work as an army reservist is satisfying and earning the merits to wear an army uniform is a symbol of honor. Kristine Ocampo believes volunteer works are an investment in community by unifying people from diverse backgrounds as they work towards a common goal. Diether Ocampo has also been doing a lot of volunteer work as much as Dong and Kristine are quietly working as active reservists. As for JC Tiuseco, he volunteered to be a Navy Reservist because he wants to help our country by serving others without expecting anything in return, since he believes that small acts will have a positive ripple effect for our future generation: for a better country and for our children.
No person is too busy to set aside some time contribute to nation building and help promote a sense of unity and citizenry.
I was saddened because in 2002, the Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) has become optional with the passage of Republic Act 9163, otherwise known as the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001 which “opened another venue for tertiary students all over the country to render personal, military and civil service”. The ROTC began before World War II.
Reports said that the mandatory ROTC was called for abolition following the death of a sophomore cadet student of the University of Santo Tomas named Mark Welson Chua in 2001 whose killing was linked to the corruption he exposed in his school’s training corps. However, I believe that this is an isolated case.
In one of our conversations with DepEd Usec Epimaco Densing, we both observed that a mandatory ROTC will teach the youth to follow orders, instill discipline and generate camaraderie.
I am in full support of the plan of our 15th Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary, Her Excellency Sara Duterte – Carpio aimed at reinstating the mandatory ROTC.
Paul Chua PhD is the Officer-in-charge of the Light Rail Transit Authority. He was a scholar of the Department of National Defense program “Master in National Security Administration” and a (reservist) reserve officer with the rank of Lieutenant colonel of the Philippine Marine Corps. He finished his executive education program on “Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies” at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Originally published by The Manila Times on July 14, 2022.
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