Back to Basics

Simple things last. This is a basic truth that has been proven time and again through centuries. If we take a look at some fine details of human history, we will observe that for centuries, humanity has been using simple tools such as toothpicks, chopsticks, knives, spoon and forks with least alteration on their forms, in fact, until now, we can not find a battery operated toothpick, or chopsticks, nor find a motorized knife, spoon and fork. These tools are some of the simplest if not the simplest tools known to man and they remain almost the same over time. They last because of their simplicity. They last because they are vital, necessary, unsophisticated, essential and most importantly they are basic usable tools to humans.

Basic Things being altered
Complicated things started with the simplest system that underwent modification or alteration. Some alterations are due to the insatiable appetite of humans to continually experiment and improve things and some are due to natural phenomenon of adaptation and survival.
The basic unit of the society is a family because this is the simplest grouping of persons in the society. If you compound a family, you will get groupings such as sitios, barangays or towns. On the other hand, the basic infantry organization is a squad. This is the most simple stand-alone infantry organization where all other bigger infantry organizations emanate. From the basic organization, armies modify the squad to suit with the mission at a particular mission. Sometimes they add a paramilitary guides or an embedded media personnel.
Sometimes we over modify and complicate things to the extent that the basic concept stopped serving their original purpose. What makes things worse is when the basic and original idea becomes extinct in due time and slowly being relinquished to the limbo of forgotten things.
When things start to go wrong, one of the best ways to trouble shoot is to go back to the basics. To trouble shoot a faulty electric circuit, electricians usually go back to the basic principles of electricity to determine the problem and possible solution. To correct the hits of students in marksmanship training, marksmanship coaches always go back to the basic fundamentals of rifle marksmanship to determine the cause of the problem and to correct the defects. That is the main reason why many organizations that were stricken with organizational and systems deterioration adopted the “Back to Basics” program in order to recover from a near collapse situation. The most prominent examples are the CPP/NPA and the Philippine Army.

“Back to Basics” of the CPP-NPA
In the late 90’s after their near collapse in 1995, the CPP/NPA instituted their organizational “Back to Basics” as they implemented their aggressive “Pagwawasto” campaign to correct their system. This concept was prompted by the realization that they were not prepared to address the complications brought about by over expansion. CPP/NPA leadership perceived that the organization lost focus and veered away from the basics that caused a lot of disastrous blunders. They went back on track only after corrections had been made. The move was so brilliant that it propelled the organization to a better performance in almost all aspect of their organization.

Philippine Army Back to Basics
Few years later, the Philippine Army followed suit by introducing the “Back to Basics” training to all soldiers as part of their reenlistment requirement. The decades of counter-insurgency campaign has complicated the life of the army soldiers causing some deviation from the basics. The Philippine Army has tried everything in its arsenal to counter the insurgency problem of the country. According to one of the Generals, “We did everything except our job”. The Army became the doctors and nurses in the hinterlands and tried to be the Department of Health. They made roads and pretended to be the Department of Public Works and Highways. They conducted classes and taught people how to read and write in their ALPS program as if they are the Department of Education. They reforest bald mountains and apprehend illegal loggers and assume the role of DENR. They talked to local leaders and coordinate projects for the constituents as if they are the DILG.
While it is undeniably true that all of these are contributory to the accomplishment of the Philippine Army Operations, the troops' focus were diverted away from the basics of soldiery such as the basic military courtesy, chain of command, basic military tactics to include firefight SOPs, patrolling and other counter-insurgency TTPs.

The Basics in the CCAFP
If the main players of our national security conflict have been victims of deviation from the basics, there’s a great tendency that the CCAFP will have its own share of deviation. The following factors maybe contributory to the transformation of the CCAFP that may lead to the deviation from the basics:

Notion that learning is a one shot deal. Many of the cadets and even the alumni thought that learning stops after fourthclass year. The basics learned during the fourthclass year was not strengthened nor reinforced because of this wrong notion. After fourthclass year, less and less cadets exert effort to read and understand the graybook, CCAFPR and the Honor pamphlet which are the guides to know the Basics. This happens because of our natural tendency to harbor a comfort zone. We either adapt to the environment or we change the environment to make life less miserable. This is a very normal phenomenon and I think nobody should be blamed for this inclination.

Misconception of Rank has its privilege (RHIP). Toeing the line 24 hours a day is not that easy when someone is not used to it. Sometimes senior cadets think that they are excused to do the basics by virtue of their rank and position. The CCAFP is vulnerable to be encroached by the wrong concept of Right of Passage which advocates that each training stage is just a requirement and not to be continuously practiced nor embraced all the way up to retirement. After rotting and sweating it out during plebe year, yearlings take it as a privilege of finishing plebe year to gradually relax. This attitude compounds as the cadet move higher in the ladder. If not corrected, a cadet reached firstclass year with a notion that he is exempted from doing the proper thing because he has done his part during his first three years in PMA. Again this misconception can not be totally blamed to the CCAFP because of lack of aggressive and structured re-indoctrination campaign.

Technological development as distractions. Technology and the influx of modern equipments have contributed a lot of confusion or less focus on the lives of the cadets. Cadets have shifted a considerable percentage of their attention to the less necessary things and detracted from their original purpose which is to be trained and educated and of course to graduate with excellence. No one is excused from this factor because we are in the age of technological boom and besides, though these are considered distractions, cadets should be exposed to these things as part of their well rounded academic and military education.

Society and environment. Sometimes the environment and the society, give the cadets a wrong signal of what is right and wrong. The Cadet Corps is a true reflection of the very people that groom it and it serves as a microcosm of the whole officer Corps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. If a tactical officer or instructor ignores an erring cadet and doesn’t mind making timely corrections, it gives a dangerous message to the cadets that what they are doing is just right, tolerable or acceptable. Moreover, the idea of doing the proper thing all the time gain less impact on the cadets as they witness how some of their upperclassmen have succumbed to do the improper things such as corruption or immorality.

There are a lot more other factors that affect the CCAFP transformation but the abovementioned factors is enough to emphasize the premise that the cadet Corps can not escape transformation and with that transformation came the tendency to deviate from the basics.

Need for Awareness
Just like any other organization, the Cadet Corps is undergoing transformation and we must understand that most often than not, transformation is a painful process. With this realization, it is essential that PMA community and even the alumni to understand what the Cadet Corps is going through. Although the state of the Cadet Corps is not yet that worst, it is very helpful for all of us to be aware that something is brewing up. It always pay to anticipate and be proactive to prevent the worst to come because as they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. This article is not intended to find fault nor to point fingers on anybody but to bring about awareness; and from that awareness comes a fervent hope that efforts will be exerted to review and adopt “Back to Basics” program not only to the officers and enlisted personnel but also to the cadets.

Now I realized that simple things such as the “Military Basics” will certainly last ………………. but they will last longer only when enough effort shall be exerted through awareness and proactive programs.