EDITORIAL — Charm schools?

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered last week the creation of "charm schools" or "finishing schools" to train government employees to be customer oriented. Really now! Does the president think it would be that easy to change how some government agencies treat their clients?

A "charm school" Madame President would be a total waste of taxpayer's money, an addition to the long list of projects that just drain the resources of the government. Why? It is because no amount of teaching and training can change the behavior of someone who does not feel accountable to the very people whom their salaries were taken from.

The problem with government agencies that are not customer oriented is not that they don't know how to treat clients. Their problem is that they do not feel indebted to the public. That's why they are rude, they don't act on complaints or requests immediately, or they just ignore their clients.

It is ironic, however, that these government employees treat government officials and politicians who recommended them to their positions in government like royalty! What misplaced loyalty!

There have been many programs that were introduced in the past that were supposed to address this problem of government employees' lack of regard for their agency's clients. Whatever happened to the program "Mamamayan Muna, Wag Mamaya Na"? Wasn't that supposed to make government agencies customer oriented? But still nothing happened.

It is because the problem is in the attitude of these employees. As long as these government employees do not feel that they owe their salaries to the tax paying public, no amount of lessons in a "charm school" or "finishing school" will be able to help them. That is a fact and the president must know that.