Teach a man to fix

The tired old saying goes: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you’ll feed him for a lifetime. However, teach this man to expertly fix world-class cars and give him a position in one of the world’s biggest luxury brands? You’ll change his — and his family’s — world entirely.

For years now, the Porsche Training and Recruitment Centre (PTRCA) has been changing the lives of selected underprivileged youths at the Don Bosco Manpower Skills Training Center, giving them the careers that many car fanatics can only dream of.

This August, the PTRCA celebrates the graduation of its 11th batch of students. Sixteen youths, most of whom come from humble origins, will finally see two years of hard work pay off as they begin their careers at Porsche Centers all across the map.

Though it may sound like a dream come true, one doesn’t make it through this fast track technical program without a significant amount of elbow grease. Every single one of these graduates earned their spots with months of grueling study and intensive labor. One doesn’t simply just walk through the PTRCA program.

The candidates begin with a ten-month education at Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati where they learn the basics and develop a solid foundation of theory and practical work. After an exhaustive selection process, only the best and the brightest are allowed to go full throttle through an intensive nine-month training program at the PTRCA, where they are taught the ins and outs of the world’s finest sports cars. Their education is supplemented by automotive experts, using the finest facilities that Porsche can offer, as well as a comprehensive education in English communication skills and workplace integration in foreign environments.

Most importantly, these trainees eat, sleep, and breathe Porsche schematics and walkthroughs. By the end of those two years, they emerge as well-rounded and full-fledged PTRCA “mechatronics.” Armed with skills that can only be described as “world-class,” they are flown to Porsche centers all over the world to lay claim to their hard-won careers.

The seed of this program germinated in the mind of PGA Cars chairman Robert Coyiuto Jr. back in 2006 when Porsche Center Philippines had been losing most of its mechanics to recruiters in the Middle East. Coyiuto’s  belief in the ability of the Filipino to rise above ordinary circumstances and his resolve to better the lives of the underprivileged youth bore fruit in the form of the PTRCA scholarship program and a partnership with Don Bosco Technical Institute. Including the latest batch of graduates, the thriving PTRCA Program now has 178 scholars working all over the globe, proof of the program’s success.

 Indeed, some of these candidates have literally come from nothing. The upcoming 13th batch of PTRCA candidates were all affected by the disaster in Tacloban and rendered homeless by the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. Despite these, however, 16  students remain unbowed, determined to take this opportunity to shift gears and forge better lives for themselves and their families.

 Regardless of where the PTRCA sends these young experts after they graduate from the program — and there are Porsche centers all over the world where they are now employed — we are told that every mechatronic always makes sure to put the welfare of their families first, saving the better part of their salaries for housing or education needs.

It’s incredibly heartwarming to hear such stories of their unwavering concern and dedication to their families. The 7.5% unemployment rate in the country may consist largely of 15-24 year olds, but these PTRCA graduates are obviously fueled with the drive, so to speak, to succeed.

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A most welcome  story is that  lives are being changed for the better in six regions, 24 provinces, 160 municipalities, and about 3,800 barangays in Luzon and the Visayas. This has come about through the rebuilding of roads and water systems, making it possible for residents to travel comfortably, and  with water in their taps, raise their income and send their children to school on time  — things they never thought possible years ago.

That such good things would come about is due to an innovative and independent United States foreign assistance agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty. The Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), created by the US Congress in 2004, has committed $9.3 billion in compacts in 25  low-and lower-middle-income countries that that are committed to just and democratic governance, investments in people, and economic freedom.

On Sept. 23, 2010, the Philippine government and MCC signed a grant agreement (Compact) in which MCC committed $434 million for development projects in the islands. The grant  is divided among three  poverty-reduction projects: the Secondary National Roads Development Project (SNRDP) amounting to $214 million, a community-driven development project called Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS), and an electronic tax information system — a revenue-generating and anti-corruption project.

Half of the total grant was earmarked for MCA-Philippines’ road project in Samar and Eastern Samar. On why Samar was chosen as  SNRDP site  is due to its being the third poorest province in the country,  Ma. Victoria Añonuevo, MCA-P managing director and CEO said. The rehabilitation project in the province covers 222 kilometers of road and 61 bridges, covering 14 municipalities and one city.

Nearly three years and a half since Compact –Philippines came into effect on May 25, 2011 —  a good percentage  of SNRDP  has been completed.

Better roads have reduced travel time and cost; those with mini-business ventures like carinderias earning better from more travellers stopping by; healthier residents enjoying near-dustless roads.  The road network once referred to as  “Hell Roads of Samar” is now called “Millennium Road.”

Road construction involved the local residents, who are made to feel they own, and so they feel they have to maintain, the roads. The women did sieving of sand, and some of them are now paid as road flag wavers. Some women have been trained and are gainfully employed as welders.

The second project, MCC-KALAHI-CIDDS is in six regions, 22 provinces, and 164 municipalities. Community projects are found all over Luzon and the Visayas, most of them for basic social services (such as water systems, school buildings, and health stations) and for basic access (such as farm-to-market roads, small bridges, and footpaths).

According to Añonuevo, the projects have been identified by the people themselves. MCC only acts as a grant-giver. “In doing their projects, community people are empowered. In the process, they get the sense of  ownership so that they care for the projects they chose and implemented.”

Published stories on the MCC-KALAHI-CIDDS projects take note of the impact of water systems installed with MCC funding on the lives of residents. Yes, water means life. Households are clean, the children do not have to skip going to school to fetch water at P0.50 a gallon more than a kilometer away, enterprising adults raise swine and poultry.

MCA-P was created to manage day-to-day management and operation of projects in collaboration with partner government agencies like the Department of Public works and Highways, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Finance.

Añonuevo  is the MCA-P managing director and CEO, and heads a Filipino staff of 40. She recently received  the 2014 UP Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award in Poverty Alleviation and Human Development.

Anonuevo works closely with John Polk who represents the US-based Millennium Challenge Corp. as the resident country director in the Philippines. He has been at MCC since 2006 and has worked on several MCC Compact programs.

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Email: [email protected]