Another brazen shooting inside a school campus - this time, in Zamboanga City - has had everyone asking: "Saan ba tayo nagkulang?"
And once again, the same knee-jerk reactions are bandied. Bans on the use of social media and video games. Stricter security inside schools. Teachers once again being forced to carry the burden of protecting their "second children."
But there is one thing that Filipino society has all but forgotten to address: the pervasive culture of corruption.
There is a timeworn phrase among Filipinos: "Ang anumang ginagawa ng matanda ay tama sa paningin ng bata."
You want to understand how our children turn to violence? How the "hope of our nation" become young criminals?
Look no further in our governance.
We've seen it all – the shouting example is the flood-control scandal of 2025.
Corrupt government officials are not only able to hoodwink the public off their hard-earned tax money. They are actually allowed by that same system to evade accountability and justice.
Look no further in our governance.
Those who lie, steal, cheat and sometimes even kill are our own political leaders – who are even touted as heroes.
Look no further in our governance.
Our government has become one big criminal syndicate that sucks the lifeblood of our citizens.
"Ang anumang ginagawa ng matanda ay tama sa paningin ng bata."
When our government has become a criminal syndicate, is there any wonder that our children have become criminals themselves?
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