Who is to blame for the Zamboanga tragedy?

What must have been his last thought before he committed the gruesome crime? Did he ever hesitate even for a split second about the consequences of his act? What gave him the resolve to finally carry out his plan? Did he do it for a “cause” or for sheer thrill? The questions are many. 

On August 18, this year, a junior high school student of Ateneo De Zamboanga University shot dead a fellow student before shooting himself. Both the victim and the shooter have impressive academic achievements. The victim won in international competition in mathematics, while the shooter has the highest honor award in their university.

The incident, like the one in Tacloban City months ago, has put fear in the hearts of many, particularly the parents who send their children to school. It inflicts trauma on students and teachers.

According to the initial investigation conducted by the PNP as narrated by DILG Secretary Junvic Remulla, the shooter used the government-issued firearms of his father who is a Bureau of Customs police officer. He was streaming live online at the time of the incident on WatchPeople Die.com. He has been influenced by the first-person shooter games and the popular platform roblox.

Hence, there is basis for some who point to the possibility that he was indeed influenced by online games that promote or glorify violence.  With everyone’s unmitigated access to information these days, all sectors must help each other to address this problem. Away from their parents’ stare, children bury themselves in ideas that, if left uncorrected by the wisdom of the old, will lead them astray. Younger people are curious, adventurous, and bold. Their energy is boundless, and when this energy is spent the wrong way, we know the dire consequences.   

This is why it makes sense that some parents limit their children’s exposure to social media. Some prohibit their kids from using their cellphones before bedtime. Others have access to their children’s social media accounts so that they would know what the latter are doing or who are in their circle of friends, etcetera. But sometimes there are limits to all these monitoring things because the young ones are techie, and they can outsmart their parents in terms of savviness on technology. 

There is also a challenging debate on whether there should be a law that prohibits children below a certain age from using social media.  One side of the debate says exposure is not a new thing. Prior to the advent of social media, debates on who should have access to pornographic materials, for example, were already present. And they say that in countries where exposure to pornography is not restricted, there are few cases of rape compared to countries that hold a conservative view on the issue. Therefore, they surmise, exposure may not be the cause at all.

But we cannot put the entire blame on social media as we are all products of a convergence of factors, starting from the family, our peers, education, etcetera. 

The family is no small matter. It is where everything starts. No institution in the world can do better than what the family can. It is where our basic values are supposed to be solidly formed. It is where love should flourish. It is where belongingness should be most felt. The world outside is harsh beyond words. And if the family environment is just as harsh, the child will be devoured by the unforgiving waves of life. 

 May we take this simple truth to heart.