A cry for unity

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“I also pray that we give our children something meaningful to belong to. Let us put a ball in their hands. Give them a court, a field, a track, a pool or a gym. Give them good coaches, supportive teammates and goals worth working for.

Sports alone cannot answer every problem but throughout my life, I have seen how they can teach discipline, self-control, respect, resilience and hope. Perhaps it is time for government, schools, communities and families to bring sports closer to every child.”

— RAMON FERNANDEZ

Mon Fernandez is right. The former PSC commissioner and four-time PBA Most Valuable Player expressed alarm and concern for the youth. This after the tragic shooting in Ateneo de Zamboanga University. Fernandez says that a greater indulgence in sports will divert the attention of the youth away from unhealthy thoughts and actions.

“If there were more sporting events and activities in schools, it would give the youth something to do,” he said, “It would preoccupy them and give them something to look forward to.”

In a Wednesday social media post entitled “Before Another Child Pulls The Trigger,” El Presidente called for a unified approach to give children healthier, physical diversions. As the saying goes, an idle mind is the devil’s playground.

It begins with the parents, who are challenged to spend more time in their children’s presence, and not abdicate raising them to screens. However, this may be more of an economic issue, if both parents have to work. A good approach would be to limit non-educational screen use to weekends, as more of a reward to the kids.

In an age where obese countries like the US are even removing PE, there must be a concerted effort to increase and add sports in schools. This is where the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) can make a big impact. Some schools in the Philippines only have PE once a week; others, twice a week. But having more events beyond basketball intramurals would leave students physically spent and fulfilled, from participants to spectators.

There is also an infrastructure issue that needs to be addressed. The Arnis Law of 2010 requires that the national martial art and sport be taught in all schools. But the Implementing Rules and Regilations (IRR) are vague about the parameters and protocols, like who should teach them and which version should be taught.

It takes a village to raise a child, not a lifeless bunch of screens inundating them with God knows what. It is such a demanding job to be a parent. But it has to be done. We have to take the time and energy to be present, set parent-child times, parent and child dates; make them feel secure, filter and interpret their experiences. Otherwise, they will easily be swayed by negative influences. For example, this current generation of computer games provide limitless lives to keep kids playing. You can keep restarting, respawning, reviving. Therefore, there is no consequence to their actions. As late as 20 years ago, video games only provided only three lives. This limited frustration and prolonged patience forced youth to do something else. That is no longer the case. And increased violence has also had a desensitizing effect on younger minds.

Granted, all this is easier said that done. But the alternative is to surrender our future generations. And we don’t want that.