05/08/2026
๐๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ: ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ
The country is facing a crisis in public safety amidst the increase in violence in schools following the shooting incident in Tacloban. But school shootings are just the tip of an iceberg, and the symptoms of a deadlier disease, revealing the shortcomings of a society and its government.
We can all define what violence is: bloody, destructive, and harmful. Yet violence is not alien; it is not new. Violence exists in every animal, and the instinct of every species. And that is where we as a civilization differ. With โmorals,โ we have learned to decipher what is right; and thus what is wrong. Morals are learned via prolonged exposure. This moral compass is what sets the weight; it is the measure by which the individual is guided. Without an internal framework, an action, no matter how bad, how bloody, how reckless and ruthless, without the individual seeing it through a moral compass, is like a person being asked to differ colors in a black and white film.
And family is the backbone of society, because family is the first thing that magnetizes the moral compass. A family has an influential role in guiding the moral compass of a child at an early age, as early childhood is one of the most transformative phases of life. Family is where a child rests.
After a tiring day at work, an adult can go to their own respective home; they may quit a job to escape their toxic boss; drive away from an abusive family member; divorce that jerk of a partner. But a child who is being neglected (whether emotionally, materially, physically) lacks not only the power to stand up to the abuse, but the logistical means by which they can avoid it, seriously damaging the brain. The U.S. Secret Serviceโs 2019 report Protecting Americaโs Schools (analyzing 41 targeted school attacks from 2008โ2017) found that nearly every attacker (94%) had experienced at least one negative home-life factor. Parental divorce, financial difficulty, various forms of family discord, domestic violence, and abuse/neglect of the attacker. This is not merely abstract philosophy โ data shows how often these home-life problems appear among attackers.
This is not to say that all violent act concerning the loss of morals is the cause of neglect alone. In fact, that is most untrue, for there are still privileged individuals who still possess the same loss of values while being fortunate. Although family is a decisive factor, it is not the most decisive factor. In the end, itโs up to the individual to uphold the principles that were instilled in him or her. People often say that even though they were poor or shorthanded, they have never settled or thought about violence. But then this is where the moral compass arises, because not all compass points towards the same direction, especially when one is broken; therefore, no one sees through the same lenses, and not everyone goes through the same phase. The development of a moral compass is not just a responsibility of a family alone but also of society, ensuring that every child is guided, nurtured, and supported.
And so, the ability of a family to do well economically depends on the governmentโs response and competency in serving wholeheartedly. Corruption and inefficiency divert resources that could go to better mental-health support, family services, or school security. Often creating the perfect conditions and acts as the perfect soil in which the moral compass problem arises.
How can we expect a smooth ride from a bumpy road?
In the end, the child will shoulder those effects โ determining their stance in life. Let us not let this storm brew here as it has brewed in the United States with their deadly school shooting incidents, because we can still learn and adapt. If the new security protocols, anti-bullying enforcement, and mental-health focus are sustained and funded, the risk of both ordinary school violence and rare extreme incidents can be reduced.
Caption | Nicolo Dano-og
Layout | Kimy Apasan
