01/07/2026
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐
By: Iyuri Roma
"๐๐ต ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข ๐ท๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ."
For generations, this African proverb has reminded us that raising a child has never been the sole responsibility of parents. It belongs to everyoneโthe teacher who inspires, the neighbor who corrects, the friend who listens, the institution that protects, and the society that shapes. Every interaction becomes part of a child's education, whether we intend it or not.
Yet another popular saying presents the consequence of what happens when that responsibility is neglected: "๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฉ." Whether or not it is an authentic African proverb, its message remains painfully relevant.
The Philippines today offers countless reminders of this reality.
We express concern whenever another story of youth violence surfaces. We condemn cyberbullying after another student becomes its victim. We shake our heads at the spread of misinformation, online hostility, and the growing culture of ridicule. We ask why young people have become so angry, so indifferent, or so easily influenced.
Perhaps we have been asking the wrong question.
Instead of asking, "๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ?" maybe we should ask, "๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ท๐ช๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ?"
Children do not grow in isolation. They absorb what they constantly see. They imitate what society rewards. They repeat what adults normalize.
This is what psychologists describe as the Contagion Effectโthe tendency of behaviors, emotions, and ideas to spread from one person to another. In today's digital age, that contagion travels faster than ever. One hateful comment becomes thousands. One misleading post becomes a national narrative. One act of cruelty becomes another person's justification to do the same.
But contagion is not limited to negativity.
Kindness spreads. Truth spreads. Accountability spreads. So do empathy, integrity, and hope.
The question, then, is not whether influence exists. It is which influence we choose to multiply.
As a nation, we often demand accountability from our youth while forgetting that they are products of the environment we have created. We cannot expect children to value truth if deception is rewarded. We cannot expect compassion if hostility becomes entertainment. We cannot expect responsible citizenship if those entrusted with leadership fail to model it.
Every classroom, every household, every social media post, every conversation contributes to the village our children inherit.
The future of the Philippines will not be determined solely by economic plans or political promises. It will also be determined by the examples we set today. Because every action we normalize becomes part of someone else's character.
If behavior is contagious, then responsibility is collective.
The village is raising our children every single day.
The only question left is: ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ซ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐?
IB: Alyana Hontanar
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