Children carrying guns in Basilan

Children carrying guns in Basilan
From CBCP Online
Rev. Fr. Philip Vincent S. Sinco

MANILA, January 22, 2009—Children as young as twelve years old are now carrying guns in war-torned province of Basilan to defend themselves against lawless elements.
Isabela Bishop Martin Jumoad said primary school age children have started arming themselves due to the escalation of hostilities in Mindanao.

He said that the problem of the young children and guns is “significantly worse”.
“They are as young as Grade 6 pupils,” Jumoad told the CBCPNews Thursday.
The religious leader is very worried about the situation, adding that he already called on the parents to stop arming their children but nothing happened so far.

“It’s not good because we are already teaching people to kill one another... we do not teach the value of life and that should not be the case,” he said.

“We have to inculcate in our children and in our people that life is precious and no one has the power to take life except God,” Jumoad added.

The bishop of the predominantly Islamic region said the youth, even Christians, have started arming themselves after the fighting between the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front erupted last November.

He said that young people witnessed that the military could not guarantee their security “so they resort to that kind of situation.”

“They still prefer arming themselves because there are so many lawless elements this time,” Jumoad said.

There’s a nice poem written by Dorothy Law Nolte. It’s called “Children learn what they live”. I’d like to borrow some thoughts from this compelling literary work (and I added my own insights) to complement the very sad reality that is happening in the Philippine society nowadays, particularly in Mindanao: “If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn... If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight...If a child lives with fear; he learns to be apprehensive...If a child lives in a war-stricken place, he learns to be violent...If a child lives in armaments, handguns, pistols, rifles and the likes, he learns to survive by killing” I don’t have to articulate further the implications because the news can speak for itself. Everything good or bad starts from the basic and we know for sure that the family has a crucial role in this moral dilemma. Be disturbed. Be very disturbed.