Cynicism amidst school shootings

School shootings will continue to plague the country despite the familiar assurances from government and the police that everything is being done to prevent another tragedy. The recent shooting at a high-end private school in Zamboanga will likely not be the last. A parent at the earlier shooting in Tacloban, Leyte, warned as much—and the warning appears to have gone unheeded.

As usual, government is looking for someone or something to blame. This time, an online gaming platform, Roblox, has been singled out for allegedly exposing young users to violent content. If authorities genuinely believe the platform is the evident source of youth violence, thenwhy not totally block its use in the Philippines altogether?

Instead, the strategy appears to be shifting responsibility to parents, accusing them of failing to monitor what their children do online. Parents certainly have a responsibility, but government cannot wash its hands of a problem simply because supervision begins at home. The state has a responsibility to protect children in places where they are supposed to be safe.

In the United States, school shootings have often been associated with bullying, alienation and a desire for revenge. The bullied student, consumed by anger and resentment, turns against the perpetrators, with innocent classmates becoming collateral victims. The circumstances may differ in the Philippines, but the lesson is clear: prevention requires confronting the warning signs before anger turns into violence.

There is also a simple measure that government could consider. Some private schools already prohibit or strictly regulate gadgets inside classrooms, particularly among younger students. Why can’t this become a broader policy, accompanied by effective enforcement and reasonable exceptions?

The answer is painfully familiar: political will.

More innocent children will die unless authorities move beyond condolences, press conferences and promises. The anguished voices of mothers who have lost their children should already be enough. Massive rallies should already be enough. They apparently are not.

Perhaps, in the cynical calculus of politics, action will come only when the victim is the child of a powerful government official.

Until then, expect another tragedy, another investigation, another promise—and another round of comforting sound-bytes for the evening news.