Shoot to kill?
The Playing Children?
Are
village watchmen, or any one, free to shoot children being suspected of
committing a crime? DepEd action and relevant set of guidelines or even new
policy essential to prevent another tragedy
Of course there’s no
such policy or ordinance anywhere, even in strife-torn Somalia, so-called
failed state for so many years. But what about preventive policies or
regulations within the schools or the Department of Education. We posted this in our FB accounts too.
I’m writing about this
to press the DepEd officials to craft or enforce policies (if there’s any in
existence) to prevent any more loss of lives of so young and innocent children
like Carlo Torales and Sandro Gonzales. Mistaken for thieves, the two were shot
dead by an overzealous village watchman invited by a school to guard its facilities
in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat.
And before it’s all
forgotten, I wish to say it’s 2 lives lost too many – due to a preventable
tragedy. They weren’t committing theft or burglary, and not stealing billions
of development funds.
Working guidelines,
practical measures even new policies if necessary should be enforced by the DepEd
to prevent another similar tragedy - bound to happen again otherwise.
Unlike
students of La Salle, who have the finest golf courses and sports facilities in
the country for their privileged use, not a few of the millions of poor
children - especially those in slum areas in cities and poor communities across
the nation – sometimes find it irresistible to enjoy the grounds and accessible
public facilities as playgrounds and even as parks to idly spend time with
friends or playmates after school hours and during non-school days. A stark
contrast a rare effective leader and executive that the DepEd Secretary Bro
Armin Luistro is certainly very much aware of.
The nation can’t get
over with the death of a La Salle student who helplessly died in a hazing rite
not so recently – rightly so and for good reasons. But excuse me – the preventable
dangers to the lives of poor and innocent children are as worth our attention
as other pressing issues hogging the headlines recently.
Please someone send
this info to the DepEd Secretary or concerned Undersecretary.
How should similar
situations be handled by school security guards or watchmen? Simply calling the
police is a no-brainer, a simple solution. But maybe the DepEd can issue memos
or whatever to address it. I’m for a policy. It is most important and
critically at that in places with a culture of violence or in conflict areas
like the region where the incident took place, near where the Maguindanao
Massacre took place and next to where whistleblower Marlyn Esperat was murdered
in front of her children for writing about what became known as the monstrous Fertilizer
Fund Scam. Fault me if any such set of guidelines or relevant policies exist. –
Ernest Barraquias Jr. & Rian Igos
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/615565/watchman-faces-murder-raps-for-killing-kids
No comments:
Post a Comment