Thursday, November 06, 2008 For the children By Noemi C. Fetalvero Two empty bottles
THE concern of some city government officials about the begging activities of street children, in my opinion, is misplaced amidst reports of alleged graft and corruption in the high positions within the military and government offices that have become weekly headliners.
Begging done by unfortunate children of God is not a shameful act; malversation of government funds is.
Let me share with you some apparent effects of exposes of graft charges.
During a birthday party at a local mall, I witnessed three little girls, whose ages ranged from six to eight years old, slowly make their way through the crowd and helped themselves to a couple of party favors and balloons, and then readily scampered out of sight.
I think had they asked the mother of the celebrator, they would have gotten the goodies without resorting to stealing.
At the rotunda of Fuente Osmeña, snatching activities, pathetic as it may seem, are just as disturbing.
Street children snatched bags of bakery products from passersby.
What kind of message are we sending our children? The two empty bottles of our children are filled with confusion. We have a moral responsibility to give these children the correct interpretation of the law: “Thou shall not steal.”
I remember a passage in the Bible about dishonest stewards. Luke 16:10 says: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.”
Whatever happened to leadership by example? The government has a social responsibility to our children most especially. If the trend continues, I am afraid we will have a generation whose moral standards are at below par.
Senator Francis Pangilinan, who was responsible for the law that inhibits authorities from prosecuting youthful offenders, should take the initiative to repel, if not modify the law since criminal elements are now using children in nefarious activities.
Remember the song with lyrics that empower us to treat our children with dignity—lines like “these children are our future, teach them well”?
