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Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Sienes: Teenage hooliganism alarms Mayor Duterte
By Cris G. Sienes
Different Strokes
"In the light of the failure of many parents to keep track of their children, particularly at night when they're supposed to be home, authorities will have to use an iron hand to quell teenage hooliganism in the city and preserve order in the streets and alleys. Hence, Duterte's stern warning that if parents fail to discipline their children, he would discipline them himself."
VISIBLY angered by the spreading teenage hooliganism in Davao City, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte warned parents to discipline their children or he will discipline them himself.
Duterte is right. Discipline begins at home and it is the primary duty of parents to instill discipline in their children.
Parents had better heed Duterte's warning. There will be hell to pay if they don't. Duterte always means what he says.
Negligent and irresponsible parents breed teenage hooligans who do nothing but roam the city's streets and alleys looking for trouble with others like them.
We recall that when we were the Prefect of Discipline at the Ateneo de Davao High School during pre-martial law days, at the time when the institution was still an all boys school, teenage gang rumbles were so frequent.
Teenage gangs from other schools would now and then invade the Ateneo de Davao High School campus to clash with teenage gangs in the school. We had a hell of a time stopping those rumbles, but with the help of our late PMP commandant Pantaleon Abrina and the martial arts-trained Grandeza boys as our school marshalls, we were able to quell the rumbles and preserve peace in the campus.
Naturally a number of our high school boys were expelled from the school for teenage hooliganism.
One morning the father of one of the expelled boys, a very prominent and leading public figure in Davao City at that time, came to us and humbly admitted that because of his numerous commitments, he failed to spend time with his young son at home and instill discipline in him. It was mainly his fault, he said, that his young son strayed from the straight path.
Parents, particularly fathers, should learn from what that particular father confessed to us. For "no amount of success can compensate for failure in the home."
We see a whale of difference between parents of Tuesday and parents of today. Probably because parents of Tuesday lived simple lives and were not so affected by materialism and hedonism, they were deeply religious. At the close of the day they would gather their children from play, bathe them and change their dirty and sweat-soaked clothes with fresh ones, then lead them in praying the Angelus before the family altar.
Today, how many parents take time out to keep track of their children at the close of the day, gather all of them from play, bathe them and change their clothes, then pray the Angelus with them before the family altar? We are even willing to bet that some homes do not even have altars for prayers.
In the light of the failure of many parents to keep track of their children, particularly at night when they're supposed to be home, authorities will have to use an iron hand to quell teenage hooliganism in the city and preserve order in the streets and alleys. Hence, Duterte's stern warning that if parents fail to discipline their children, he would discipline them himself.
One effective way of curbing teenage gang rumbles is the no-nonsense enforcement of the curfew for young people. With the city police department now equipped with patrol cars hooked up to 911, and with the Davao City Task Force around, it will not be difficult to do this.
Barangay policemen or tanods can lend a helping hand by frequently patrolling their barangays to apprehend young boys who are still up beyond the curfew hour.
One police precinct commander who should be commended is Matthew Baccay, Jr. of the San Pedro Police Precinct. He and his men are strictly implementing the city's special laws or ordinances. Just recently he and his men caught many young people smoking in public places and roaming around the city beyond the curfew hour.
If all police precinct commanders in the city were like Baccay, street gang rumbles will be greatly minimized if not totally stopped.
Laws are meant to be enforced. It is the failure also of city authorities to strictly enforce them that emboldens teenage gangs to stage street riots and rumbles, or for criminals to do their capers.
Perhaps it would also help if the city council will pass an ordinance penalizing parents for not keeping track of their children and allowing them to roam the streets especially at nighttime.
Point to ponder: "The antidote for crime should be administered in childhood, by the parents. The problem is not fundamentally that of the improper child so much as it is that of the improper home." (US Supreme Court Justice John W. Hill) |
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