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Saturday, October 29, 2005
Children: Stop frat wars, porno
By Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- Cebu City’s children on Friday called on the mayor and other city officials to act on the new problems besetting them, including fraternity wars and Internet pornography.
Impressed by the children’s courage to speak out, Mayor Tomas Osmeña assured some 500 participants of the Fourth Cebu City Children’s Summit that something will be done to address their concerns.
The children presented the output of the summit workshops to the mayor yesterday afternoon, in the form of resolutions.
Aside from the usual concerns on education, crime prevention, child participation in governance, trafficking and children in contact with the law, new issues were also raised.
Although some of the children’s concerns are not new to the mayor, it was the first time the children raised the problem of fraternity wars, pornography in the Internet and some of their teachers’ lack of values and other discouraging practices in schools.
Cebu City Commission for the Welfare and Protection of Children Executive Director Abeth Cuizon said they are already aware of some these problems, but they wanted the children themselves to propose the solutions they want City Hall to adopt.
“I’m very impressed because I can see that you’re able to speak out, you’re not afraid and you’re learning to love and protect your own kind. This is a strong expression of faith,” Osmeña told the children during the summit.
Children from different sectors creatively presented the issues and problems they are facing through songs, dances and role-playing, which amused the audience.
Osmeña collected the children’s resolutions and assured them he will submit these to the different agencies and department heads concerned for appropriate action.
The Cebu City Council and the Association of Barangay Councils will also be given specific assignments to address the children’s concerns, he said.
“And after a period of time, when you reconvene, you yourselves will grade your city officials on what they have done to act on your resolutions. If they will not respond, ako na ang bahala nila (I’ll handle them),” said the mayor.
In a resolution, the children asked the City and police to actively pursue criminals, particularly those involved in frat wars and the drug trade.
They also asked the City and the barangays to strictly enforce the curfew ordinances to keep children at home at night and keep them from joining gang wars.
The budget for education should also be increased, with the children saying that education will greatly help the youth stay away from drugs and crime.
In education, the participants asked the mayor to provide a school bus for children in the mountain barangays who have difficulty going to their schools.
They also called for the abolition of the star section in the schools since the practice discourages students from regular sections from participating in school activities.
The participants reported to the mayor that there are still teachers who verbally abuse students and use their cell phones even when they are holding classes.
All the requests and complaints were included in the resolutions and were submitted to the mayor during the closing of the summit at the Grand Convention Center yesterday afternoon.
“It’s important for me that you leave this congress knowing that there is hope, that you believe in the City Government, because if this does not work, then I have failed in my job as father of the city,” Osmeña said. (Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(October 29, 2005 issue)
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