Jarred D. Pescadero
Mactan National High School
ANOTHER tragedy strikes, and the cycle begins anew. Parents blame the school. Schools blame the home. Some blame violent video games. Others point to mental health, peer influence, the National Government, or society itself. Responsibility is handed from one hand to another like a stack of books, growing heavier with every pass.
The recent school shooting reignited a familiar national debate: parents, schools, video games, social media, mental health, the National Government, society. Everyone has a culprit, yet no one seems willing to claim responsibility. Tragedies like these are not born from a single failure, but from a chain of them. The blame changes, but the problem remains.
Student leader Aliana Hontanar perhaps captured the heart of the issue best when she said, “It always takes a village to raise a child.” Those words remind us that no child is shaped by a single influence. Family, teachers, friends, communities, technology, and society all leave their mark. When one part of the village fails, everyone bears the consequences.
Reducing a complex issue to a single culprit may satisfy public outrage, but it oversimplifies a problem that demands collective responsibility. Banning games alone will not replace absent guidance. Good parenting alone cannot solve every mental health struggle. Schools cannot raise children by themselves, and governments cannot repair what families and communities neglect.
The easiest thing to pass is blame. The hardest thing to carry is responsibility. We can keep doubling the blame and handing it to the next person, or we can finally accept that protecting our children is a burden meant to be shared. Parents must guide with presence and discipline. Schools must nurture not only intelligence but also character. Communities must notice warning signs before they become headlines. The National Government must strengthen support systems, while digital platforms and content creators must recognize the influence they hold over young audiences. A village that shares responsibility will always be stronger than a society that only shares blame.