What is the No. 1 sacred duty of adults, the elderly, and seniors? Simple – make sure that members of the younger generation outlive and outshine them. And that to me should be the ultimate success story of every adult, which should be repeated by the younger generation once they become adults and seniors.
But just as the nation continued to mourn the untimely demise of the “Pambansang MVP” Rene Baterbonia and teammate Divine Adili, three innocent lives were snuffed out in a tragic school shooting in Tacloban City last June 22.
One of the fatalities – Boy Scout Chris Lorenz Fabian - took a bullet before saving his classmates, a heroic act that should be honored and never be forgotten.
Two other fatalities –Joyancee Separa – took the video of Fabian’s heroics, while Ayessa Nicole Dazo was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
But amid the mourning, Alex Eala continued to inspire the Philippines, and level up her game and standing in tennis.
And it is very painful for me to see the very sharp contrasts.
Like Eala, the likes of Baterbonia, Adili, Fabian, Separa, and Dazo all had big dreams. And for sure, their parents looked forward to the day they would cheer their children’s victories. The same way Eala’s parents cheer her whenever she wins at the court.
Deaths that could have been prevented The deaths that I just mentioned could have been prevented if the adults around them knew of their sacred duty: To make sure members of the younger generation outlive and outshine them.
Specifically, the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili could have been prevented had the adults around them – in this case the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) coaching team formerly led by Tab Baldwin – were more responsible.
Read that again.
And why didn’t the parents of all the players, members of the coaching team, ADMU’s athletic office, and other concerned adults sound the alarm over Baldwin’s training methods? Furthermore, the ADMU top school officials should have been very aware of Murphy’s law – “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” And things went very wrong one afternoon at a coastline in Aurora, ending the lives of Baterbonia and Adili.
What happened to ADMU being touted as a top management school and forgetting Murphy’s Law? While Baldwin wanted his wards to shine, he should have exercised prudence to make sure his wards could fight another day. He failed in that aspect.
The Tacloban City shooting tragedy is another case of failure of adults to ensure that the younger generation at least outlives them. In fact, it’s was a massive failure.
And I believe that the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act was a factor in the Tacloban tragedy, as it failed to deter evil, and I mean evil, acts by minors.
Did the people behind that law foresee that minors would harm fellow minors? The failure of adults also applies to the school for not addressing bullying. A measure like expelling bullies from school could have prevented the tragedy. But why has expelling bullies from schools never been made a protocol by the authorities, including those at the school level? The suspects in this case also shows a clear case of adult failure, because as the popular Filipino saying goes “Kulang sa aruga (Raised with little or no love).” Unlocking the potential of the youth Now, why bring Eala into this conversation or discussion?
My answer is simple: She is an excellent example of the success of adults performing their sacred duties.
Some people might counter that Eala’s parents were well- to-do or “may kaya.” But then, the parents of Baterbonia and Adili, despite being less fortunate, were able to raise kids with tons of potential. And I mean tons of potential.
But the parents alone cannot guarantee success of their sons or daughters – support from schools, workplaces, gyms, and what have you are equally important in making the youth succeed or outshine the previous generation.
I am not also saying the all parents aspire that their sons or daughters be like Eala. Having a son or daughter striving and thriving in his or her chosen vocation is more than enough, whether that is in the arts, sciences, entrepreneurship, public service, social service, among many, many others.
Definitely, there are more Alex Ealas in other fields, and while their names are not households, their contributions to society are growing and can be immeasurable one day.
And I believe that Baterbonia, Adili, Fabian, Separa, and Dazo could have made great contributions to society.
But they are all gone, because of the failure of a number of adults to perform their sacred duty in making sure the younger generation outlive and outshine them.