LIFE PATH

It is a self-fulfilling prophecy to say that 2020 is not yet over. The hopes of humanity for a joyful and peaceful Christmas seem to wither as well, as the morning of December 21 buzzed the social media community with the news of a shootout in Paniqui, Tarlac. Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca shot a woman Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank after what seemed to be a petty altercation on a boga (among other more serious matters). Given the nature of social media, police brutality and incompetence became the buzzwords yet again. 

We are just days away from ending this dreadful year, and we are yet to look for our Christmas spirit. But soon enough, the internet storm was so unforgiving even to the daughter of the police officer Nuezca, whom a lot think of as the root of this entire incident. Were it not for her privileged and spoiled character, there would not be any confrontation in their simple community. It was unimaginable how a young girl would not flinch to the gunshots that were to kill the Gregorios; then just walking away from the bloody scene. Police reports said that the Nuezcas were eventually remorseful, even bringing the younger one into tears.

People soon arrived at the realization that we, as a society, were gradually drenched into the normalcy of violence, impunity, and inhumanity. We have come to that point where resolving any altercation would mean wielding the fist or pulling the gun's trigger.

Another overlooked fact in the middle of this issue is the Christmas spirit. Supposedly, this is a time of forgiveness, compassion, and humanity, a time where these loose ends should have been either settled or even ignored. Christmas is yet to reinvigorate this human spirit we always know. If only it had such a more powerful reminder, this incident might not have happened.

This incident should be a lesson or two for children. Firstly, let this not be the final days of upholding filial piety and family virtues. Much like police officers are expected to be adherent to the law, the younger ones must also be mindful of their place in social interactions. It is not to say that the elders are always right; this asserts that they inherently deserve respect like anyone else.

Secondly, there should always be a consideration of how adults nurture children in these times. A stronger epiphany needs to behold us as a society: that children are and will always be vulnerable in these types of situations. It begins with the way adults--parents, educators, and even older siblings--cultivate the young, the inevitable futures of this land. Setting the right example, one that is away from any form of power abuse, is directly responsive to this incident at hand. Children need to see that they will not always get what they want, even in the name of righteousness and morality. More importantly, what children need to adopt from adults is the fair balance between fighting for themselves and keeping peace within themselves.

Some netizens already reflect these insights, specifically by being on the defense for the younger Nuezca. They argue that it wasn't the young one's fault for being raised as such. Although this remains a point of contention, both sides present valid points. Nonetheless, hope is still evident that people still feel for the younger Nuezca. The fact that she, too, may just be a victim of this system of impunity and violence. While this view does not (and should not) absolve her, looking into such a perspective is still worth the shot, even if it is contrary to our own. If it means one possible way out of this moral predicament, then a reflection towards these different perspectives is acceptable. 

All the more that this is not a call to forgive (immediately) the police officer Nuezca. It would be hypocritical and inappropriate for us to do so since we're not the primary victims. But the starting point on how we, the spectators of this issue and the citizens of this stricken country, should move forward from this issue is to be human. Let this incident be a deep and urgent reflection of where our human and Christmas spirit has gone at this point. Let there be no more bullets fired for matters not worthy of frustrations and altercations. Let there be a ray of light that emerges from this inhumane condition of our society. After all, this is what the true essence of Christmas has always been: finding light amidst the darkness.

The call to save this country from dying from moral ambiguities amid a pandemic grows stronger.  Being human should remain as the true spirit of our society--the ultimate Christmas present we could badly hope for our nation. Being human is the best Christmas present we could ever give to humanity.