Women's Front: Confronting the decaying values of our time

3 MIN READ

By INNABUYOG-GABRIELA
www.nordis.net

It was alleged that she was raped, murdered!

At around 7:30 in the morning of July 25, 15-year old Leny (not her real name) was found lifeless at the Tangeb grounds, in the town center of Sagada. She was found naked from the waist down.

Local police reports reveal that the believed perpetrators are two guys aged 16 and 19, both guys come from Taccong, a southern barangay of Sagada. Both are high school drop-outs.

Leny hails from Aguid, a northern barangay of Sagada and a 3rd year high school student.

Innabuyog learned that Leny was in Poblacion, Sagada in the afternoon of July 24 to meet a textmate. Their afternoon class was suspended as the faculty members attended the burial service of the late Mr. Bartolomeo Dao-as. The students were told to go home.

While in Sagada, two guys approached Leny. Presuming they were her text mates, she went with them to the Tangeb grounds where they had a drinking spree. Reports do not mention of drug use.

This horrible incident sends a signal of fear that no ground is now safe, even in rural areas where a twin crime of rape and murder hardly happens. This decadent culture of sex and violence has engulfed our youth, even in the rural areas. This incident should bring us to our senses. This incident only shows the loss or deterioration of a common traditional value of inayan and lawa (fear of being evil) among Kankanaeys of Mountain Province, and strong among the indigenous folk of  Sagada municipality.

Decadent practices are further facilitated by the abuse of information technology, which young people today are vulnerable to. The unrestrained  circulation of pornographic messages are so quick with the use of cell phones, the internet and video materials which affect negatively much of the values of the youth. This further strengthens negative views of the female as sex and entertainment objects.

With Leny’s rape and brutal murder, her family and the wider community hope for justice. Innabuyog shares this cause. The perpetrators are already in jail. Yet, this does not mean justice has been achieved. The bigger aspect of justice is to stop another occurrence of rape and murder.

This therefore entails a deeper examination of the present value system that is impacting on the youth’s behavior and actions. Awareness building of the wider community on the causes of values decay and prevention of facilitating factors, should be done.

Protection measures against exposure to the ill effects of tourism and to decadent and anti-social activities such as drug use and illicit drinking should be concretized by local government units and concerned agencies. This should be more importantly observed in tourist destinations like Sagada. 

Institutions such as the schools, church, non-government organizations, people’s organizations and existing indigenous socio-political institutions like the Dap-ay, must work together towards building this awareness level. As such, parents are supported in providing the basic guidance and values for their children.

Government agencies particularly the DSWD, DepEd and the local government units should also provide the necessary services to ensure that the youth be protected from the impact of a decaying value system. Relevant ordinances must be in place with the effective enforcement of such.

More strategically, all sectors of society should work together in regaining our positive indigenous culture of inayan and lawa, condemn the ills of society that cause decadent values and reconstruct a culture among the youth to become tomorrow’s responsive leaders and members of society.

In this case, we are building and ensuring a safer ground for our children, the youth and for everyone. # nordis.net