Cardinals Advincula, David call for safe spaces for kids after Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting

Cardinals Jose Advincula and Pablo David have called for safe spaces where children can freely speak and heal following the school shooting involving students at Ateneo de Zamboanga in Zamboanga City.

In a message of solidarity, Advincula said the shooting incident should prompt the public to listen more closely to young people’s “struggles.”

“Our young people today carry many burdens. Some silently struggle with loneliness, anxiety, despair, family difficulties, bullying, academic pressures, and other crises that may not always be visible to those around them,” Advincula said.

“We need to listen to them, not only when they speak loudly, but especially when they suffer quietly. We need to create spaces where they can speak without fear of judgement, seek help without shame, and know that they are valued and loved,” he added.

The Manila archbishop also urged the public to strengthen a “culture of care, compassion, dialogue, and accompaniment so that violence and hatred may never have the final word."

Initial information revealed that the student linked to the fatal shooting entered the premises of Ateneo de Zamboanga University carrying a high-powered firearm and a .45 caliber pistol.

The shooting incident resulted in the death of two students, including the shooter.

National therapy

In a social media post, David said the country needs “national therapy," where healing, truth-telling, and justice are recognized and pursued.

Citing the World Health Organization, David said repeated exposure to violence can have lifelong effects on children, increasing their risk of becoming victims or perpetrators, while social norms that normalize violence can further heighten the risk.

“A wounded society therefore needs more than punishment. It needs healing. It needs truth-telling and memory. It needs justice for victims. It needs spaces where anger can be spoken before it turns into hatred. It needs schools that teach empathy and conflict resolution. It needs families where children learn that strength does not mean domination. It needs public officials who understand that their words educate the nation whether they intend them to or not,” the Kalookan bishop said.

“We need to teach our children how to deal with anger without converting anger into hatred; how to respond to humiliation without imagining revenge; how to seek justice without becoming unjust themselves. And perhaps we adults need to learn those things again too,” he added.

He further pointed out that schools need not only guards and security equipment but also trusted adults and counselors whom students can turn to when reporting threats and bullying; responsible parents who secure firearms; and responsible media outlets and social media personalities.

“We need to stop laughing when leaders threaten to kill people. We need adults to stop teaching children—sometimes without realizing it—that cruelty is strength, that humiliation is leadership, that vengeance is justice, or that some lives are disposable,” David said.

On Thursday, Cardinal Antonio Tagle warned guardians of the dangers that may befall children who spend too much time playing video games and using artificial intelligence, as their values may be influenced by what they see on the screen.

"Para sa mga lolo, lola, mga magulang, ipakita sa mga bata ang puso na makatao," he said.

(For grandfathers, grandmothers, parents, show the children a humane heart.)

"Pero sa inyong hapag kainan, ang tinitingnan, cellphone at hindi bawat isa. Wala, ang kanilang puso ay ginagabayan na ng mga video games, ng mga AI. Tinuturuan sila mag-desisyon at kumilos," he added.

(But at your dinner table, you are looking at cellphones and not each other. [Regarding interactions,] there is none. Their hearts are now guided by video games, by AIs teaching them to make decisions and act.) —KG, GMA News