EDITORIAL — A tale of two teenagers

Just recently the acts of two boys, both at the young age of 16, reached the headlines.

One boy was blamed for shooting dead an off-duty policeman who was just trying to tell him to go home after barangay tanods accosted him for violating curfew last Saturday in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.

The boy later surrendered and admitted that he was afraid of being arrested at the time because he was carrying a gun and was also involved in a gang.

On the other hand we have the story of Eugene Ivan Ynclino VI, of the Don Bosco Cebu-Football Club, who put his own life and safety at risk to rescue a boy being swept away by a strong current in a San Carlos City beach.

He was recently awarded by the San Carlos City government for this selfless act.

We cannot help but contrast the story of the two boys. On one hand is someone who we can say was raised the wrong way and lost his way to a dark path; on the other hand is someone who we can argue was raised the right way and went out of his way to become a sterling example for others.

Both teenagers came from different backgrounds, they didn’t have the same opportunities, grow up in the same environment, or have the same circle of friends or influencers, so while in a way we can hold the first teenager responsible for what he did, we know it’s not always that simple.

Without justifying his actions we say that for the offending teenager, many factors not under his control led to him to join a gang, get a gun, violate curfew, and to shoot a policemen that fateful Saturday night.

Along the way we can also blame ourselves as a society for failing this young man.

But while we shake our heads at a loss for words at how a teenager can shoot a policeman and mourn a youth lost to bad influences, at least we can also raise our head in pride at what another young man did in putting his life on the line to save another life.