Are the Young Socially Aware

I am not definitely sure. There are conflicting reports, speculations, and rumors about the current thinking, feeling, attitudes, and behavior of young Filipino Catholics regarding social issues like poverty, injustice, graft and corruption, rebellion, insurgency, elections, etc.

Perhaps there are professional surveys by our Catholic educators and the CBCP Commission on Youth. Perhaps there are hundreds and thousands of young students like the students and faculty of the depart‎ments of education, psychology, criminology, mass communication and accountancy of the University of Mindanao who surprisingly showed special interest on social issues.

Last Monday, 28 September, 2015, I accompanied former Secretary of National Defense Norberto G. Gonzales to the University of Mindanao. The students and their teachers had invited him to talk on Federalism and the issue on the West Philippine Sea. Having been also a former National Security Adviser Mr. Gonzales gave a very clear meaning of the 2 issues, their importance and relevance, and the confusion of many on the first and the governments’ mishandling of the second.

Judging by the jam-packed auditorium, the questions during the open forum as well as the scrambling for photo with the secretary after the session, I realized that perhaps there are thousands of students who have similar interest on social issues but do not have the opportunity to listen to knowledgeable people like Norberto G. Gonzales.