A Walk For Peace in Samar

By Alon Calinao Dy: According to conversations on Facebook, a group of children and adults are planning to launch a huge peace march that will start in Calbayog City, Western Samar. No exact date has been set for these peaceful gatherings. At their young age, they're aware of what is happening around them with their eyes open about the issues of criminality in the city. These young and brave people are hoping that other respective towns and cities will follow and support for their cause. 

First of all, what is a walk for peace? A peace walk is a nonviolent movement to bring awareness to all people that residents in Samar are against to any form of violence. This is also to show to the community that every person especially a young child has the right to feel safe all the time. 

There are many unsolved killings of people in Samar nowadays. Now, these are some of the questions by concerned citizens: do children have a right to be safe? Why are parents so scared about the safety of their children? Will you always close your eyes and shut your mouth? When will these killings stop? 

Some say that kids today are not as safe as they were in 90s. Nowadays, it is no longer safe to let young children go by themselves at the beach or in parks. As one netizen said in social media, "things are not safer now than we were kids."

If you are going to look at people in other countries, locals always exercise their rights to unite in a peace march against any form of violence. People in the community have a strong voice to avoid another incident of gun crime as what happened to Angel Baylon who was hit by a stray bullet on her head that led to her death a day after the shooting incident at Bagacay Beach Resort in Calbayog City.

Also, a peace march is a way to improve relationship between people and authorities, showing that community is willing to cooperate and participate to end the killings of people in their region for whatever reason whether it is personal or political.

Although there are some people who are afraid to cooperate and participate in this big event for some reasons, these young, unstoppable, and brave individuals, who want to bring peace and order in the province of Samar, are catalyst to a positive change and considered new heroes for the generations to come.