Ra Ki Sha, a 17 year old teen from Iloilo City, hugged the limelight most recently after showing her butt and boobs while dancing at MO2 Ice, a disco bar in Mandurriao district. Somebody took a video of her antics and posted it on social media and the rest was to quote her in a post attributed to a lady journalist “thank you for giving me the chance to be known.”

It’s very interesting how people reacted to her little show. Perhaps, analyzing every action and reaction would take time and effort or even require a whole book to write and discuss each perception and action.

The media for example and by media I mean the mainstream media (apologies since I do not regard influencers and social media personalities as one). Seeing the post of the teenager’s butt and boobs getting viral, several radio outlets rushed to run a story which eventually led to “the rescue” in Boracay. Yes, the troubled teenager has left for Boracay where she continued her wild escapades. Running “exclusive” stories, radio stations boasted of their tricks to get Ra Ki Sha and bring her home. Of course we know for a fact that it’s all about ratings guised in public service. Otherwise, they would not yield to the demand of the public to show proof thus exposing the physical body of a troubled teenager on camera. Real help is not exclusive but having come from the same industry, I can understand the action of my brothers and sisters. Walang malinis. Everybody is guilty including those who who have washed their hands on the issue. The fact is, they were caught off guard and was left running after the stories of those who were ahead.

Then comes Iloilo City’s two-phase approach. There was the mayor who issued a closure on the bar where the teenager danced. Then the head of the Task Force on Moral Recovery who declared that they will be calling on the poor girl to explain herself.

The closure or temporary closure of the bar does not and will never resolve the problem. Going topless while dancing inside several bars in Iloilo City has been there for some time now. This is now their generation. What the mayor could have done is to assume responsibility and issue clear cut guidelines for bar managements to follow. It should include parameters as to how clients inside should behave. From a perspective of somebody who loves observing how the generation of today expresses themselves, going topless or showing more skin while dancing has nothing to do with the case of Ra Ki Sha. Listening to her talk and reading her social media posts clearly shows trouble on her psychological and mental state. Showing skin publicly today does not necessarily constitute psychological anomaly.

In the case of the action proposed by the Task Force on Moral Recovery, I must assume that its head needs psychological help if only to let him understand the different approaches in saving those experiencing mental and psychological issues. Better yet, the task force should be dissolved in its entirety as it is just a waste of government money.

Of course we cannot deny the role of a severely judgmental society today coupled by the irresponsible netizens empowered by the sense of attribution and attention being given them by the populace. They do not care about the effect of their comments for so long as their engagement is good. The attention they receive from their peers and the media has bolstered their very dangerous little knowledge. Everyday, the cycle continuous.

In the end, Ra Ki Sha has no longer become the victim of her mental and psychological health. She has rather become a prey of the people who were supposed to help her from her current state.