“Spirits” told students to commit suicide?

CEBU, Philippines - Did “bad spirits” incite the two high school students in Daanbantayan town to commit suicide?

This question came up yesterday after at least nine students of Daanbantayan National High School reportedly told a team sent by the Provincial Council for the Welfare of Children to investigate the matter that they overheard voices prodding them to also commit suicide.

Rose Jao, assistant provincial social welfare officer, said the students told them that they started hearing “voices” after the death of their classmates. 

On Monday, a 15-year-old girl was found dead hanging inside her room, while her 15-year-old male cousin was also found hanging from a tree the following day. Initial reports said that the students committed suicide after their teacher refused to sign their school clearance.

Jao, however, said that the team is yet to verify whether the claims of the nine students were true.

 “Basin product of imagination ra kay ikaw ba naman makakita og tawo naga-hang sa kahoy,” Jao said, adding that the suicide incidents were considered isolated.

Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, who co-chairs the PCWC, said that while the investigation into the incident is ongoing, there is a need to immediately conduct crisis intervention because students were reportedly traumatized by what had happened to their schoolmates.

“Intervention sa gyud atong gi-focus ‘ron,” she told reporters.

 Some of the students had been subjected to debriefing and psychological interventions will soon be conducted on the remaining students.

 “Okay na man ang uban,” Jao said.

 Jao said they have visited the wake of the students who committed suicide and talked to the bereaved families yesterday dawn.— Michael Vencynth H. Braga and Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento/FPL