EDITORIAL - Christmas tragedy

For a family in Taguig, it has been a horrifyingly tragic Christmas. It started on Christmas Eve, when 28-year-old mother of two Karina Siacunco was found dead at their home. Relatives disputed her husband Aiko’s claim that she had hanged herself.

On Christmas Day, Aiko, wearing a bloodstained shirt, showed up at a police station in the city and said he had strangled to death his three-year-old daughter and one-year-old son in their room. Aiko himself had reportedly tried to hang himself. Police rushed to his home, where they found the children’s bodies on a mattress.

Police said Siacunco had been depressed and had been fighting with his wife, who worked at a call center, over his failure to find a job since lockdowns were imposed in mid-March to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The tragedy that befell the Siacuncos is an extreme manifestation of the mental distress that health professionals say has been on the rise as a result of the difficulties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. For household breadwinners in particular, the loss of jobs or sources of livelihood can be deeply stressful and can put a strain on family relationships.

The Department of Health, the University of the Philippines and private civic organizations have been operating hotlines to assist those who are suffering from mental distress and to dissuade people from committing suicide. The hotlines have recorded spikes in calls since the start of the COVID lockdowns.

Such mental health services, however, remain limited. Even in organizations that provide psychological counseling and require members to pass psychiatric exams, the services can be inadequate. This has been manifested in the cold-blooded murder of a mother and her son in Paniqui, Tarlac on Dec. 20 by police M/Sgt. Jonel Nuezca during a heated altercation.

The government has institutionalized the promotion of mental health, with the enactment of Republic Act 11036 in 2018. Yet limited resources and the lack of trained personnel have slowed down the rollout of mental health programs, and millions of Filipinos lack access to such services.

This campaign also calls for support from local governments as well as the engagement of the community and various sectors such as schools and spiritual counselors. The tragedy that befell the Siacuncos lends urgency to the need for a more aggressive campaign to promote mental health together with physical wellness in this pandemic.