Increasing suicide cases in Aklan alarm police

AKLAN, Philippines – The Aklan Provincial Police Office (APPO) has expressed alarm over the rising number of suicide cases in the province.

“Already this year, we have recorded 21 cases. This is worrisome for us since last year, from January to May, we only registered 14 cases,” Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Ufano, the deputy provincial director for operations of the Aklan police, told the Kapehan sa Aklan Forum on Saturday, June 3.

Many of the suicides were young people.

Mary Loannie Tenazas, a guidance counselor at Aklan State University, said parents and guardians should understand the character and personality of the current digital generation.

“Many parents are currently disconnected from the way young people behave and think, which often leads to a sense of silence among the youth,” she said. “During my interviews with survivors, it became evident that they frequently yearned for someone who would listen and provide a space for them to express themselves.”

Throughout 2021, Aklan recorded 37 suicide cases, which dropped to 33 cases last year.

Ufano told the forum, organized by the Aklan Press Club held at Marzon Hotel, “Currently, we are still profiling those involved.”

In 2022, police noted that remote areas in Aklan had the highest number of suicide cases, excluding Batan.

Batan, he said, has seen no suicide cases since January this year, something which he attributed to the town police’s mental health awareness campaign.

Corporal Benedict Magarzo, the case monitoring chief of the Aklan PNP’s Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Office, said they have asked the provincial government to build a mental health facility in the province. There has been no response yet from the capitol, as of this writing. – Rappler.com

Jun Aguirre is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow.

The Department of Health has national crisis hotlines to assist people with mental health concerns: 1553 (landline), 0966-351-4518, and 0917-899-USAP (8727) (Globe/TM); and 0908-639-2672 (Smart/Sun/TNT).