Successive suicide incidents recorded in Iloilo during quarantine

The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) has expressed alarm over the successive suicide incidents during the quarantine period.

From January 1 to June 17 this year, IPPO recorded a total of 28 deaths due to suicide.

The figure was lower compared 78 deaths logged in the same period a year ago.

Most of those who committed suicide were people aged between 15 to 29 years old.

Police Master Sergeant Francisco Lindero, IPPO spokesperson, said despite the decrease, it is still alarming because of several cases they recorded since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was declared.

The latest suicide case in the province was recorded on Wednesday, June 17. It involved a 24-year-old female from the town of Barotac Viejo.

Last week, Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. said the provincial government, through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), would launch a mental health program to help prevent suicide.

“The figure of the suicide incidents among teenagers is alarming. Even for the past years, our statistics show that it is high,” he said.

The program, according to Defensor, is not only intended to teenagers but also to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the COVID-19 crisis.IMT