There has been an “alarming” rise in the number of suicides in the country due to depression during the pandemic, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Saturday.
Guevarra, a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said National Task Force (NTF) COVID-19 chief implementor Carlito Galvez Jr. informed him on Friday about the surge of suicide incidents in the country amidst the health crisis.
“He is seeking the help of our churches and spiritual leaders in providing counsel and guidance to their members and followers who are undergoing depression due to loss of employment or livelihood, anxiety of being afflicted with or dying from the dreaded disease, loneliness arising from isolation, and lack of hope for a return to their normal lives,” Guevarra said.
“I share Sec. Galvez’s concern and respectfully request our spiritual leaders to bring this much needed message of hope to our suffering countrymen in order to stave off more incidents of self-destruction,” he stated.
So far, the secretary said he has also reached out to the Catholic Church, the Islamic community, the Iglesia Ni Cristo, and other religious congregations regarding this concern. (Jeffrey Damicog)
