Love woes end in tragedy for teen

By Jennifer P. Rendon

TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE

Amid calls for a holistic approach to address rising suicide incidents, another suicide death was recorded in Iloilo province.

The victim was a 19-year-old boy from Barangay Bacjawan Norte, Concepcion town who was reported dead at around 1 a.m. of April 10, 2022.

He was found by his 26-year-old girlfriend inside his house. He was rushed to Sara District Hospital for immediate medication.

The victim was later referred to Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City for further medication but was declared dead on arrival.

Police investigation pointed to jealousy as the possible motive of the incident.

Reports indicated that the victim and his girlfriend had a quarrel over a third party.

Last week, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) sounded alarm over a series of suicide incidents recently.

For the first quarter of 2022, IPPO recorded 25 suicide incidents.

“We initially thought that the increases in suicide incidents in 2020 and 2021 have something to do with the restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Senior Master Sergeant Francisco Lindero, Jr., IPPO spokesperson, said.

Yet, with everything going back to normal this year, the cases did not decrease.

In 2019, IPPO recorded 82 suicide cases.

It rose to 91 in 2020 and 98 in 2021.

Iloilo province has the most number of suicide incidents in Western Visayas for the first quarter of the year.

Majority, or 21 out of 25 of the victims are males.

Almost half, or 12, are those with ages ranging from 17 to 39 years old.

Lindero said there appeared to be a variety of reasons for the commission of suicide.

Some were suffering from depression while others were admonished by their parents or loved ones.

Seven of them were suffering from terminal illness.

The Department of Health has constantly reminded those who have problems or those who know individuals who are at risk of committing suicides that they could seek mental health crisis intervention:

The suicide prevention hotline of the Center for Health Development – Western Visayas:

1-800-10-333-8336

09985324047

09255469919

WVSUMC – 3202431 loc. 162 or 209

3292360

WVMC – 3211797 loc. 186

5037708

PMHU – 5298109