The city council, through a resolution, is promoting and supporting the mental health helplines of the City Health Services Office (CHSO) and the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) Baguio-Benguet Chapter, Inc.
The 24-hour mental health helpline 0919-069-6361 is being operated by the CHSO.
Also, the PMHA Baguo-Benguet Chapter, Inc. has its own mental helpline 0917-517-2083 which is available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.
These helplines have been set up to help those who are mentally and emotionally troubled and have the tendency to self-injure. These individuals needing immediate help may ask for assistance or referral through these helplines.
The council resolution stressed that calls and messages received through these helplines are treated with the utmost confidentiality.
During one of City Hall’s Ugnayan media fora, Ricky Ducas, CHSO Mental Health Coordinator, said developing effective coping mechanisms especially during these trying times is of vital importance.
Ducas explained that stressful circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic could hijack people’s emotions leading to anxiety, uncertainties, or even self-harm.
On June 20, 2021, the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) announced during City Hall’s flag raising ceremony that there were already 19 documented suicide cases in the city for the first semester of 2021 compared to the 24 reported cases during the whole year of 2020. Of the 19 cases, 16 were males while the other three were females.
Councilor Mylen Victoria Yaranon, main author of the resolution, stated the rising number of suicide cases in the city is alarming. Citing the report of CSWDO, she noted that the majority of these cases were aged 20-30 years old and that the presumed causes were stressful life events, mental health issues or disorders, family and financial problems, among others, which led to depression.
People’s mental health should be safeguarded as it is as important as their physical health, she said.
The city council supports and endorses these mental health helplines which could be of great help to many distressed individuals during these difficult times. **Jordan G. Habbiling w/ reports from the City PIO
