Who tf laughs about suicide? This DepEd official, apparently

Trigger warning

To those that are unaware – Department of Education (DepEd) officials included – the pandemic has been tough on everyone’s mental health. Not only is an aura of doom and gloom prevalent, but the sudden halt of normalcy is no laughing matter. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.

Vilma Eda, the schools division superintendent of Laoag City, earned the Internet’s ire for seemingly laughing about suicide during an interview with Sirib Express, a youth program helmed by the provincial government of Ilocos Norte.

Around the 48 min mark, Eda was asked about the steps taken by the DepEd to ensure the well-being of students, who have notably raised the alarm on the mental burden of online classes since the lockdowns began.

Eda brought up a couple of programs, such as webinars tackling psychological issues and psychosocial well-being, made available for teachers, learners, and parents.

But in what seemed to be a sign of exasperation, Eda chuckled and shared that a student still apparently committed suicide over their modules, despite the initiatives. The official continued to laugh when she theorized that the modules only play a small part in similar reported incidents.

It’s ridiculous to even write this, but the idea of suicide is no joke, the context surrounding the tragedy be damned. What might seem to be a ‘trivial’ trigger for us could mean the world for others.

In such a tumultuous and sensitive time, people have gone to great lengths to emphasize that nobody’s personal struggles deserve to be invalidated. Mental health advocate Dr. Gia Sison went so far as to launch the campaign ‘It’s Okay To Cry’. 

More than ever, people need to know that they are seen, and laughing about suicide isn’t going to do any favors.

 

Banner: Bea Zaragoza

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Source: we the pvblic