Coping: What Makes Their Coping Easier

Even though the families face several factors in their micro, mezzo, and macro systems that further worsen the effects of the HRVs committed against them, several factors still help the families deal with the aftermath of their loss. Facilitating factors shall be defined as those in their micro, mezzo, and macro systems that encourage or facilitate the family’s coping process. These shall include elements that mitigate the harsh effects of the loss of their loved one. The economic, biological-psychological, and social factors that positively affect the way they cope after the incident shall be discussed in detail. Present in their micro systems that help them are their immediate family members and relatives. In several accounts made by the left-behind families of EJK victims, they draw their strength from their children or grandchildren (National Association for Social Work Education, Inc. [NASWEI], 2017). Furthermore, their loss becomes bearable due to the presence of their other loved ones who also experienced the same loss and are ready to offer unconditional support and love.

In the book “The Human Costs of the Philippine War on Drugs” (NASWEI, 2017), several anecdotes were made by interviewed survivors, where they shared how their relatives helped them cope with their loss. They shared instances where their relatives sent financial assistance for the burial of the deceased, and of how they provided emotional support for the bereaved family.

Several institutions provide burial assistance, financial assistance, livelihood programs, and grieving therapy, to name a few, to the families left behind (Sepe, n.d.). The communities where the families live play a role in their healing and recovery as well. While some survivors feel the stigma in their neighborhood and feel unsafe, some families experience the opposite. In some accounts, they narrate the overwhelming support they feel from their neighbors. These neighbors and friends extend financial assistance to the bereaved family, as well as emotional support. One survivor even shared how her son’s friends planned and managed the whole burial and wake process of the deceased (NASWEI, 2017, p. 36).