SCNHS’ Mental Health Webinar debunks myths

scrutiny for being too lazy, detached, and underperforming.

During the webinar, Bok (not his real name), a learner from SCNHS, shared a similar experience at home when he tried to discuss his emotions.

“‘Iniisiip mo lang ‘yan! Dapat positive thoughts lang lagi!’ was a typical response I received when I attempted to discuss mental health with a member of my family. What turned out to be the key to expanding my support network, however, resulted in being one of the most painful and distress- ing experiences I’ve ever had,” the student’s statement read. exposed to the risk of COVID-19, and we deserve to receive SRA,” said Darrylle Palma, a front-liner who works in the laboratories. Even then, the SRA is only granted based on how many days one has worked, 220 pesos per day. More front-liners are starting to worry and are resigning due to the dangers that come with their work and the inadequate compensation handed to them.

The guest speaker reasoned that instances alike necessitate the withdrawal of Filipinos from such false impressions as it further complicates matters and has led to individuals with mental health issues being misread and misunderstood.

According to her, understanding individual and cultural attitudes about mental illness are crucial for the application of successful mental healthcare practices in a multicultural setting.

Moreover, healthcare workers in the Philippines are not paid once in the 14-day quarantine period. The allowance given to support them is often delayed for 3-5 months. Additionally, frontline workers are still waiting for the promised recompense and benefits of the government which have yet to be given and often come with a condition as compared to the help or “ayuda” given by the government to Filipino communities. “The implementations often don’t meet their purpose and the end result is that we don’t feel the effects of the benefits,” said Melbert Reyes, the National President of the Philippine Nurses Association. This has further led them to question why they should continue offering their services in the Philippines.

Front-liners are often not offered permanent positions due to job orders or just purely contractual with no security of tenure—they also urge the government to give their COVID-risk pay without any conditions. Front-liners also point out that the government often does not go through with their planned compensations and promised benefits thoroughly nor effectively carry out their strategies amid the pandemic. This further begs the question of why they should continue working in the Philippines where their salary is often not enough to sustain their family’s needs.

Furthermore, the benefits of getting employed overseas are also reasons why front-liners prefer the risk of working amid the pandemic abroad than in their home country. For a Filipino nurse in Saudi Arabia, the grass is greener anywhere else but home. The inefficiency of the Philippine government functions, the relatively high tax rate, and the lack of the government’s efforts to secure a better future for Filipinos, especially Filipino front-liners are all factors that play a part in Filipinos seeking employment overseas. This is especially true for the Filipino nurse who says that the Saudis have handled the pandemic well, from public information dissemination to the protection of health care workers or frontline workers regardless of nationality or origin. “We all felt their efforts to protect each individual inside Saudi Arabia. Something that we didn’t expect them to do as compared to how other parts of the world had handled the situation together with their treatment of frontline workers.” Aside from the observed better protection of OFWs, and offered advantages, front-liners said that they prefer to work abroad due to the fact that there’s a high chance they will get paid higher overseas than in the Philippines where there’s a generally low salary offered and the government inefficiently provides said benefits to frontline workers. Additionally, front-liners abroad are often seen or heralded as the nation’s heroes and are treated relatively well.

“If people do not endeavor to achieve a commonality, mutual understanding must be experienced because they have always had prejudices, myths, and stigma associated with the subject matter,” Gumpal added.

Meanwhile, City Highers expressed their appreciation toward the endeavor saying that it leaves them with the essence of shielding their mental health by any means.

The Philippines hopes to encourage Filipinos to return or opt for the nursing profession and other frontline worker jobs. They are also hoping to provide a decent salary, just compensation, and good working condition that will appeal to Filipino front-liners and motivate them to continue serving in our country. Reyes believes that if front-liners like nurses are given more importance, and that they feel that they’ve heard or are given the proper compensation, then they would be more willing to work and offer their services. Perhaps by showing them their value they would be more willing to serve right here in their home country. Maybe, just maybe, they will also feel like their gains are worth all the pains.

COLD-BLOODED CROWN

Geiger Zeus Lance Andaya flushed all of his foes in the elimination round and eradicated the never-say-die spirit of his Quirino rival in the finals, capturing the first gold medal of Santiago City in an unscathed Billiards Boys Race to five 9-ball Championship during the 2022 DepEd Dos Regional Invitational Sporting Event (RISE).

JAMELAMOR R. CARIAGA

Welcome, Player One

As the students of Santiago City National High School continue to sweat in blood, there is a world that awaits them for revitalization. Behind those teary eyes of the learners due to the heavy academic workload given lies the cyber world. However, do you have the capacity to live temporarily in the virtual world?

Have you ever noticed that the morning energy of the students in the pre-pandemic era and during COVID outburst is different? Students nowadays are reflected as a prisoner of education. Due to the pandemic, the cycle of online classes and modular learning makes every student burn out. Sitting on a chair and staring at the screen while listening to the lessons is like looking at the clear sky for an hour. However, electronic games crashed the wall of stress and exhaustion for the teens.

Entering the cyber world will make every student’s mouth drop. Because of their fatigue, digital games went out of their heads, forgetting that they exist. The moment the students place their fingers at the controls, they will leave the actual world and set up a journey virtually. No man is an island, and that is what makes electronic games enjoyable. These students invite their friends for cyber leisure. Completing quests and missions is fun; however, meeting internet strangers is more amusing. The studs can develop their communication skills with the help of electronic multiplayer games. Same as its physical nature, the virtual world contains people with varying personalities.