Hon. Keanu Ivan D.

Agana’s Privilege Speech

Mr. Presiding Officer, members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and their corresponding
counterpart, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
There is no reason to doubt that it is the youth that shapes the future of a country. If its youth is
diligent and hardworking, then that nation is bound to progress, but if its youth is indolent and insincere, then
no one can save that country from downfall. The topic “Youth” is a relevant subject in the present times as
major stress is being laid down on educating the youth and helping them chart their future course of action,
which in turn will dictate the fate of a nation.
Nowadays, the teenage years can be full of pressure, uncertainty, and change. This stage of their
lives can be difficult for parents and kids alike. The combination of hormonal changes, new academic and
social challenges, emotional volatility and shifting family dynamics can feel overwhelming. A lot of issues in
adolescence, including social media, body image, sexual activity, substance use and sleep triggered them to
experience social anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-injury, psychosis and suicidal thinking.
The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1 million people die each year from
suicide. What drives so many individuals to take their own lives? To those who are not in the grips of
suicidal depression and despair, it’s difficult to understand what drives so many individuals to take their own
lives. But a suicidal person is in so much pain that he or she can see no other option.
Mr. Presiding Officer, like me, the teen years are a stressful time. They are filled with major changes.
These include body changes, changes in thoughts, and changes in feelings. Strong feelings of stress,
confusion, fear, and doubt may affect a teen’s problem-solving and decision-making. He or she may also feel
a pressure to succeed. For some teens, normal developmental changes can be very unsettling when
combined with other events, such as, changes in their families, such as divorce, siblings moving out, or
moving to a new place, changes in friendships, problems in school, other losses and many others. These
problems may seem too hard or embarrassing to overcome. For some, suicide may seem like a solution.
Months ago, I have read from the article of Rappler, Philippines an issue about a girl named Bettina
who attempted suicide. “I would feel suffocated, then I felt like ants were crawling on my skin and on to my
head, then I wouldn’t be able to stop crying. I resorted to pinching my arms just to distract myself from what
was going on in my head,” recalled 22-year-old Bettina Jose. “It was the only thing that reminded me that I
was still breathing because I could still feel the pain in my forearms,” she added.
Bettina was just 18 when she first attempted suicide. When the thought first entered her head, it was
as though something had snapped. No weapons involved, she said, but the compulsion to commit suicide
was intense. That first time, she had come from an 8 am class presentation. Her mother found her 9 hours
after she left home for school, lying in the university chapel. Nearly two years later, after much prodding and
convincing from her family, Bettina sought treatment for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. For
almost two years, she battled with the anxiety attacks on her own. They only became worse over time.
But many people who have attempted suicide will say that they wanted to live. They really didn’t want
to die; the desire to remain with loved ones remained very strong. They simply didn’t see any other options.
What causes such a strong conflict in a person? What leads to that feeling of a dead-end, no-way-
out scenario? There are many reasons that someone might choose suicide or contemplate suicidal thoughts.
Those reasons are often so complex and complicated that the person suffering from those feelings might not
be able to articulate exactly what is going on in their head and heart. However, long and difficult research
has found that the basic motivation for suicide is the feeling of utter despair and hopelessness. How a person
reaches that point is what varies from one to another.
The case of Bettina is just one of the many cases of suicide in the country that is too alarming
because of its increasing number in terms of attempts and death. In Capiz alone, according to the
pressreader.com there are 19 suicide cases recorded in Capiz from January to July, 11 deaths were from
Roxas City. Data from Roxas City Health Office found that 6.2 percent per 100,000 of the population commits
suicide. It is higher than the provincial average of 2.4 percent. Local youth leaders are particularly worried as
suicide mostly affects teenagers or young adults facing depression or love life problems.
Mr. Presiding Officer, I have found some of the main reasons behind this sudden rise of cases. One
of these is major disappointments. Suffering through a major disappointment such as rejection, loss of a
boyfriend or girlfriend and failure at school or in sports may trigger suicidal tendencies in teens, who have
difficulty coping with these kinds of situations. These circumstances alone may not be responsible for suicide,
but they are factors that contribute to a teen's taking extreme measures.
Second, the stress, confusion, pressure and worries about self-worth are common problems in many
teens that can trigger suicide. Teens may have to go through parental divorce, moving in with a new family,
living in a new location or going to a different school. In some cases, teens may be victims of physical or
sexual abuse. These are unsettling matters that intensify uncertain feelings such as distress, anxiety or
agitation.
The third is, depression. It is a major cause of suicide that can be present in the teenage years. This
mental disorder can cause feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. Depression can be particularly
harmful for teens who experience violence at home or at school and feel isolated from their peers or lack a
social network of friends.
Also, drug or alcohol abuse can lead to impulsive behavior, especially if a teen is haunted by other
problems such as a mental disorder or family difficulties. Like adults who turn to alcohol or drugs, teens may
believe that substance abuse will bring them relief from surrounding difficulties, but it only worsens the
problems. Substance abuse and mental disorders play prominent roles in a majority of suicides.
Lastly, there is increasing evidence that the Internet and social media can influence suicide-related
behavior. Internet use can cause more exposure to graphic content and lead to cyberbullying, in many cases
over the past ten years cyberbullying has led to self-harm and suicide.
That is why, Mr. Presiding Officer, in order to address the high number of recent suicides in Roxas
City, we have to form a team to draw up ways to prevent such future incidents. In my opinion, the following
can be of great help to help the rise of these cases in our society. First is to encourage people in our
community to reach out to the people who we think have signs of suicidal thinking and are showing signs of
depressions. We need people to befriend those who are suffering from their mental health. They have to ask
them directly if they are thinking about suicide. It needs to be a direct question that can’t be misinterpreted.
Most people with thoughts of suicide want to talk about it. They want to live – but desperately need someone
to hear their pain and offer them help to keep safe. Don’t be afraid to ask them if they are thinking about
suicide. This shows you care and they’re not alone
Second, we have to create safer communities by providing training to increase suicide awareness
and prevent suicide. The training is available to any individual, organization or community group to increase
their awareness of suicide and see prevention opportunities they may otherwise miss, become more alert to
clues and communications that someone may be thinking of suicide, ask about suicide and respond in ways
that show understanding and assess risk, work with persons at risk to increase their safety, and to facilitate
links with further help from family, friends and professional helpers as needed.
Lastly, we have to provide local hotlines attended by the trained local officials for the depressed and
problematic persons who have the difficulty to share their sentiments and problems among their peers, family
members and even their close friends. Let us, allow them to express their feelings. Let them do most of the
talking. They will often feel a great sense of relief someone wants to talk to them about their darkest thoughts.
These are concerns that this humble representation steadfastly considers as priorities in terms of
addressing the problems in our city especially for the youths. Mr. Presiding Officer, considering that the office
holds the power of the purse, I am hoping that these will be given preferential attention by the body.
Mr. Presiding Officer and the rest of my colleagues, I am really thankful for this opportunity to deliver
my privilege speech and my agenda to end the rising cases of suicide in the province. I would also like to
take this opportunity to thank the Rotary Club of Roxas City for this opportunity they have given me. It will
forever be treasured. Before I close my speech, may we be reminded of a famous line form John Quincy
Adams, “If your action inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more -you are a
leader”. It is my fervent hope that we may all be worthy to be called honorable Ladies and Gentlemen of the
Local Government Unit of Roxas City by the Filipino people. Thank you very much for the warm reception.
May God continue to bless our beloved city, Roxas City.
Thank you very much.