27/09/2025
๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ | ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ข๐๐
| by Obsioma, Art Joseph A.
In the quiet spaces of our lives, behind the laughter, the busy schedules, and the polite smiles, many of us carry burdens no one else sees. Itโs easy to feel alone, invisible, even, in a world that often demands strength, success, and perfection. But the truth is this: every single one of us has a problem.
Some wrestle with grief. Others carry the weight of rejection, trauma, or unspoken fears. Some feel crushed under financial pressure, loneliness, or the sting of failure. We all bleed in different ways. And yet, in those darkest moments, there is one truth we must hold on to, but, whatever it is, DO NOT LET THE LIGHT GOES OUT.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ
Too many times, we hear the same heartbreaking words: โThey seemed fine.โ Because pain doesnโt always scream. Sometimes, it whispers. It hides behind routines and responsibilities. It masks itself in silence, in isolation, or in that one last โIโm okayโ before someone vanishes forever.
We donโt talk enough about this kind of pain, the kind that slowly chips away at a personโs sense of self-worth. The kind that convinces them that theyโre a burden, that the world would be better without them. But that is a lie that depression tells, and it is a cruel one.
You are not a burden. You are not weak. You are a human being facing something incredibly hard, and you are not alone.
In fact, recognizing this urgent need for support, the Philippine Mental Health Act (Republic Act 11036) was signed into law in June 2018. It is a landmark policy that aims to protect and promote the rights of all Filipinos, especially those suffering from mental health conditions. Among its provisions is the establishment of 24/7 mental health hotlines nationwide, services designed specifically to assist people in crisis, particularly those at risk of su***de.
But despite these legal efforts, the numbers remain grim. In just the first six months of this year, the Philippine National Police (PNP) recorded nearly 2,000 cases of death by su***de. Former PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III revealed that many of these were linked to bullying, both physical and online, and abuse. In one tragic example, he recalled that when he was chief of police in Quezon City, 15 people died by su***de in a single month, an average of one every two days.
This crisis is not new, especially among young people. When the Philippines first joined the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the results were alarming: Filipino 15-year-olds were among the most bullied and abused students in the world. The label stung, โbullying capital of the world,โ but it reflected a dangerous reality many of our youth are silently enduring.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ช๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐, ๐ง๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
Life can be unbearable at times. Thatโs the raw truth. But no matter how dark it gets, that moment, that single moment where you feel like giving up, is not the end of your story.
There are people who care about you. People who would choose you again and again, no matter how messy or broken you feel. Even if you canโt feel their love right now, it is real. Even if you donโt see the light ahead, it is coming.
Healing isnโt easy. Asking for help can feel impossible. But strength isnโt about pretending everything is okay, itโs about reaching out when everything feels like itโs falling apart.
A conversation. A message. A cry for help. These are not signs of weakness, they are signs of life, of hope, of the quiet courage it takes to keep going.
And yet, seeking help is still not easy in this country. Despite the passage of RA 11036, mental health services in the Philippines remain underfunded. The country lacks enough psychologists and psychiatrists, especially in public schools where guidance counselors are few and often overwhelmed. The law guarantees protection from discrimination and cruel treatment, access to care, the right to informed consent, and confidentiality, all essential rights, but these rights must be matched with resources and real-world implementation.
The most critical intervention often comes long before someone is in crisis. It must begin in our schools, in our homes, and in our communities. We must train educators to recognize signs of mental distress, provide students with safe spaces to speak up, and ensure that bullying, especially online, is addressed, reported, and stopped. Schools must establish reporting mechanisms that protect victims and prevent retaliation. No one should feel unprotected. No one should feel unheard.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐
If you are struggling: please stay, please talk, please give tomorrow a chance to surprise you.
And if you know someone who might be hurting, reach out. Even if youโre not sure what to say. Sometimes, just being there is enough.
You donโt need to have all the answers. You only need to remind them they are seen, loved, and that their life matters, because it does.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฎ๐
Su***de doesnโt end pain, it passes it to the ones left behind. The grief of losing someone to su***de is like a storm that never fully settles. The โwhat ifs,โ the โif onlys,โ the hollow space that will never be filled. We canโt bring back those weโve lost, but we can honor them by doing better, by talking, by listening, by caring louder.
Itโs time for our systems to catch up with our needs. Itโs time for RA 11036 to be fully implemented, with funding, training, and accountability, so that no one feels like su***de is their only option.
Because it isnโt.
Because there is help.
Because you matter.
And if you canโt believe it for yourself yet, let someone believe it for you until you can, just never LET THE LIGHT GOES OUT.
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