MANILA, Philippines - The news about all the mishaps and foibles of the tragedy that is Sulpicio Lines continue to hog the headlines. July, ironically, is National Disaster Consciousness Month.

In the midst of it all, I continue to wonder if enough attention has been given to the psycho-social aspect of healing?for the survivors, for those left behind and for those who confront the anger, grief and hatred foisted upon them by family members who continue to be in limbo.

I got my answer the other night when psychiatrist June Lopez spoke to me about the valiant efforts that she and a group of mental health professionals are doing to aid all disaster victims. The group includes Dr. Imelda Villar and her organization, Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA); trauma specialist and family therapist Honey Carandang; Philippine Psychiatric Association, World Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR), PNRC, DSWD, Ateneo, UST, UP-PGH plus others who started a Citizen?s Network on Psychosocial Response CNetPSR.

?The reaction was overwhelming. In two days? time we were able to arrange a meeting with 20 organizations attending,? she shares. ?In Iloilo, our psychiatrists were able to work with Doctor Villar?s PGCA for a one-day training on trauma processing. Ateneo was able to field their frontline organization Silaban to process several barangays in the disaster-stricken communities there,? June tells me.

She tells me about receiving the first-person account of Dr. Bobby Canete, a psychiatrist from Cebu who was around when relatives of the sunken ship were unceremoniously ushered into the parking lot where more than 40 bodies of decomposing children and adults were laid for viewing. ?Bobby could not sleep for several nights recalling the stench, and the hysterical reactions of these hapless relatives,? she relates.

Management of the dead

June says that ?Management of the Dead? has been a buzz word since the tsunami disasters two years ago, but until now, the Philippines, a country mired in countless disasters year in and year out, has been unmindful of its psychosocial aspects.

?While we acknowledge the horrendous psychosocial impact of disasters on victims and survivors, to this day, we have not given it enough attention. Media mainly focused on the investigation of Sulpicio, the statistics and physical damage of typhoon Frank, identification of the Sulpicio victims but nothing much on personal accounts of the psychological trauma not only brought about by the event itself but also by its aftermath?bad handling of survivors and relatives, lack of logistical resources to cover all stricken areas, etc.?

June says she had a chance to process survivors of ?Milenyo? in Infanta Quezon for a training video they were making. She adds the survivors continued to grapple with the emotional consequences of their experience even two years down the road.

With the pending re-floating of the MV Princess of the Stars, June and her group are very much concerned about the families. ?We are talking about no less than 800 families here,? she stresses. ?Right now, there is concern regarding the handling of more relatives with the re-floating of the Princess of the Orient and the return of the DNA samples in two to three weeks? time. We should not allow the same inept, insensitive handling of the relatives we saw some weeks ago!?

However, just like any other program, the group?CNetPSR?needs both financial assistance and logistical support in order to reach as many victims as they can. The members of the group are some of the best minds in the fields of psychology and psychiatry, trauma experts and the like who are offering their services for free so they can save many more Filipino families from further trauma.

But because we live in an imperfect world, good intentions need to be backed by funding from generous hearts and souls who likewise believe in the cause of the Filipino family. The amount they seek in order to train people and reach more families on a yearly basis is not staggering. It?s ironic when you think that the cost of one person?s vice or toy is enough to help process the psycho-social and emotional needs of hundreds of families and help them get back on their feet again.

For more information, or to help out with the Citizen?s Network on Psychosocial Response, please contact Dr. June Lopez at junelopezmd76@yahoo.com or call 0917-8117756.