MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is conducting stress debriefing for families of passengers who perished in the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars to help them cope with the trauma of losing a loved one.
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said she has activated 24-hour social welfare inquiry desks for the families of the victims.
“Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) sessions are being conducted for the 35 family members of the victims to help them cope with their traumatic experience,” Cabral said. The inquiry desks are located at the Sulpicio Lines offices in Port Area, Manila and at the Reclamation Area in Cebu City.
In the Sulpicio Lines office in Manila, DSWD social workers have undertaken the master-listing of 336 families who claim to be relatives of the victims, Cabral said.
Cabral said CISD is a psychosocial intervention given to victims of traumatic incidents to lessen the impact of the trauma by expressing their emotions. – Helen Flores, Nestor Etolle