MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Army will review its support program for soldiers who may have mental health issues from being in combat, its spokesperson said Sunday.
In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Col. Ramon Zagala said that Lt. Gen. Glibert Gabay, the Philippine Army's commanding general, has ordered a review of trauma and risk management programs within the Army.
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"We will have more proactive peer group activities... to help soldiers treat their post-traumatic stress themselves," he also said in Filipino. He said the Army has been helping its soldiers deal with combat stress, adding that some soldiers have a harder time with it.
The interview comes as retired Cpl. Winston Ragos, a former soldier who had been discharged from service for PTSD and schizophrenia, is to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig. Ragos was shot dead by Police MSgt. Daniel Florendo last Tuesday at a confrontation over the retired soldier allegedly violating quarantine restrictions.
Police leadership have backed Florendo in the shooting, saying it was in self-defense and that the policeman made a "judgment call." The Quezon City Police Disttrict said Friday that it had filed a homicide complaint against Florendo.
Zagala said that although some soldiers are able to process traumatic stress through stress debriefings and other activities, for Ragos, "it went beyond that, he required psychotherapy, family therapy and he required medicine"
The Army spokesperson said that in Ragos' case, "the wounds of war for him, and the fight for him was not over."
He said that the Army acknowledges that "it is important to help (soldiers like Ragos)...find others like him and provide them the help they need."
According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs-National Center for PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder is "a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault."
It also said that having PTSD increases the risk of mental health problems like depression and anxiety, issues with drugs or alcohol use, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts and actions.
"The primary treatment is psychotherapy, but can also include medication," it also said.
Army on NBI probe: All we can do is request
Zagala said that the Army does not want any animosity with the Philippine National Police over the fatal shooting of Ragos and that it is up to the National Bureau of Investigation to act on a request for a probe into the incident.
"We did our part by helping our retired soldier who we think was not given a fair chance," he said, adding the Army sough help from the NBI because its own capability to conduct an investigation is limited since it is not a law enforcement agency.
"We desire only what's fair and what's the truth...what really happened," he said.
He added that many soldiers, "both active and retired," are keeping an eye on developments in the case. — Jonathan de Santos