DSWD to provide stress debriefing for Maguindanao massacre victims' kin

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide cash assistance as well as stress debriefing to the families of the victims in the Mindanao massacre last Nov. 23.

In a press statement released yesterday night, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the DSWD-Region XII Office in Cotabato is providing P10,000 assistance to each bereaved family of the casualties in the Maguindanao massacre.

“To date, more than P200, 000 financial assistance have been released to 21 bereaved families,” she said.

Cabral said the DSWD Region XII Office has set-up a one-stop shop service where the families of the casualties can claim their financial assistance, get updates on the identification of their relatives, and avail themselves of critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) sessions.

Cabral added that the DSWD Region XII, together with the Department of Health Regional Office, will conduct CISD to the families of the 57 victims.

Cabral said the CISD sessions are conducted by trained social workers, psychiatrists or psychologists to prevent victims of tragedies and disasters, and their families from suffering post–traumatic stress disorders.

The DSWD “will continue to assist the families of the victims in whatever capacity. We condole with them, particularly the women who were victims of this horrible tragedy,” said Cabral.

“The incident also shows the vulnerability of women caught in the cross fire, that is why we feel deeply for the 21 women who were killed in the massacre. The families they left behind, particularly their children, will bear the brunt of this senseless tragedy,” she added.

Meanwhile, the DOH Region XII will provide cadaver bags for the victims while the issuance and release of death certificates to the victims shall be done at the DSWD Regional Office to have a centralized venue for assistance, the DSWD chief said.

At least 57 people, including women and journalists, were brutally killed in Shariff Aguak town on Monday, in what could be the country’s worst election-related violence.