A month after the Sendong disaster that violently hit the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, some survivor children are still having nightmares that they drowned themselves from the floods.

A 19–year–old man is also seen running almost daily to the site of their house that was wiped out by the flood, still searching for his missing parents. While a 61–year–old woman is now having bouts of severe depression after she lost her husband and daughter and six grandchildren who are all missing until now.

Contributed Photo

These are just some of the cases documented by Balsa Mindanao's volunteers who conducted psycho–social therapy sessions among adult and children survivors in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan last January 14–15. The volunteers were comprised of psychologists, guidance counsellors, social workers and some psychology and social work student interns coming from the different Mindanao regions.

More than 300 children were given psycho-social therapy sessions in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan Cities where activities such as group play, drawing and group-sharing were launched. There were also one–on–one sharing for those who suffer severe trauma and depression. For the adults some 170 were given psycho–social sessions in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

To date, some of the said volunteers for are still in the Cagayan de Oro following up serious psycho–social cases including adults. It is to be recalled that a man had earlier committed suicide in an evacuation site in Cagayan de Oro City due to depression upon knowing that he could not avail of a house for rehabilitation.

Social worker and volunteer Girlie de la Cerna of the Children's Rehabilitation Center–Southern Mindanao Region said that psycho–social problems are always expected from calamities like Sendong.

She added, however, that psycho–social problems should be seen within the whole structural context saying that wanton environmental plunder by big business ventures such as mining and plantations have caused disasters resulting to psycho–social problems.

The said psycho–social volunteers were among the more than a hundred of volunteers who rendered psycho–social and medical services for the 3rd wave of Balsa Mindanao’s Mission for Sendong survivors. Among them were nuns, pastors, religious brothers, teachers, students, nurses, and doctors and some representatives from various organizations and institutions.

Balsa Mindanao is now preparing for the 40th day of the Sendong disaster on January 25 and the 4th wave of the Sendong Mission which is the rehabilitation phase this coming February.

Balsa Mindanao is a citizen–led mobilization for disaster response and to advocate for climate justice.

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