Ted Failon.

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It's a tragedy what happened to Filipino journalist Ted Failon and his family.

I hope the Failon family gets through this.

***
The Filipino Channel (TFC) is on at our house almost 24/7. It is, after all, our only connection to the Philippines right now. When we heard the news about Failon's wife, it started the discussion on suicide and depression, two things that are unheard of, uncommon and of course, unacceptable in our (Maranao) society. These are signs of weakness, something that is taboo and never talked about. A Maranao should have no weaknesses. 

Like my friend T said, "We are the Chosen People. Haha. We THINK we are."

I never thought about my parents' views on this would be. Now I know to them, it's mostly some form of ignorance. They didn't know about this, and now they do. Which is a good thing. My mother thought that depression was just someone being "maarte". (Let's see, that would probably mean whimsical in English? I'm not sure.) My father, like so many people (including myself), thought that it was just a very mild form of mental condition, easily curable by not "sweating the small things".

I'm glad that in this instance, my parents are open-minded enough to try and learn more about this.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 6:49 PM

    Our society is known for exerting pressure on its members especially when it comes to conforming to what is acceptable (which of course, doesn't always mean the right things, Islamically speaking). I guess you haven't been here in Marawi for quite a while, but the incidence of nervous breakdowns and all that isn't strange here anymore. In fact, many Maranaos take up psychology now, but we're still far from establishing mental health facilities (READ: MENTAL HOSPITALS) in the area, and many families still are reluctant to seek professional help.

    So depression isn't new here anymore. In fact I overheard an older lady on the jeep talking to her friend : "Miya depressed skaniyan that's why miyapikir iyan na pag-suicide." "Tulungan kaya natin, friend, dowaniyan." Sorry my Maranao isn't good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 17, 2009 at 6:58 PM

    an afterthought: what, NO weaknesses? no wonder we don't move forward as a people!

    ReplyDelete
  3. nessreenApril 18, 2009 at 6:58 AM

    Coralbead:
    That's good news. One step forward for the Maranaos. You gotta admit, though, it still sounds funny hearing it in Maranao. Haha. "Miya-depress skaniyan, giyanan so kapag-arte niyan. Kakuwa anan sa kapanambayang." (Easily remedied with constant prayer)

    Culture of course can not be discounted in this instance. The average Maranao's lifestyle presumably does not leave enough idle time for him/her to ponder things that would depress them.

    And yes, I haven't been to Marawi in 5 years. I do, however, stay in touch with relatives and friends who live there.

    Here's to change. Slow, but change nonetheless. :)

    ReplyDelete

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