A FAMILY of 12 in Brgy. Gibitngil, Medellin, is receiving urgent psychological care after reportedly suffering severe mental distress and refusing to eat following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit northern Cebu on September 30.
Medellin’s Rural Health Unit (RHU), together with a medical team from Manila, conducted Psychological First Aid (PFA) to help the family cope with trauma.
Authorities were alerted by Brgy. Captain Monina Monato after members of a local Christian group showed signs of emotional breakdown. Police Major Manuel Cabanlit, chief of the Medellin Police, said the family, including a pregnant woman and an eight-year-old child, appeared incoherent and deeply shaken when officials arrived.
Rene Barro, head of the religious group, said the family had stopped eating since October 1 due to the trauma of the quake. They reportedly threw away relief food packs into the sea and showed signs of extreme distress.
The father, who sustained a minor neck injury, was brought to the hospital by the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), while other members continue to receive medical and psychological support from the local government and visiting health teams.
