Metrobriefs

Pro-PWDs office to be created

Differently abled residents of Quezon City now have an ally they can turn to for help with the approval of the proposed ordinance for the creation of the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) at city hall. Councilor Alfred Vargas III, who drafted the “Persons with Disability Affairs Office Ordinance of Quezon City,” said that PDAO would look for job opportunities for disabled residents and protect them against discrimination. According to Vargas, he has seen people with disabilities (PWDs) discriminated against because of their condition, especially whenever they look for work. The establishment of PDAO, he said, would benefit around 8,000 registered differently abled citizens residing in Quezon City. Under the ordinance, PDAO will be an advocacy body that will lobby for the rights of PWDs.—Penelope Endozo

75-year-old man found dead

A 75-year-old man suffering from tuberculosis was found dead, apparently by his own hand, inside his house in Malate, Manila Sunday morning. Renato Dagangan’s body was found hanging from a beam in the ceiling by his son, Ruben, in their home on P. Zapanta Street in Singalong. Ruben told the police that Renato had been diagnosed with tuberculosis but that their family was too poor to seek treatment for the old man’s illness. Ruben said that his father had found it hard to live with his illness and had recently started talking about death. “Hanggang sa katapusan na lang ako (I only have until the end of the month)” was one of the things his father told him, he added. Ruben said that at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, he left their house to ply his pedicab route and that when he returned, he found his father dead. The police, however, said they had not yet ruled out foul play in the elderly man’s death.—Jaymee T. Gamil

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH). Their crisis hotlines are available at 1553 (Luzon-wide landline toll-free), 0917-899-USAP (8727), 0966-351-4518, and 0908-639-2672. For more information, visit their website: (https://doh.gov.ph/NCMH-Crisis-Hotline)

Alternatively, you can contact Hopeline PH at the following numbers: 0917-5584673, 0918-8734673, 88044673. Additional resources are available at ngf-mindstrong.org, or connect with them on Facebook at Hopeline PH.