Father may have faced ‘psychological issues’

The father in Talisay City who shot dead several family members before turning the gun on himself last Sunday should not be immediately blamed for the killing spree, a psychologist said.

“Don’t blame the perpetrator right away. He may have needed  treatment for a condition that caused his violence,” Dr. Glenda Basubas said.

Basubas, who heads the Philippine Mental Health Association ( PMHA) chapter in Cebu, said that  55-year-old Emmanuel Redula Ponce who killed his wife, three adult children and their helper in Palm View Village may have been suffering from psychological issues.

Ponce, who suffered a head injury 10 years ago that forced him to end his job as an overseas seaman, may have suffered major trauma after the accident, she said.

However, details of his workplace accident and effect on his health were not available.

“We can’t rule out other possibilities that caused the trauma. We have to asses all angles and study his basic personality profile,” Basubas told Cebu Daily News.

According to her, if drug use issues are involved, this could  cause an individual to be become more suspicious, suffer from  hallucinations and have a dysfunctional personality that would extend to relationships with the family.

Another possibility is that Ponce may have been suffering  stress that lead to his paranoia, she said.

Neighbors of the family talked about incidents of domestic violence in the Ponce household over the years.

If the trouble had been reported earlier, the shooting rampage could  have been prevented, Basubas said.

“Earlier intervention in violence at home would have a better outcome for the family. If help was sought, something could be done,”  Basubas said.

Basubas said the psychiatric history of the perpetrator should also be investigated to understand what happened and to prevent it from happening again.

The reluctance to report cases of domestic violence because some consider it a “private matter” is a factor in its prevalence today.

“Some families want to appear happy and harmonious to  society,” she explained.

The problem remains because the issue is not properly addressed in society and there is lack of information about the issue, which leads to a negative stigma.

Women should be more assertive to prevent abuse in the home, said Basubas.

She said there are few complaints of domestic violence because the women who suffer feel that they can’t be protected by the law or they fear a threat to their own lives or worry that the family would fall apart.

“Some suffer in silence  because of the embarrassment. They are afraid to divulge that they are battered or abused,” she said. /Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter