Just recently, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas lauded the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Mental Wellbeing and Resilience for initiating “Dagyaw: Activation of Multiple Creative Hubs in the City of Iloilo for Mental Health Wellbeing and Resilience.
In a social media post by the Iloilo City Government, it defined ‘Dagyaw’ as a Hiligaynon term for communal work. It is associated with ‘mutual sharing and help that reflects the symbiotic relationship between members of a group’.
Moreover, the movement highlights ‘Ginhawa’, a breathing prayer of sort that was initiated during the flag ceremony last Monday and will be a regular practice every start of meetings at the City Hall. According to Prof Jessica Bercilla of TWG, the practice is vital since breathing is a ‘essential life process that nourishes the being through its physiological and psychological co-benefits which are much needed especially in the time of COVID.
The practice enumerates the following benefits:
- Develop a culture of ginhawa (to breathe);
- Manage pent-up emotions arising from COVID 19 and other stressors;
- Reclaim capacity to take control of their lives;
- Regain capacity to belong and build or enhance the sense of community;
- Facilitate and enable learning among people.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas also shared his thoughts on mental wellness:
“It is our responsibility and obligation to make sure that our children, who have bigger future, will not waste their life because of problems on mental health. We really need to help one another. We all owe it to our community to make sure that our children will live a full life like all of us.
We will try to do as much as possible. And that is the reason why the city government is embarking on this program. We have been planning because we have seen that there is really a problem. There are those who think differently. And that is the reason why we should all try to do something about this.”
The initiative will be coordinated by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council via the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, with strict compliance to health protocols.
