Why do these two daughters keep their 74-year-old mother in a cage?

Nanay “Nida” has been living inside a makeshift cage for nearly two years.

In her cage, Nanay “Nida” would scream so loud at night that it would bother the neighbors, tear clothes off her body, and throw rocks at people when she got angry.

Nanay “Nida” was once considered an ideal mother to seven children. But after her husband died of a liver disease in 2014, she started acting odd.

Her daughters, Genny and Ginalyn said that Nanay “Nida” would laugh uncontrollably, and "fake" her death by pretending that she wasn't breathing.

She would also start singing the religious song "Ave Maria" out of nowhere, before verbally insulting children. When she was mad, her daughters could barely recognize her.

Eventually, Ginalyn and Genny decided to keep their mother locked up in a cage. This was their way of making sure that she would not unintentionally harm others.

"Masakit talaga, pero tanggap namin dahil ganyan na talaga siya. Tumutulo rin ang aming luha. Magulang kasi namin ‘yan," said Ginalyn, her daughter, who was in tears.

["Seeing our mother locked up pains us. But there’s nothing else we could do."]

Since then, the sisters have been walking from their house to their mother's cage for half an hour every day, to give her food in plastic bags. They opted to use plastic because she had a tendency to break plates.

Nanay “Nida” was never brought to a hospital because the nearest one was two hours away. She never received any form of medication or had a check-up.

Moved by her condition, the KMJS team coordinated with the Baliangao Municipal Health Office for Nanay “Nida” to see a specialist.

The doctor diagnosed Nanay “Nida” with schizophrenia, and said that she needed to be urgently brought to a mental health facility.

Schizophrenia, as described by the U.S National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), is a "chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves."

The local government of Baliangao and KMJS team donated two months' worth of medicines to Nanay Nida. But the doctor in Ozamis said that she would need to take medications for a long time.

"Amin siyang ina, mahal talaga namin siya....Kung may tutulong sa kanya para gumaling, malaki ang aming pasasalamat, [She’s our mother and we love her very much. We will be thankful to anyone who could offer to help her.]" said Ginalyn.

For those who want to help Nanay “Nida” and her family, please deposit to:

LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES-CALAMBA MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL

ACCOUNT NAME: GENNY LARA

ACCOUNT NUMBER: 4216 0151 56

— Angelica Y. Yang/LA, GMA News