UP Manila chancellor gets teary-eyed on Kristel suicide: 'We are not ruthless'

(Updated 8:23 p.m.) “If only I knew the extent of her difficulties, I personally would have attended to her needs.”

These were the words of UP Manila Chancellor Manuel Agulto amidst the indignation caused by the suicide of Kristel Tejada reportedly due to her family's inability to pay her tuition.

"Our compassion has been questioned a lot in the media. We have been portrayed as cold-hearted and ruthless," Agulto noted at a press briefing Monday, adding UP Manila “did what it could” in Tejada's cases.

Tejada, 16, a Behavioral Sciences student, committed suicide last March 15 allegedly due to financial difficulties that forced her to file a leave of absence this semester. Her death resulted in a firestorm of criticisms toward the university's policy on tuition.
 
In a memorandum, UP Manila implemented a forced leave of absence rule for students who are unable to enroll for any reason, such as poor health or financial difficulties.

UP officials said Tejada filed her leave properly, indicating that she wanted to continue her studies next year.

"We do not wish to give anyone a difficult time. We dream for them as they aspire for their future... We do not wish to pose obstacles in realizing their dreams," Agulto said during the press briefing.

The chancellor became teary-eyed when he recalled his own years of financial hardship while studying at UP, where he eventually graduated with a degree in medicine. He said his tears were not driven by guilt on his alleged hand in the suicide.
 
Crocodile tears

But for Student Regent Cleve Arguelles, Agulto merely cried "crocodile tears" as the besieged official allegedly felt no remorse on Tejada's suicide.

"Nakakabastos sa alaala ni Kristel 'yung ginawa niyang pag-iyak. Para talagang isang crocodile tears 'yung ginawa ni Agulto... Hangga't hindi po umaamin ang administrasyon na ito na may kinalaman ang palisiya nila sa pagkamatay at depression ng kapwa nating Iskolar ng Bayan, hindi namin nakikita na nakikiramay at nakikiluksa sila," Arguelles said in a phone interview.

Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of militant youth group Anakbayan, said Agulto was merely washing his hands on his alleged role in the incident.

"Naghuhugas kamay lang sila. Wala pa ngang Holy Week nagpo-Pontio Pilato. Walang nag-resign, walang nagpataksil. Lahat pa sila ay naghuhugas kamay," Crisostomo said in a separate phone interview.

Following the incident, militant organizations have been calling on Agulto to resign, to which the besieged chancellor said he would only do so if there is proof that he had a role in the incident.

"Wala pong katotohanan ang pagsasalitang pinagkait sa mahihirap. Ginawa namin ng lahat ng paraan. Kung ako ay tatanggapin ko na ang pagkamatay ng isang estudyante ay dahil sa kapabayaan ko, magre-resign ako. Pababayaaan ko na lang kayo na humatol base sa aming track record," Agulto said.

Repressive policy

Arguelles said Agulto should be held liable for a "repressive" no-late-payment policy.

“As a state university, the policy has no place in the UP. Pag late ka nagbayad, maglo-LOA ka? That's very questionable lalo na sa state university,” Arguelles said.

“Parang ang tingin namin dyan, binabaliktad ng UP administrasyon na student willingly filed for a LOA. Isa pong malaking kasinungalingan. Mabigat na mabigat ang kalooban na kailangang niya magreport ng LOA,” he added.

Meanwhile, UP president Alfredo Pascual shot down reports that Tejada's suicide was due to high tuition.

"'Yun ang nagpe-prevail na assumption. 'Yun lang naman ang dapat pag-isipan ng mabuti kung ano ba talaga dahilan 'yung nag-suicide siya. May mga nakausap akong psychiatrist na ang suicide, hindi isang overnight decision," he pointed out.

But Adrian Sampang, UP Manila student council vice chairperson, said the LOA policy was a major factor in Kristel's suicide.

"The fact that she was barred from entering UP is a big trigger. 'Yung mga magulang na mismo ang nagsabi. Who are we to say that suicide is multifaceted?" Sampang said.

WHO on suicide

According to the World Health Organization in a primer on suicide prevention addressed to the media, "suicide is never the result of a single factor or event."

"It is usually caused by a complex interaction of many factors such as mental and physical illness, substance abuse, family disturbances, interpersonal conflicts and life stressors," it said.

Dr. Paul V. Lee, head of the psychiatry section of Manila Doctors Hospital and associate professor of UP Manila, also said suicide is a "confluence of factors" and cannot be simplified to a single trigger.

"Commonly, maraming factors that cause depression. In fact, I would always say there's no one single cause of suicide, and depression is one of them," Lee said in an interview on " News To Go."

Never again

To prevent the incident from happening again, Agulto said they would attend to the mental needs of students who may be diagnosed of suicidal tendencies.

"In that sense, we have the adequate people. The Philippine General Hospital is the biggest tertiary hospital," he said, referring to the state-funded hospital in UP Manila.

Dr. Erminia Colucci, a researcher and lecturer from the University of Melbourne’s Centre for International Mental Health, said the public has a role in preventing suicide.

“Suicide is preventable and everyone can contribute to the prevention of suicide. The members of the public have a crucial role to play in the prevention of suicide,” she said.

The warning signs of suicide are dramatic change in mood, behavior or appearance; verba; or written threats of killing oneself; engaging in life-threatening behavior; and speaking or contacting people they have not spoken to in a long time to say goodbye or ask forgiveness.

Colluci said one can keep a suicidal person safe by never leaving him or her alone and keeping means of suicide out of a person’s reach.
 
The guidelines also said that while a person with suicidal intentions must be involved in deciding who to tell about their suicidal thoughts, it is still important to inform someone—whether the person’s immediate family or a mental health professional—about his or her suicidal intentions, especially if that person is underage. —  RSJ/YA/KBK, GMA News