Before the fire, she reached out

What happened next is a wake-up call

- JANE KINGSU-CHENG

A tragic and heartbreaking incident occurred in Sta. Marcia, Bulacan, where a mother and her three young children were killed in a fire. I try not to imagine them crying, trapped inside, as the fire consumed their home, but the thought keeps slipping in. Earlier that night, the mother had gone to the authorities to report ongoing issues with her in-laws.

The fact that she still chose to end her life, along with her three young children, the eldest just six years old, says she may have felt unheard. She must have thought she had nowhere else to go.

More often than not, voicing out our worries only left us feeling judged, misunderstood, or even dismissed.