On October 24, an 18-year-old woman was found dead inside a mall in Mandaluyong. Reports say she had jumped from the fourth floor in an apparent suicide.
Joaquin Alva, the Mandaluyong Police Chief, identified the young woman as Jessa S. Lojo in an interview with the Inquirer.
Though she was rushed to The Medical City in Pasig, she didn’t make it. She was pronounced dead on arrival at 10:45 a.m.
She posted a video of herself kissing her girlfriend a day before her death
A day before she jumped to her death, Jessa had posted a video of her kissing her 17-year-old girlfriend. After being reprimanded by an aunt, she was told that she was to be sent to the province.
Chan Mae Pontillo, a friend of Jessa’s sister, recalls how distraught she was before she jumped. “Lagi na lang akong pabigat,” she recalls Jessa saying right before she hugged her from behind and dove over the railing.
Chan Mae recounted how Jessa asked to be brought to the mall’s chapel, which was located on the 5th floor. According to an Inquirer report, they met up with Jessa’s girlfriend, sister, and some friends at a Mcdonald’s in Barangka to talk about the posted kissing video.
Jessa had reportedly run away in tears when her sister asked for the contact details of her girlfriend’s parents. It was Chan Mae who ran after her and agreed to accompany her to the chapel.
Jessa’s parents reside in an undisclosed province. She had 8 siblings.
Find out what support LGBT youth can find in Manila
Suicide is one of the leading causes of teen deaths
Suicide is the “third leading cause of death for those aged 10-14 and the second leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15-34”, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the United States, one suicide occurs every 13 minutes and the majority (77.8%) of these cases involved males.
About 5,000 lives are lost each year and 84% of this number are males.
Suicide stems from a deep depression that “goes beyond a general melancholy attitude”, reports NoBullying.com. It can greatly affect a teen’s life and often leads to alcoholism, teen pregnancy, self-mutilation and, when left uncorrected, it can lead to suicide.
Support for LGBTQ Youth in Manila
In the Philippines, though LGBTQs are widely accepted, with the country being the TK most gay-friendly country, there have still been reported cases of LGBTQ-directed discrimination and violence.
Though Jessa’s apparent suicide may or may not have been directly related to her sexual orientation, it’s safe to assume that there’s a chance that it could have been avoided had she been given the right resources and guidance.
According to a report by LAGABLAB (Lesbian and Gay Legislative Advocacy Network), a non-profit and SEC-registered network of different lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activist groups and individuals in the Philippines, suicide is on the rise among gay teens due to “a lack of acceptance within their families”.
Though an Anti-Discrimination Bill is currently in Congress, Pinoy LGBTQs still face daily struggles in school and in the workplace. For more information, read LAGABLAB resources, here.
Here are some organizations which advocate for the rights and provide support to LGBTQ youth in Metro Manila.
READ: Bullied 13-year-old said teachers “didn’t do anything” in his suicide note
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