Philippine punk rock trio Blitz marked the first anniversary of the release of its full-length debut album, “911,” with a renewed call for the government to review the country’s Mental Health Law.
Performing before an intimate crowd at Blue Knights Resto Bar, Cainta, Rizal, the band appealed for the government to provide greater support for Filipinos in remote areas who continue to face limited access to mental health services despite the existence of the law.
“We are renewing our call for the Marcos-Duterte administration to immediately conduct a review of the Republic Act 11036 also known as the Mental Health Law,” Blitz said during the album’s anniversary show earlier this month.
“We are speaking up for all of our fellow countrymen living in far-flung areas who are still up until today grappling for accessible mental health care, mental health facilities, free medications and free psychotherapy,” Blitz added.
“Because guys. We believe that no one deserves to live under the shadows of mental health conditions and stigma,” Blitz furthered.
“911” features 16 tracks — a concept album about mental unrest and the need for safe spaces.
“911 is what oppression sounds like when the shocks have finally ripped you open,” the album’s prologue reads.
“This record is not clean. It is not pretty. It howls despair, alienation, and disillusionment against today’s harsh reality. It carries the lingering weight of 2 a.m. panic attacks, exposing the rage and vulnerability of the outcast, the nerds, the broken, the misfits and the rebels,” it continued.
Blitz also described the album as a “wreckage shelter” for the outcast, the nerds, the broken, the misfits and the rebels.
“You can safely cry here. You can safely bleed here and you can safely scream here. Welcome to the alley of our bluest emotions. Welcome to the alley of our collective imperfection. Because tonight: you are not alone,” it furthered.
Blitz’s first official releases appeared on Never Submit Collective’s compilation album “Songs of Unity” and Delusion Vol. 2 on October 11.
Two of the band’s tracks “Maria” and “Mourning,” which appeared on the compilation, were later included in 911, which Blitz independently released on October 18, 2025, at Noise Control Studio in Marikina City — the band’s home base in the eastern Metro Manila do-it-yourself music circuit.
Blitz is an independent punk rock trio from San Mateo, Rizal. Since releasing 911, the band has used its music and presence in the alternative music scene to call for a review of the country’s Mental Health Law.
Republic Act No. 11036, or the Mental Health Law, was signed into law by then-President Rodrigo Duterte on June 20, 2018, establishing a national mental health policy intended to improve the delivery of mental health services and protect the rights of people who need them.
However, public concerns about the law’s implementation have been raised by lawmakers and the Commission on Human Rights. On October 2022, the commission called for the law’s effective implementation. In 2023, senators discussed challenges in delivering mental health services and concerns about conditions at the National Center for Mental Health.