SEN. Bong Go said the huge shortage of school counselors warrants congressional scrutiny, noting students’ access to mental health and psychosocial support must be ensured.
Go said data showed that fewer than 1,000 registered guidance counselors are serving more than 45,000 schools nationwide.
”Mental health issues are real,” Go said during a Senate hearing concerning the Aug. 18 school shooting in Zamboanga City.
Education Undersecretary Willie Cabral told lawmakers that about 5,000 registered guidance counselors were recorded nationwide as of Jan. 31, but fewer than 1,000 were actually serving under the Department of Education (DepEd).
Cabral added that DepEd created about 5,000 guidance counselor positions in 2020, but only around 1,000 were eventually filled. He said there is a persistent difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified professionals in schools.
Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Youth, said the shortage should receive particular attention during deliberations on the national budget, especially in light of recent incidents of school violence.
He said lawmakers should determine not only the amount allocated for mental health programs but also how quickly positions are being filled, what is delaying recruitment and whether appropriations are sufficient to sustain the personnel needed by schools.
Under Republic Act (RA) 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, schools are required to strengthen mental health and well-being services, including through the establishment of care centers and the deployment of school counselors, counselor associates and other allied personnel.
As an initial step to address the personnel gap, the government authorized 10,000 school counselor associate positions for 2026.
DepEd reported that 9,641 of the positions had been published, with 6,968 undergoing assessment and 2,469 still open for applications. About 400 positions were awaiting the issuance of the necessary staffing action.
Go commended the progress but maintained that authorized positions should ultimately translate into personnel providing services to students.
He urged the full implementation of RA 12080 and the prompt deployment of school counselor associates whose positions have already been authorized.
Go has filed Senate Bill (SB) 2413, or the proposed Safe Schools and Violence Prevention Bill, which seeks to establish national standards for a comprehensive school safety framework.
Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Villar called for the immediate passage of SB 2426, or the proposed Comprehensive School Safety Act.
”The series of incidents of violence in schools is very alarming. There needs to be a comprehensive and holistic solution to this issue, especially as we see how easy it is for children to have access to guns and other deadly weapons,” Villar said.
The substitute measure under Committee Report 89 establishes a comprehensive, whole-of-society, all-hazards framework for preventing, responding to, and recovering from threats and emergencies in schools.
It seeks to protect the physical, mental, psychosocial, health, and digital safety of learners and school personnel.
