PARAÑAQUE 2nd District Rep. Brian Yamsuan has filed a bill seeking to establish accessible mental health services in all state universities and colleges (SUCs) to address the rising cases of anxiety and depression among young Filipinos.
Under his House Bill 7354, a mental health office (MHO) will be established in every SUC.
In a statement on Tuesday, Yamsuan said that while the Department of Education has been focused on ensuring the mental well-being of students in the basic education sector, no such initiative has been institutionalized at the tertiary level for college students, who are as vulnerable to emotional stress, depression and bullying.
The lawmaker was referring to the nationwide launch of its Learner's Telesafe Contact Center helpline #337733, which would bring immediate mental health support to elementary and high school students by providing them a direct connection to the National Center for Mental Health Crisis Hotline.
"Our proposed legislation will address these gaps in the implementation of government programs aimed at effectively responding to the growing mental health crisis among the youth,” Yamsuan said.
He expressed concern over a nationwide survey conducted by the University of the Philippines Population Institute in 2021, which found that 7.5 percent of Filipino youths ages 15–24 have experienced suicidal thoughts, double that of the 3 percent recorded in 2013.
Under Yamsuan’s bill, the MHOs he proposes will set up hotlines supervised by trained and dedicated guidance counselors who can assist not just students but all members of the SUC community.
Once the bill becomes a law, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will be tasked with requiring all SUCs to establish an MHO in all their campuses, subject to the rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
CHED and SUCs, through their own MHOs, shall initiate and sustain a heightened campaign to raise the collective consciousness about mental health, especially among students.
The campaign shall give special emphasis to issues of suicide prevention, stress handling, mental health and nutrition, and guidance and counseling.
They are also mandated under HB 7354 to implement mental health programs and projects, and man their respective MHOs with trained mental health professionals.
To address the lack of personnel in the mental health field, the bill tasks the CHED, in coordination with the DBM, CSC, Department of Health, and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), to prepare a professional and career development plan for mental health professionals.
These should include provisions on personal wellness, merit promotion, performance evaluation, in-service training, graduate scholarships, research grants, and an incentive awards system.
Yamsuan urged his fellow lawmakers to recognize the urgency in passing the measure, which would institutionalize mental health services in SUCs.
"The lack of mental health support not only affects academic outcomes but also one’s personal well-being and, sadly, could sometimes lead to self-harm,” he said.
