“Progress may be slow, but it’s still progress. Keep going”
On Monday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos signed the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, a historic step aimed at improving mental health programs in schools.
This legislation will also generate additional plantilla positions for school counselors. It also requires all public and private basic education institutions to implement a comprehensive School-Based Mental Health Program, with special provisions for out-of-school children. This campaign aims to raise mental health awareness and address related difficulties. More importantly, it will boost suicide prevention efforts in academic settings.
In 2023, the Philippine Mental Health Association. Inc. raised the alarm about the country’s growing mental health issue. This collection of mental health specialists and advocates stated that the situation requires wider awareness, support, and action. Dr. Cornelio Banaag Jr., president of PMHA, stated that there has been an upsurge in mental health concerns during and after the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.
“Mental health-related issues affect Filipinos of all ages and backgrounds — young or old, rich or poor. It is a silent epidemic that we need to confront head-on,” He added. In the Philippines, mental illness is becoming a common disability and at least 3.6 million Filipinos suffer from mental, neurological and substance use disorder, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
According to the PMHA, access to mental health services in the country remains limited and unequal due to the stigma and scarce resources. There is also less than one mental health worker for every 100,000 Filipinos, it added. PMHA urged a whole-of-society approach to address mental health concerns. “Mental health is a universal human right,” Banaag said. “We need to make diagnosis, treatment,and care more accessible to the average Filipino.
