Sen. Bong Go remains firm in advocating for greater government interventions that would effectively address mental health issues, expressing his concern over the spike in suicide cases in the country, particularly at the height of the pandemic.
In two separate ambush interviews in Orion, Bataan, and Valenzuela City on 3 and 4 February respectively, Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, underscored the gravity of mental health problems and their impact on communities, especially the youth.
Based on studies, rates of suicide cases nationwide have drastically increased for the past decades, especially among the youth. For this reason, the lawmaker filed Senate Bill No. 1786 which mandates public higher education institutions (PHEIs) to establish Mental Health Offices, including the hiring, deployment, and training of additional HEI-based mental health service personnel.
According to the Department of Education, out of the 28 million student population in public schools in 2021, 404 youths committed suicide, 2,147 attempted suicide, 775,962 sought guidance counseling, 8,000 of which are victims of bullying.
“According to studies, reported suicide rates po ay tumataas. Simula po noong pandemya, marami pong nade-depressed. Hindi lang po mga estudyante, ‘yung mga OFWs natin dahil naka-quarantine, napapalayo sa pamilya. Nagkakaroon po tayo ng mga depression at suicide cases. Reportedly noong 2021, mayro’n pong 404 na nag-suicide na mga estudyante out of more than 20 million students po. Nakakalungkot po. Kailangan pong ma-address po ito,” cited Go.
“Ako naman po, nag-file din po ako ng Senate Bill 1786 which mandates public higher education institutions to establish mental health facilities. Ibig sabihin, ‘yung mga counselor po dapat nakatutok po dito sa mga eskwelahan dahil marami pong mga estudyante ang dapat alagaan natin. Maaaring depressed nga po sila dulot ng COVID-19 pandemic. The more na dapat nakatutok tayo dito,” he maintained.
The Mental Health Offices shall set up campus hotlines with dedicated and trained guidance counselors to provide assistance to the whole HEI community, especially the students. The bill also states that special attention shall be given to those identified to have mental health problems or conditions, especially those at risk of committing suicide.