Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 7858

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

There has been a significant increase in the awareness of the mental health situation
in the country. The Philippine Mental Health bill, which has passed both House and
Senate approval, is now pending the President's signature and aims to respond to
the mental health needs of Filipinos by integrating mental health into the general
health care system. While the Comprehensive Mental Health Act will ensure that
Filipinos are provided access to a mental care system, there is still a room for a
preventive system in the case of youth suicide in the country.

In 2016, youth suicide came into public light during a Senate Committee on Youth
hearing on the National Poison Management and Control Center's report. The said
report stated that Filipino kids as young as 10 years old have committed suicide
because of depression—16 percent of the total suicide cases recorded are from the
youth, teens aged 10 to 19 years old. In a study on the prevalence of suicide
attempts among Filipino youth’, the author found that roughly 1 in 10 Filipino youth
aged 15 to 27 have considered suicide an option

This bill intends to require all schools to implement a Peer Counseling Program to
encourage positive mental health for students. The program includes a peer
counseling training course that teaches basic counseling skills as well as a Mentor-
' Quintos, Mark Anthony M. (2017). Prevalence of Suicide Ideation and Suicide Attempts among the Filipino

‘Youth and its Relationship with the Family Unit. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No.
2, May 2017. Accessed from http://www.apimr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/0S/APIMR-2017.5.2.2.02.pdf


Mentee program to stimulate relationship and confidence building and skill and
academic motivation. The schools are also encouraged to employ at least one
psychologist, as far as practicable, in every school guidance counselor's office in
order to respond to the mental health care needs of the students and create suicide
prevention programs. It also intends to establish Youth Health Centers to address
the stigma of mental health and identify youth issues.

Institutionalizing the Youth Suicide Prevention program means ensuring that the
mental health needs of our youth are taken cared for. This entails the collaboration of
both the DepEd and the DOH to formulate a program that not only promotes
awareness, but also mechanisms to prevent the problems. The bill proposed defers
to the wisdom and expertise of the two government agencies that cares for the well-

being of its citizens.

The approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

Wl.

LUIS RAYMUND “LRA’ . VILLAFUERTE, JR.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No?858

Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR.

AN ACT
TO PROVIDE YOUTH SUICIDE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Youth Suicide Prevention
Act of 2018”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - Under Section 13, Article Il of the 1987
Constitution, the State shall promote and protect the physical, moral, spiritual,
intellectual, and social well-being of the youth. In view of this policy, the State shall
promote youth programs that will shape their values and inculcate in them positive
self-image, self-respect, critical thinking and moral responsibility to enable them to
become principle-centered and values-driven individuals

SECTION 3. Formulation of Life Planning Education. - The Department of
Education (DepEd), in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), is
mandated to formulate and include in the elementary and secondary education
curriculum a course on Life Planning. Life Planning Education (LPE) shall require
lectures and discussions on self and identity; personal, family, community values;
communication and interrelationship with others; sexuality and gender roles;
community participation; health; psychological thinking and employment, among
others. The DepEd is mandated to ensure that Life Planning Education is integrated


in all schools. Training shall be provided to school administrators, teachers, guidance
counselors and other school personnel responsible for delivering LPE.

The DepEd is likewise mandated to formulate a mechanism for sustaining peer
counseling and peer education programs.

SECTION 4. Implementation of Public Education Campaign. - The DOH, in
consultation with the DepEd, is mandated to tap doctors, health specialists, medical
experts, hospitals and other medical institutions to conduct a nationwide education
campaign to help the youth, parents of youth, teachers, school personnel and the
general public to:

a. Become aware of the increasing problem of youth suicide and suicidal
behaviors;

b. Recognize common warning signs of suicidal thoughts and intent;

c. Learn how to respond to youth who exhibit such signs; and

d. Know when and where to go for accurate assessments and professional help.

SECTION 5. Implementation of a Peer Counseling Group Program in Every
School. — The DepEd is mandated to require all schools to implement a Peer
Counseling Program that includes the following:

a. Peer Counseling Training Course — credited training program to be conducted
by the school psychologist or guidance counselor and shall involve lessons on
basic counseling skills and analyses for students. The school may also tap the
help of health specialists through the abovementioned Public Education
Campaign;

b. Mentor-Mentee Program — the school psychologist or guidance counselor
shall oversee the conduct of the Mentor-Mentee program and be responsible
for the matching of students based on mentee developmental focus and
mentor capabilities.

SECTION 6. Employment of Psychologist for Monthly School Counseling
Alignment Sessions. - The DepEd, in cooperation with the DOH, is mandated to


employ at least one (1) psychologist in every school. The psychologist shall be
employed on a consultancy service position and shall be required to visit the school
at least once (1) a month to hold School Counseling Alignment Sessions. The school
psychologist must also prepare a yearly School Counseling Program of Work in
order to align the guidance counselors with the campaigns and programs included in
this Act. Said psychologist must be licensed to practice the profession in accordance
with existing laws and rules and regulations. The duties and responsibilities of the

school psychologist are, but not limited to, the following:

a. Gain up-to-date scientific knowledge about effective screening and crisis
intervention strategies to identify symptoms of suicidal behavior;

b. Formulate and implement standardized and reliable screening procedures of
suicidal intent and tendencies;

c. Provide consultation and assist students in seeking help from their parents,
other adults in their social networks, and health care system personnel;

d. Increase competencies in post suicide intervention to prevent further suicides;

e. Conduct screening procedures or assessments twice in each school year for
every grade level starting from Grade 3 until Senior High School;

f. Other duties and responsibilities which DepEd and DOH may identify as
necessary to fulfill the above mandate.

The DOH is hereby mandated to provide technical assistance to schools with respect
to training psychologists in schools. It shall implement the best practices in the
identification and treatment of youth who are at risk for committing suicide.

SECTION 7. Provision of Technical Assistance and Data Management. — The
DOH is mandated to assist the DepEd in:

a. Identifying and promoting strategies to prevent suicide among the youth;

b. Ensuring the quality of screening and crisis intervention strategies and
procedures;

c. Studying the effectiveness of practices relating to the identification and
treatment of youth who are at risk for committing suicide on the overall
wellness and health promotion strategies related to suicide attempts.


The DOH shall conduct research and development programs on the effectiveness of
new and existing youth suicide prevention strategies, techniques, technology,
including clinical studies and evaluations of such strategies and related research
aimed at reducing youth suicide and providing support for emotional and behavioral

disorders which may lead to suicide attempts.

The DOH is likewise mandated to develop a suicide data collection system to
provide reliable data about attempted suicides in the country. In developing the
system, the DOH shall

a. Include information on the incidence of suicide attempts;
b. Include demographic information on the persons who attempt suicide; and
c. Explore prevention strategies to reduce the number of attempted suicides and

suicides.

SECTION 8. Establishment of Youth Health Centers. - The DOH may establish a
linkage with national government agencies, Local Government Units (LGUs) and
non-governmental institutions to establish a network of health facilities and teen
centers catering especially to young people in order to address their identified youth

issues.

These health facilities and teen centers shall provide family services, peer
counseling and other related services and may collaborate with parents, schools,
religious groups and youth-serving organizations to successfully implement youth
suicide prevention strategies.

SECTION 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The DepEd and DOH, in
consultation with the National Center for Mental Health, National Youth Commission,
local and national organizations that serve youth who are at risk for suicide, shall
issue the Implementing Rules and Regulations within 90 days from the effectivity of
this Act.


SECTION 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its
enactment into law and thereafter. An initial amount of Fifty Million Pesos (Php
50,000,000.00) shall be allocated for the first year of its implementation. Such sum
shall be included in the special project allocation of DepEd and DOH.

SECTION 11. Separability Clause. — Should any provision herein be declared
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity of the other provisions of this
Act.

SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and regulations
or other issuances or parts inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

SECTION 13. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect in fifteen (15) days

after publication in the Official Gazette or in one (1) newspaper of general circulation
in the Philippines.

Approved,