Republic of the Philippin
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Bill No._299

INTRODUCED BY Rep. GREG G. GASATAYA,

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Healthcare, especially Mental Healthcare. has become quite neglected among college students
due to the extreme priority of universities to excel in the academe and in both curricular and non-
curricular activities. As cases of self-injury among students rise because of lack of mental health care and
awareness in universities, it must be realized by the state that in order to attain our desired intellectual
development in students, we must also provide sufficient mental health services and promote mental
health awareness to them.

According to the National Center for Mental Health of the Department of Health (DOH), the
suicide rate in the Philippines is 2.5 for men and 1.7 for women (per 100,000 population). In 2012, the
DOH estimated more than 2,500 cases of suicide: 2,008 of which are male and 550 female. Despite
having the lowest suicide incidence among the ASEAN countries, the World Health Organization (WHO)
noted in a 2011 report that the Philippines is the country with the highest incidence of depression in
Southeast Asia. In 2004 alone, the DOH recorded over 4.5 million cases of depression. The DOH further
reported that only 30 of every 90 of depressives will seck medical help while the other 60 will be
ashamed to seek help because of the stigma associated with the iliness.

Despite the alarming state of mental health in the country, there are only 490 psychiatrists for our
entire population of more than 100 million and it remains inaccessible to the poor due to costly
consultations. The lack of legislation, according to leading psychologists and psychiatrists, may well be
among the reasons our suicide rate continues to increase. Our mental health personnel for our tertiary
educational institutions also remain fimited despite the increasing need for mental healthcare among,
students. The undersigned believes that improved mental heaith services that attend to students’ mental,
developmental, and emotional needs would help prevent spiteful incidences among college students and
would assist in their holistic development as we eliminate the said barrier to learning.

In this light, this Bill seeks 10 promote mental healthcare among college students through the
recruitment, hiring, and training of additional mental health personnel for state universities and colleges.

REP. GREG G. GASATAYA
Lone District of Bacolod City


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Bill No._ 299

INTRODUCED BY Rep. GREG G. GASATAYA

AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OF STATE UNIVERSITIES AND
COLLEGES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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

SECTION I. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "State Universities and Colleges

(SUCs) Mental Health Service Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. -It is hereby declared the policy of the State to uphold the basic
right of every Filipino to sound mental health and ensure access to appropriate interventions. therapy. and
treatment as needed. Pursuant to this mandate, the State shall institute policies to promote the mental
health and wellness of students, faculty, teaching and non-teaching staff, and other personnel in the
campuses of SUCs through, among others, the establishment of a Mental Health Office in all SUCs, and
the hiring, deployment and training of additional SUCs-based mental health service personnel.

All SUCs shall ensure that proper and adequate mental health services are provided to their
students, faculty, non-teaching staff and other personnel. In this regard, all SUCs, through their Mental
Health Offices, shall design programs and provide services that shall assist students in resolving,
emotional, behavioral and psychosocial issues that are barriers to learning and enhance the preparedness
of the faculty, teaching, non-teaching staff, and other personnel to foster an enabling environment for
students to acquire knowledge and to develop intellectually.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms, ~ As used in this Act:

(a) Guidance counselor refers to an individual who possesses a license or certification granted by the
Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and holds at the minimum a master’s degree in Guidance and
Counseling, Guidance, or Counseling, without prejudice to those registered under the grandfather's clause
of Republic Act No, 9258, otherwise known as the “Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004”, and is
competent to perform guidance and counseling, career guidance and implement mental health programs;

(b) Mental health refers to a state of well-being in which the individual realizes one’s own abilities and
potentials, copes adequately with the normal stresses of life, displays resilience in the face of extreme life
events, works productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a positive contribution to the community;


(©) Mental health professional refers to a medical doctor, nurse, guidance counselor, psychologist, or any
other appropriately-trained and qualified person with specific skills relevant to, and necessary for, the
provision of mental health services;

(d) Mental health services refer to the psychosocial, psychiatric, or neurologic activities and programs
along the whole range of the mental health support services including promotion, prevention, treatment,
and aftercare, which are provided by mental health facilities and mental health professionals;

(e) Psychologist refers to a natural person who has professional training and clinical skills
psychotherapeutic intervention and assessment for mental health problems and possesses a license or
certification granted by the PRC and holds at the minimum a master’s degree in Psychology without
prejudice to those granted licenses under the grandfather's clause of Republic Act No. 10029, otherwise
known as the “Psychology Act of 2009”;

(f) SUCs based mental health service personnel refers to any mental health professional who is hired or
deployed by, or has a contract with a SUC to render mental health services in each campus of the SUC.

SEC. 4. Establishment of Mental Health Offices in A SUCs Campuses. - The Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) shall, subject to the rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission
(CSC) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and the policies, standards, and
guidelines of the CHED, require all SUCs to establish a Mental Health Office in all their campuses.

The Mental Health Offices shall set up campus hotlines with dedicated and trained guidance
counselors to provide assistance to the whole SUC Community, especially the students. Special attention
shall be given to those identified to have mental health problems or conditions, especially those at risk of
committing suicide.

‘The CHED and the SUCs, through their Mental Health Offices, shall initiate and sustain a
heightened campaign to raise the collective consciousness about mental health. The awareness campaign
shall give special emphasis to the issues of suicide prevention, stress handling, mental health and
nutrition, and guidance and counseling. The campaign shall ensure that the whole SUC community,
especially the students, is aware of in-campus mental health services.

The SUCs, through the Mental Health Offices, shall develop and provide for sufficient allocation
for mental health programs and projects designed to maintain and address the mental health and wellbeing
of the faculty, students, and personnel of the SUCs.

Each Mental Health Office shall be manned by, train and deploy mental health professionals who
shall serve as the mental heaith service personnel of the SUCs.

The SUCs-based mental health service personnel of the Mental Health Offices, including those
who shall be hired upon the effectivity of this Act, shall create a mechanism for timely crisis intervention
and suicide prevention and the appropriate response strategies for the whole SUCs community, especially
the students.

The CHED shall, in coordination with the SUCs, establish mechanisms to maximize existing
services offered by other executive departments such as the attached agencies to the Department of Health
(DOH) dealing with mental health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

SEC. 5. Hiring, Training and Deployment of Mental Health Professionals. - Subject to the
guidelines set by the CHED, Civil Service Commission (CSC), Department of Budget and Management



(DBM), and the SUCs, the SUCs shail hire, train and deploy mental health professionals, including a
psychologist, to the Mental Health Office to ensure that each SUC shall have mental health professionals
or mental health service providers within five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act.

‘The SUCs shall, in coordination with the CHED, prepare the appropriate plantilla positions for
the additional SUC-based mental heaith service personnel to be hired under this Act subject to the
existing organizational, staffing, position classification and compensation policies, rules, and regulations
to be submitted to the DBM for evaluation and approval.

Notwithstanding the provisions of Republic Act No. 9258, otherwise known as the “Guidance
and Counseling Act of 2004”, the SUCs may hire, as may be necessary, graduates with relevant
background in psychology or similar fields, who do not yet qualify as mental health professionals to
provide SUCs-based mental health services: Provided, That they undergo sufficient capacity building as
determined by the CHED and are supervised by qualified mental health professionals in their provision of
mental health services: Provided, further, That they meet the relevant qualifications and are licensed as
mental health professionals within three (3) years from their date of hiring.

‘The CHED and the SUCs, through the Mental Health Offices, shall formulate a scheme for the
continuous training of mental health service personnel, taking into consideration the latest information,

SEC. 6. Professional and Career Development of Mental Health Professionals. - The CRED
shall, in coordination with the DBM, CSC, DOH and the PRC:

(a) Prepare a uniform career and personnel development plan that shall include provisions on personal
wellness, merit promotion, performance evaluation, in-service training, graduate scholarships, research
grants, and incentive award system;

(b) Match the salary grades of mental health professionals related plantilla items under the
provisions of Republic Act No, 6758, otherwise known as the “Position Classification and Compensation

Act of 1989,” as amended:

(©) Align the qualifications and standards for the qualification outcomes of Mental Health Professionals to
the provisions of Republic Act No. 10968, otherwise known as the “Philippine Qualifications Framework
Act”;

(4) Revisit the organizational structure of the SUCS to provide competent and professional personnel who
shall provide supervision and technical assistance to the guidance counselors;

(©) Review, revise, and develop the duties and responsibilities of mental health professionals in

accordance with laws governing their professions;

(f) Prepare a performance evaluation plan that considers the improvement of the efficiency and
organizational effectiveness of each counselor: Provided, That each employee shall be informed regularly
by the immediate supervisor of one’s performance evaluation; and

(g) Provide periodic training, retooling and skills upgrading to mental health professionals.

SEC. 7. Salary Scale. - The career and salary scales of mental health professionals in SUCs shall
provide for a gradual progression from a minimum to a maximum salary by means ofregular increments,
to be given regularly based on merit and competencies. The entry level of mental health professionals
shall not be lower than Salary Grade 16, Psychometricians shall have, as entry level. Salary Grade 11


SEC. 8. Contract with SUCs-Based Mental Health Personnel. - In case of scarcity of available
mental health service personnel for full time employment in the Mental Health Offices of the SUCs, the
SUCs may enter into agreements for their hiring on a contractual or part-time basis in the campuses of the

SUCs.

SEC. 9. Benefits. - The Mental Health Professionals in the Mental Health Offices shall enjoy the
rights, privileges and other benefits provided in Republic Act No. 7305, otherwise known as the “Magna
Carta of Public Health Workers”, Republic Act No. 11036, otherwise known as the “Mental Health Act”
and other pertinent laws.

SEC. 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be
included in the Annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -Within sixty (60) days after the effectivity of
this Act, the CHED shall, in coordination with the DOH, the Philippine Association of State Universities
and Colleges, and other concerned stakeholders, issue the rules and regulations necessary for the hiring,
training and deployment of the SUCs-based guidance counselors, psychologists and other mental health
service personnel, and for the implementation of this Act.

SEC. 12. Suppletory Application. - The applicable provisions of Republic Act No. 11036,
otherwise known as the “Mental Health Act”, insofar as they are not inconsistent with the provisions of

this Act, shall apply suppletorily.

SEC. 13. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the
remainder of this Act or any provision not affected, shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, letter of
instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this
Act is repealed, modified or amended accordingly.

SEC. 15. Effectivity. -This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation

Approved,