Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS.
First Regular Session
Jo

House Bill No.

Introduced by HON. IRWIN C. TIENG, HON. MARIANO MICHAEL M. VELARDE
and HON. JOSE L. ATIENZA, JR.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Mental health illness among children has serious fiscal consequences because
they affect children’s ability to learn and increase their propensity for violence, alcohol
and substance abuse, and other delinquent behaviors that are extremely costly to treat
A number of children suffer from mental illness severe enough to cause some level of
impairment; yet only few of these children receive mental health services. Many mental
health problems are largely preventable or can be minimized with promotion and early
intervention services that have been shown to be effective and that reduce the need for
more costly interventions.

Early intervention is important in order for children to have the best
developmental, behavioral, and adaptive outcomes. Children’s social and emotional
developments are essential underpinnings to school readiness and academic success.

This bill seeks to develop comprehensive and coordinated children’s mental
health system resulting in children with mental illness being identified and receiving
intervention services earlier. Earlier intervention will improve these children’s outcomes
and, hopefully, result in less reliance on special education and developmental disability
services.

Hence, immediate passage of the Bill is earnestly sought.

MARIANO MICHAEL M. VELARDE

JOSE L. ATIENZA, JR.


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
QUEZON CITY

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by HON. IRWIN C. TIENG, HON. MARIANO MICHAEL M. VELARDE
and HON. JOSE L. ATIENZA, JR.

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE
EARLY DETECTION AND TIMELY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR CHILDREN
WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

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 “Early Detection and
Intervention Services for Children with Mental IlIness Act.”

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to adopt an
integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to
make essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at
affordable cost.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. The following terms shall mean:

a. Mental Iliness shall mean any of various psychiatric conditions, usually
characterized by impairment of a child's normal cognitive, emotional, or behavioral
functioning, and caused by physiological or psychosocial factors.

b. Intervention shall mean educational methods and positive behavioral support
strategies designed to improve the condition of a child suffering from mental
disorder.

Section 4. The Department of Health shall undertake to develop a program
providing for comprehensive accessible and affordable early mental health detection
and timely intervention services for children. The objectives of this program includes but
not limited to the following:

a. To increase awareness, reduce barriers to screening and diagnosis, promote
evidence-based interventions for children with mental disorder or other
developmental disabilities.

». To build a qualified and adequately trained workforce prepared to provide mental
health services for children and their families.

«. To conduct a comprehensive, multifaceted public awareness campaign to
reduce the stigma of mental illness and educate families, the general public, and
other key audiences about the benefits of children's social and emotional
development, and how to access services.

d. To create a quality-driven children's mental health system with shared
accountability among agencies and programs that conducts ongoing needs
assessments, uses outcome indicators and benchmarks to measure progress,
and implements quality data tracking and reporting system.


Section 5. The Department of Health shall promulgate the necessary rules and
regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Section 6. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall
remain valid and subsisting

Section 7. 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 hereby repealed, modified or amended
accordingly.

Section 8. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
complete publication in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,