Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
WHO’s fact sheet on suicide reports that around 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, 
and many more attempt suicide every year. Suicide is also reports as the third leading cause in 
15-19-year-olds. In a 2015 Global school-based survey conducted by the WHO among 8,761
students from Grades 7-9 aged 13-17-year-olds, 11.6% of them considered suicide and 16.8%
attempted suicide.
In the recent years, the country has made huge strides in affirming the importance of a person’s 
mental health and the rights of Filipinos to access mental health services. In 2018, the legislative 
has passed Republic Act No. 11036 or the Mental Health Act which aimed to develop and establish 
a comprehensive, integrated effective and efficient national mental health care system responsive 
to the psychiatric, neurologic, and psychosocial needs of the Filipino people.  
The increasing incidence of suicide among the Filipino youth however remains to be a concern. 
As such, it is incumbent upon the State to look after the overall well-being of its citizens and 
introduce measures towards suicide prevention. Among the interventions cited by the WHO is to 
help young people develop skills to cope with life’s pressures.  
In this light, this proposed measure shall promote positive self-image, self-respect, critical 
thinking and moral responsibility among Filipino youth. This measure seeks to (1) formulate and 
include in the elementary and secondary education curriculum a course on Life Planning; (2) 
conduct a nationwide education suicide awareness campaign to help the youth, parents of youth, 
teachers, school personnel and the general public to recognize common warning signs and learn 
how to respond to these; and (3) employ at least one psychologist in every school.  
On behalf of the people of Parañaque City’s Second District, and for the common good of the 
Filipino people, the approval of the said measure is earnestly sought. 
REP. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING 
2nd District, Parañaque City 
March 23, 2021
2:06 PM
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _______ 
Introduced by HON. JOY MYRA S. TAMBUNTING 
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 
2021”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – Under Section 13, Article II 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 DipEd 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;
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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 will 
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. 
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 Genera! 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,