Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _________
Introduced by 4Ps Partylist Representative
JONATHAN CLEMENT M. ABALOS II
AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OF STATE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The State guarantees the right of every citizen to affordable and quality
healthcare. Part of this guarantee is the ensurement of its availability, and this
includes mental health.
With the continued increase of mental health cases in the Philippines, it is
important that these be made available, especially to the youth. The bill proposes the
presence of mental health services to State Universities and College; a timely move
especially that classes are now returning to a face-to-face modality.
In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
JONATHAN CLEMENT M. ABALOS II
Representative, 4Ps Partylist
September 1, 2022
4:42 pm
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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _________
Introduced by 4Ps Partylist Representative
JONATHAN CLEMENT M. ABALOS II
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 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "State Universities and
Colleges (SUCs) Mental Health Service Act".
SECTION 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 treatments 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 SUC-based
mental health service personnel.
All SUCs shall ensure the 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.
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SECTION 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;
(c) Mental health professional refers to a medical doctor, nurse, guidance counselor,
psychologist, or any 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 in 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.
SECTION 4. Establishment of Mental Health Offices in All 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 and 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 SUCs, through their Mental Health Offices, shall initiate and sustain
a heightened campaign to raise the collective consciousness about mental health.
The awareness campaign should give special emphasis to the issues of suicide
prevention, stress handling, mental health and nutrition, and guidance and
counseling. The campaign should 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 well-being 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 health 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).
SECTION 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 shall 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 health 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 are 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, studies and know-how on mental health
services, in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10192, otherwise
known as the “Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016”.
SECTION 6. Professional and Career Development of Mental Health Professionals..
— The CHED shall, in coordination with the DBM, CSC, DOH and the PRC:
(a) Prepare a uniform career and personal 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 with related plantilla
items under the provisions of Republic Act No. 6758, otherwise known as the
“Position Classification and Compensation Act of 1989,” as amended;
(c) Align the qualifications and standards for the qualification of Mental Health
Professionals to the provisions of Republic Act No. 10968, otherwise known
as the “Philippine Qualifications Framework Act”;
(d) Revisit the organizational structure of the SUCs to provide competent and
professional personnel who shall provide supervision and technical assistance
to the guidance counselors;
(e) 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.
SECTION 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 of regular 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.
SECTION 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 part-time basis in the campuses of the SUCs.
SECTION 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.
SECTION 10. Appropriation. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions
of this Act shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act.
SECTION 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.
SECTION 12. Suppletory Application. — The applicable provisions of Republic Act
No. 11036, otherwise known as the “Mental Health Act”, insofar as they are not
incosistent with the provisions of this Act, shall apply suppletorily.
SECTION 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.
SECTION 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.
SECTION 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.