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

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

Introduced by Representative Midy N. Cua
Lone District, Quirino

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROMOTION AND DELIVERY OF MENTAL,
HEALTH SERVICES IN BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS THROUGH THE
INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
PROGRAM, PRESCRIBING THE HIRING AND DEPLOYMENT OF MENTAL
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, PRESCRIBING THE CREATION OF
PLANTILLA POSITIONS OF GUIDANCE ASSOCIATES IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, INCREASING THE SALARY GRADES OF
GUIDANCE COUNSELORS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Section 13, Article II of the 1987 Constitution explicitly recognizes the vital role of the youth
in nation-building and the need to promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and
social well-being. To achieve this, proper guidance must be extended to the youth to ensure and
enable their fullest development physically, mentally, emotionally, morally, spiritually, and socially in
a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity appropriate to their
corresponding developmental stage’.

‘This bill institutionalizes the Mental Health and Well-Being Program which shall provide
mental health services, emotional, developmental and preventive programs, and other support
services, and eliminate the stigma on mental health counseling, to ensure the emotional and social
well-being of basic education leamers and teaching and non-teaching personnel in both public and
private schools. In line with this, the Department of Education (DepEd), in consultation with the
Department of Health, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, other relevant
government agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector, shall develop and implement
a comprehensive and integrated multi-year roadmap using the Whole of Society Approach.

" Articles 9 and 10, Presidential Decree 603 or the Child and Youth Welfare Code, state:

Art. 9. Levels of Growth. The child shall be given adequate care, assistance and guidance through his various
levels of growth, from infancy to early and later childhood, to puberty and adolescence, and when necessary
even after he shall have attained age 21

Art. 10. Phases of Development. - The child shall enjoy special protection and shall be given opportunities and
facilities, by law and by other means, to ensure and enable his fullest development physically, mentally,
emotionally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and
dignity appropriate to the corresponding developmental stage.



To ensure the institutionalization of an effective, efficient, and integrated Mental Health and
Well-Being Program, the bill mandates to: (1) establish and maintain a Mental Health and Well-Being
Center ("Center") in every public basic education school as well as ensure their establishment and
‘maintenance in private basic education schools in the country; (2) prescribe the creation of a sufficient
number of plantilla items for the positions of Guidance Counselors and Guidance Associates; (3) set
the qualifications and functions of a Guidance Associate; (4) hire mental health professionals and
deploy them to public elementary, secondary, and vocational institutions; (5) guarantee the
professional and career development of mental health professionals; (6) increase the salary grades of
Guidance Counselors who are currently classified as Guidance Counselor I, Guidance Counselor Il,
and Guidance Counselor III from Salary Grades 11, 12, and 13, respectively, to Salary Grades 16, 17,
and 18; (7) endeavor to attract the best available and qualified officers and support personnel of the
Centers through career progression, adequate and competitive remuneration, benefits, incentives and
allowances, scholarship and training grants, and exchange programs; (8) carry out the appropriate
regular training and skills upgrading and development for mental health professionals and support
personnel; and (9) ensure that teacher education institutions offering teacher education programs
include in the curriculum subjects on mental health.

The DepEd requires basic education schools to hire one (1) Guidance Counselor for every 500
students. Currently, however, the Philippines has only 4,069 registered Guidance Counselors as of
June 2022 since the first batch took the licensure examinations in 2008. Clearly, with 27.4 million
elementary and high school students,’ the desired ratio of 1:500 Guidance Counselor to students is far
from being met. It has also been revealed that the national shortage of guidance counselors is
hampering DepEd’s efforts to protect students’ mental health.

This measure recognizes the shortage of registered Guidance Counselors and perceives the
urgent need to address the current challenges in the delivery of the appropriate mental health and well-
being services and programs, the increasing number of incidents of suicide due to various mental
health issues and disorders, and the need to provide the needed intervention to ensure the mental
health and well-being of learners as well as of the teaching and non-teaching personnel.

* Data from the Professional Regulation Commission Board of Guidance and Counseling is inclusive of
individuals who maty have shifted careers or passed war. Note that for 2020 and 2021, there were no licensure
examinations due to the pandemic.

» SY 2021-2022 data as of December 2021 for both public and private elementary and secondary schools, the
DepEd, including the BARMM

* Philippine Star, Lack of guidance counselors hampers prevention of student suicides, Published on 1 February
2023, Available at https://www.philstar.comv/headlines/2023/02/0 1/2241784/lack-guidance-counselors-hampers-
prevention-student-suicides (Accessed on 22 February 2023)


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

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
iRsoane
~ House wit No, 2405,

Introduced by Representative Midy N. Cua
Lone District, Quirino

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE PROMOTION AND DELIVERY OF MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES IN BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS THROUGH THE
INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF THE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
PROGRAM, PRESCRIBING THE HIRING AND DEPLOYMENT OF MENTAL,
HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, PRESCRIBING THE CREATION OF
PLANTILLA POSITIONS OF GUIDANCE ASSOCIATES IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, INCREASING THE SALARY GRADES OF
GUIDANCE COUNSELORS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND.
FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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 “Basic Education Mental Health and Well-
being Promotion Act”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and
shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. Towards
this end, it shall be the duty of the State to establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and
integrated system of education relevant to the needs of society and its people.

To achieve these goals, the State shall:

) institutionalize an effective, efficient, and integrated mental health and well-being
program, and strengthen the existing mental health and guidance and counseling program
that will ensure the mental health and emotional well-being of the leamers and the
teaching and non-teaching personnel in all public and private basic education schools in
the country;

b) hire and capacitate competent mental health professionals, and other qualified support
personnel to meet the current demand of the education sector. They shall develop
strategies and standards that will promote and ensure the mental health and well-being of
the learners and the teaching and non-teaching personnel; and

©) protect and ensure the physical, moral, intellectual, and social well-being of learners and
the teaching and non-teaching personnel in public and private basic education schools to


‘make them resilient and well-adjusted individuals possessed with the appropriate qualities,
skills, and attitude in life.

SEC. 3. Objectives. — The objectives of this Act are as follows:

a) to enable the Department of Education (DepEd) to recruit, train and hire additional mental
health professionals, promote and sustain their well-being, competencies, professional
growth, and career development in the DepEd;

b) to adequately address the mental, emotional and developmental needs of learners as well
as of the teaching and non-teaching personnel through the provision of mental health
professionals, with the end view of developing their social skills, self-esteem, individual
resilience, motivation, self-awareness, and sense of belonging in the school community,
among others;

©) to promote the emotional, psychological and the mental health and well-being of learners
and teachers to enhance their learning and classroom preparedness, including those
learners identified as children in conflict with the law (CICL), students at risk of dropping
out (SRDO), leamer-victims of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC), and
learners-victims of other related forms of child abuse and criminal acts;

4) to support teachers and other education personnel in improving classroom management
through the conduct of behavioral and other guidance-related interventions, to improve
the leamers' well-being, emotional and psychosocial development, daily disposition and
career decision-making;

©) to train the teachers and the non-teaching personnel in developing awareness and skills to
enable them to identify early warning signs of mental health problems and the need for
‘mental health interventions;

f) to establish linkages with the community to include parents, guardians, and concerned
stakeholders, through the promotion of mental health and well-being programs and
activities geared to address the mental, emotional and developmental needs of learners as
well as of the teaching and non-teaching personnel;

2) to support parents, guardians, and concerned stakeholders in improving the school
behavior and academic success of the learners;

h) to remove the emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial barriers to learning to achieve a
leamer-friendly, inclusive, safe, and motivating leaning environment; and

i) to provide aftercare support in the treatment of mental health concerns of leamers as well
as of the teachers and non-teaching personnel.

SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act:

a) Counseling — refers to a dynamic face-to-face personal interaction between the counselor
and the counselee, where the counselor employs various methods, approaches or
techniques to enhance the counselee’s intrapersonal and interpersonal development and
competencies;

b) Guidance Associate ~ refers to an individual who holds a guidance associate plantilla in
the DepEd and a graduate of Bachelor's degree in Guidance and Counseling, Psychology,


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d)

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hy

i)

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Social Work, Human Services, and other allied disciplines or any related courses, and
possesses the qualification provided hereafter;

Guidance Counselor — refers to an individual who possesses license or certification
granted by the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) and holds a minimum
master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling, Guidance, or Counseling without prejudice
to those registered under the grandfather's clause of Republic Act (R.A.) 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 and well-being
programs;

Guidance Services Specialist — refers to the specific plantilla position in the DepEd of
Guidance Counselor who are tasked to ensure the mental health and well-being of learners
and the teaching and non-teaching personnel;

Guidance Teacher — refers to a regular teacher who is given additional assignments related
to guidance or counseling services, or both, aside from the teaching load, to augment the
lack of supply of Guidance Counselors. They shall be selected by the school principal
based on their leadership skills and potentials, and competence in handling guidance-
related concems. Preferably, a Guidance Teacher has at least a background in psychology,
values education, or units in guidance and counseling:

Mental Health — as defined in R.A. No. 11036, otherwise known as the "Mental Health
Act", 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,
Guidance Associates who can be a psychologist, psychometrician, social worker, or any
other appropriately trained and qualified person with specific skills relevant to the
provision of mental health and well-being services;

Mental Health and Well-Being Program — refers to the system of services designed to
maintain the state of well-being of an individual in order that one may realize one's own
abilities and potentials, cope adequately with the normal stresses of life, displays resilience
in the face of extreme life events, works productively and fruitfully, and be able to make a
positive contribution to the community;

Mental Health Services ~ as defined in R.A. No. 11036, 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 professional

Multi-year Mental Health and Well-Being Program Roadmap — refers to a document that
shall serve as a guide for the DepEd, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social
Work and Development (DSWD), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM),
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), other relevant government agencies, and
the private stakeholders for the optimal realization of the objectives of this Act. It shall
contain the current policy, practices, gaps, and challenges affecting the mental health and
well-being of leamers and the teaching and non-teaching personnel, as well as the


implementation of the current guidance and counseling or mental health programs of
schools. It shall likewise set detailed targets and outcomes for a minimum period of five
(5) years and provide the stakeholders’ specific actions or interventions {9 include
implementation and monitoring strategies and annual budgetary requirements. It shall be
subject to a periodic teview and updating to determine its implementation status and
ensure that the implementation of the Mental Health: and Well-Being Program as.
envisioned in this Act is sustained;

k) Psychologist — refers to a natural person who has professional training and clinical skills in
psychotherapeutic intervention and assessment for mental health problems, possesses
license or certification granted by the PRC, and holds a minimum Master's Degree in
Psychology without prejudice to those granted licenses under the grandfather's clause of
R.A, 10029, otherwise known as the "Psychology Act of 2009"; and

1) Psychometrician — refers to a natural person who has professional training skills in
psychological assessment, possesses license or certification granted by the PRC, and holds
a minimum Bachelor's Degree in Psychology without prejudice to those granted licenses
under the grandfather's clause of R.A. 10029, otherwise known as the "Psychology Act of
2009".

SEC. 5. The Mental Health and Well-Being Program. ~ The Mental Health and Well-Being Program
is hereby institutionalized which shall be implemented by the DepEd. It shall be designed to provide
mental health services, emotional, developmental and preventive programs, and other support
services, and to eliminate the stigma on mental health counseling, to ensure the emotional and social
well-being of basic education learners and teaching and non-teaching personnel in both public and
private schools.

SEC. 6. The Mental Health and Well-Being Program Roadmap. ~ To ensure the effective
implementation of this Act, the DepEd, through the Schools Division Offices (SDOs), in consultation
with the DOH, the DSWD, other relevant government agencies, civil society organizations, and the
private sector, shall develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated multi-year roadmap using
the Whole of Society Approach,

The multi-year roadmap shall likewise be crafted and implemented in complementarity with the
provisions of R.A. No. 11036 or the “Mental Health Act,” R.A. No. 11206 or the “Secondary School
Career Guidance and Counseling Act,” and R.A. No. 10533 or the "Enhanced Basic Education Act of
2013".

The Superintendents of the SDOs shall require all schools within their jurisdiction to periodically
prepare and submit reports on the implementation of each school of the multi-year roadmap and of the
other provisions of this Act, and submit a consolidated report to the Secretary of the DepEd through
the Regional Director having jurisdiction of the SDOs.

SEC. 7. The Mental Health and Well-Being Center; Personnel. — Notwithstanding the provisions of
paragraph 2, Section 27 of R.A. No. 9258, and to facilitate the effective implementation of the Mental
Health and Well-Being Program and the provisions of this Act, the DepEd shall establish and maintain
a Mental Health and Well-Being Center (Center) in every public basic education school as well as
‘ensure their establishment and maintenance in private basic education schools in the country. The
Center shatl be equipped with functional physical facilities, located within-wn adequate space, and
provide privacy and accessibility to the learners, the teaching and noh-teaching personnel, and parents,

\



For this purpose, secondary schools may utilize the Career Guidance and Counseling Program Centers
required to be established under Section 5 of R.A. No. 11206. Existing Guidance and Counseling
Offices may be utilized for this purpose or integrated into the Center.

The Center shall be supervised and headed by the school principal and shall have a Registered
Guidance Counselor, Guidance Associate, and other support personnel.

SEC. 8. Functions of the Center. ~ This Center in every public and private basic education school
shall implement the provisions of this Act by delivering mental and well-being services to address the
mental, emotional and developmental needs of learners and the teaching and non-teaching personnel

It shall likewise oraft and implement a localized multi-year roadmap anchored on the DepEd's multi-
year roadmap as provided herein.

In crafting the localized multi-year roadmap, the Center shall yndertake the following steps in the
development and implementation of the multi-year roadmap:

a) needs assessment;

b) identification of priorities, goals and objectives;

©) designing activities or services to meet the desired goals and objectives;

) drawing up program multi-year budget, including the allocation of resources;
©) identification and hiring of necessary personnel as provided in this Act;

1) evaluation and its outcomes; and

8) revision of goals leading to the specification of new objectives.

The Center shall periodically prepare and submit reports to the SDO in its implementation of the
Mental Health and Well-Being Program.

SEC. 9. Organization of the Center Officers and Support Personnel, and Creation of Positions. ~ To
ensure the effective implementation of the Mental Health and Well-Being Program and the delivery of
mental health and well-being services towards the attainment of the objectives of this Act, the DepEd,
in consultation with the DBM and the Civil Service Commission (CSC), shall develop an organization
focused on the implementation of this Act and of the multi-year roadmap. As such, a spfficient
number of plantilla items for the positions of Guidance Counselors, and Guidance Associates shall be
prescribed to be created in schools in order to cater to the needs of learners and the teaching and non-
teaching personnel, according to minimum standards to be determined by the PepEd and the DOH.

The concemed agencies shall consider the position classification, salaries, career progression, and the
detailed description of the duties and responsibilities of such officers and support personnel.

SEC. 10. Personnel for the Center. - The Center shall have a Registered Guidance Counselor, a
Guidance Associate, and other necessary officers and support personnel as may be determined by the
school principal. It shall be headed by a Registered Guidance Counselor who shall have qualified
pursuant to the provisions of R.A. No. 9258.

EC. 11. Qualifications of a Guidance Associate. ~ To qualify as a Guidance Associate, one must

a) completed the academic requirements for a Bachelor's Degree in Guidance and
Counseling or completed the academic requirements for a Bachelor's Degree in
Psychology, Social Work, Human Services, and other allied disciplines; and


b) must have eared a minimum of twelve (12) units of Behavioral Science subjects and two
hundred (200) hours of supervised practicum or internship experience on guidance and
counseling preferably in a schoo! or community setting.

SEC. 12. Functions of a Guidance Associate. ~ A Guidance Associate shall perform the following
functions:

a) actively participate in the implementation of the Mental Health and Well-Being Program;
b) conduct preliminary screening or evaluation of learners and the teaching and non-teaching
personnel using pre-approved forms;

©) conduct or assist in the orientation of teachers, parents, learners, or the community on
psychosocial well-being and mental health;

4d) engage in conversations with, or listen to, leamers and the teaching and non-teaching
personnel who require such support from the Center;

©) coordinate with teachers, parents or guardians, and external partners on concerns affecting
the psychosocial well-being or mental health and academic performance of learners who
need guidance and counseling, and facilitate the conduct of such guidance and counseling
by the Guidance Counselor;

£) assist the Guidance Counselor in assessing and monitoring leamers and the teaching and
non-teaching personnel who need guidance or counseling, or both;

2) participate and assist in the implementation and facilitation of educational and training
workshops for teachers, Center officers, support personnel, and parents; and

h) perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Guidance Counselor or school
principal.

SEC. 13. Hiring and Deployment of Mental Health Professionals. — Subject to the guidelines set by
the CSC and the DBM, the DepEd shall hire and deploy mental health professionals such that each
public elementary, secondary, and vocational institution shall have mental health professionals or
mental health service providers within five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act.

Notwithstanding the provisions of R.A. No. 9258, public and private educational institutions 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 school-based mental health services: Provided,
‘That they undergo sufficient capacity building as determined by the DepEd and supervised by
qualified mental health professionals in their provision of mental health services: Provided, further,
That they shall be licensed as mental health professionals within three (3) years from their date of
hiring.

The DepEd shall establish mechanisms to maximize existing mental health services offered by other
executive departments such as agencies attached to the DOH and the DSWD.

SEC. 14, Professional and Career Development of Mental Health Professionals. ~ The DepEd, in
coordination with the DBM, CSC, DOH, and PRC, shall:


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

b) match the salary grades of mental health professionals related items with respect to the
provisions of R.A. No. 6758, otherwise known as the "Position Classification and
Compensation Act";

©) align the qualifications and standards for the qualification outcomes of mental health
professionals to R.A. No. 10968, otherwise known as the "Philippine Qualifications
Framework Act";

4) revisit the DepEd's organizational structure in order to provide competent and
professional personnel who will provide supervision and technical assistance to Guidance
‘Counselors, Guidance Associate and other personnel at the school levels;

¢) review, revise and develop the duties and responsibilities of mental health professionals in
accordance with their professionalizing laws;

1) prepare performance evaluation plan that considers the improvement of individual
counselor efficiency and organizational effectiveness: Provided, That each employee shall
be informed regularly by the immediate supervisor of one's performance evaluation; and

) provide for the institutionalization of the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being
Manual.

SEC. 15. Salary Grade Adjustment of Guidance Counselors. ~ The salary schedule for the positions of
Guidance Counselors shall me modified as follows:

Position Title ‘Current Salary Grade Modified Salary Grade
Guidance Counselor 1 11 16
Guidance Counselor I 12 7
Guidance Counselor III B 18

SEC. 16. Renumeration, Benefits, and Incentives for Center Officers and Support Personnel. ~ The
DepEd shall endeavor to attract the best available and qualified Center officers and support personnel
through career progression, adequate and competitive remuneration, benefits, incentives and
allowances, scholarship and training grants, and exchange programs. As such, the career and salary
grades of mental health professionals 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 as similarly given to Master Teachers.

The salary grades of mental health professionals and support personnel shall be set in accordance with
the Revised Compensation and Position Classification System and other CSC Rules and Regulations.

SEC. 17. Other Benefits. — The mental health professionals shall enjoy the rights and privileges as
provided in the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers, Mental Health Law, and other pertinent laws.

SEC. 18. Scholarship Program and Service Obligation. ~ The DepEd, in collaboration with the
CHED, shall develop a scholarship program for in-service teachers who shall take the required
master's degree or units on Guidance and Counseling, or other related courses to equip them with
knowledge on policies, principles, and pedagogies on guidance and counseling.


As their return service, the grantees shall serve as Guidance Counselors or Guidance Associates as
they continue to work in the DepEd for such reasonable period as may be determined by the latter.

SEC. 19. Continued Education and Training. ~ The DepEd shall carry out the appropriate regular
training and skills upgrading and development for mental health professionals and support personnel.

To ensure that the in-service teachers have the basic knowledge in guidance and counseling, the
DepEd, within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, shall ensure that all teachers as well as the
non-teaching personnel in public and private basic education schools are equipped with the needed
basic training to detect learners who may need mental health support and guidance and counseling,
and refer them to the Center for the appropriate intervention.

SEC. 20. Pre-Service Education and In-Service Training. ~ The DepEd shall collaborate with the
CHED to ensure that teacher education institutions offering bachelor of elementary or secondary
‘education degrees include in the curriculum subjects on mental health,

In order to adequately provide the needed personnel for the implementation of this Act, the CHED and
the DepEd shall closely coordinate and effectively implement programs necessary to support the
continuing education of DepEd personnel including a unified system for ladderized education, which
shall have a mechanism for conversion of career experience into education degree credits. This shall
include programs for transitions and progressions for teaching and non-teaching personnel, such as but
not limited to programs for an education degree graduate to become a Guidance Associate, and a
psychology degree graduate to become a Guidance Counselor: Provided, that, they shall pass the
required licensure examinations or were issued the required certifications.

SEC. 21. Readiness Assessment. ~ Upon the effectivity of this Act, the DepEd shall conduct an
evaluation of all schools to determine their readiness in the provision of mental health and well-being
services, including a general assessment of each school's current mental health and well-being
programs and services, as well as the resources and personnel they need: Provided, that, the DepEd
shall coordinate with the CHED to ensure the supply of qualified professionals through recruitment of
students in the appropriate courses and ensure their seamless progression from higher education to
employment, taking into consideration the demand for such personnel in the multi-year roadmap as
provided in this Act.

SEC. 22. Appropriations. —‘The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be charged
against those authorized in the current appropriations of the DepEd. Thereafter, the amount necessary
for its continued implementation shall be included in the budget as a separate line item in the annual
General Appropriations Act.

‘The DepEd shall likewise submit the funding requirements, with its corresponding annual targets for
the implementation of the multi-year roadmap, to the DBM and other concerned agencies for the
determination of appropriate budget allocation and inclusion under the yearly National Expenditure
Program of the government.

SEC. 23. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee (JCOC) on Mental Health. ~ There is hereby
created a JCOC to oversee, monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act. The JCOC shall be
composed of five (5) members cach from the Senate and the House of Representatives with the Chairs
of the Committees on Basic Education of both Houses as Co-chairs. The Chairs of the Committees on
Higher and Technical Education of both Houses shall likewise be designated as members of the
JCOC. The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate shall designate
the other three (3) members of the JCOC of the House and the Senate, respectively, from among the
members of the Committees on Basic Education, one (1) member of which shall be from the minority.

10


SEC. 24. Sunset Review. — Within five (5) years after the effectivity of this Act, or as the need arises,
the JCOC shall conduct a sunset review. For purposes of this Act, the term "sunset review" shall mean
a systematic evaluation by the JCOC of the implementing agencies’ performance and
accomplishments, including the impact of this Act, for purposes of determining remedial legislation.

SEC. 25. Annual Report. — For a period of five (5) years from the approval of this Act, the DepEd
shall submit an annual report to the Committees on Basic Education of both houses of Congress on the
status of the implementation of this Act.

SEC. 26. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this
Act, the DepEd, in consultation with relevant national government agencies and other concerned
stakeholders, shall issue the rules and regulations implementing its provisions. The Implementing
Rules and Regulations (IRR) issued pursuant to this section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its
publication in a newspaper of general circulation.

SEC. 27. Separability Clause. ~ If any part or provision of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional,
the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force and effect.

SEC. 28. Repealing Clause. — All other laws, executive orders, presidential decrees, administrative
orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or parts thereof contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions
of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. Except as otherwise provided in this Act,
nothing herein contained shall repeal, amend or modify the provisions of R.A. No. 9258

SEC. 29. Effectivity. ~ Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the IRR, this Act shall take effect fifteen
(15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation,

Approved,

W