Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO.  990
Introduced by Representative Ivan Howard A. Guintu 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The State affirms the basic right of all Filipinos to mental health as well as the 
fundamental rights of people who require mental health services. In recognition of this right by 
the State, Republic Act 11036 or the Mental Health Act aims to create 24/7 hotlines that would 
provide assistance to individuals with mental health conditions.  
In recognition of this right, and in support of the aforementioned Republic Act, this bill 
seeks to strengthen the mental health services of State Colleges and Universities. This bill ensures 
that there are trained professionals, as well as adequate staff, to cater to the needs of the students 
who are having mental health problems. Through the establishment of mental health offices in 
all State Universities and Colleges, it would adhere to the affirmation of the state to have health 
services readily available. The World Health Organization suggests that 15% of Filipinos in their 
youth are affected by mental health problems. This is exacerbated especially in the years of 
online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
This bill was first filed by Rep. Harris Ongchuan in the 19th Congress. Without the 
passage of the bill in the 19th Congress, this bill is being refiled. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
IVAN HOWARD A. GUINTU 
Representative, 1st District of Capiz
July 1, 2025
5:58 pm


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 
Introduced by Representative Ivan Howard A. Guintu 
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, 
990


teaching, non-teaching staff, and other personnel to foster an enabling environment for 
students to acquire knowledge and to develop intellectually. 
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 inconsistent 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.