THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
1 
/7 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Filipinos committing or attempting suicide are getting younger over the years. The 2001 
World Health Report revealed that in 53 countries where complete data were available, “suicide 
[turned out to be] a leading cause of death for young adults.” 
Blame it mostly on the demands of rapid urbanization and economic hardships. 
Psychiatrists say that life has become more stressful than ever. What complicates the situation is 
the continued refusal of many families to encourage troubled members to seek the advice of 
mental health professionals, as if the act itself is an admission of insanity. 
Psychiatrists point out that children are prone to depression which sometimes leads to 
suicide. These are caused by the children’s separation from their parents when the latter go 
elsewhere to work; the restrictive, abusive, punitive, or highly critical parenting style that their 
elders adopt; the breaking of close relationships, and the oppression of society. 
Findings also show that if these events do not drive children to take their own lives, these 
may still cause these children to grow up as emotionally weak adults. 
In the US, suicide is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15-24, and 
that more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from a combination of cancer, heart 
disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, and chronic lung diseases taken together. 
In the Philippines, reports allegedly claimed that suicides among Metro Manila students, 
particularly those attending prestigious schools, are rising at alarming rate, and seem to be 
following a trend of youth suicides in the US and Japan. 
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The government, through the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education 
(DepEd), should take steps to raise awareness of youth suicide as a serious public health 
program. 


Suicide is not a crime, as most media reports tend to portray it. It is a serious disease that 
should be prevented. 
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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
5 :4 
First Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT 
TO PROVIDE YOUTH SUICIDE EARLY INTERVENTION AND 
PREVENTION EXPANSION 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
I 
I 
Congress assembled 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - 
This Act shall be known as the “Youth Suicide Prevention 
, 
Act of 2@@5.” 
SECTION 2. Definition of Terms - 
As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean: 
(1) 
“Eligible entity” - refers to State, political subdivision, public organization, or 
private non-profit organization actively involved in youth suicide early intervention and 
prevention activities and in the development and continuation of nationwide youth suicide early 
intervention and prevention strategies. 
(2) 
“Best evidence-based” - refers to programs that have undergone scientific 
evaluation and gave proven to be effective. 
(3) 
“Educational institution” - refers to high school, vocational school, or an 
institution of higher education. 
(4) 
“Prevention” - refers to a strategy or approach that reduces the likelihood or risk 
of onset, or delays the onset, of adverse health problems or reduces the harm resulting from 
conditions or behaviors. 
( 5 )  
(6) 
(7) 
“Youth” -refers to an individual between 6 and 24 years of age 
“DOH’ -refers to the Department of Health. 
“DOH Secretary” -refers to the Secretary of Health. 


SECTION 3. Statement ofPolicy. - It is recognized that youth suicide is a public health 
tragedy linked to underlying mental health problems and that youth suicide early intervention 
and prevention activities are national priorities 
SECTION 4. Youth Suicide Early Intervention and Prevention Strategies. - 
(1) IN GENERAL. - 
The DOH shall award grants or cooperative agreements to eligible 
entities to: 
(a) develop and implement nationwide youth suicide early intervention and 
prevention strategies in schools, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, 
substance abuse programs, mental health programs, foster care systems, and other child 
and youth support organizations; 
(b) collect and analyze data on nationwide youth suicide early intervention and 
prevention services that can be used to monitor the effectiveness of such services and for 
research, technical assistance, and policy development; and 
(c) assist provincial and municipal governments, through nationwide youth 
suicide early intervention and prevention strategies, in achieving their targets for youth 
suicide reductions. 
(2) PREFERENCE. -The 
DOH Secretary shall give preference to eligible entities that - 
(a) provide early intervention services to youth in, and that are integrated with, 
school systems, educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance abuse 
programs, mental health programs, foster care systems, and other child and youth support 
organizations; 
(b) demonstrate collaboration among early intervention and prevention services or 
certiry that entities will engage in future collaboration; 
(c) employ or include in their applications a commitment to engage in an 
evaluative process the best evidence-based or promising youth suicide early intervention 
and prevention practices and strategies adapted to the local community; 


(d) provide for the timely assessment of youth who are at risk for emotional 
disorders which may lead to suicide attempts; 
(e) provide timely referrals for appropriate community-based mental health care 
and treatment of youth in all child-serving settings and agencies who are at risk for 
suicide; 
(0 provide immediate support and information resources to families of youth 
who are at risk for emotional behavioral disorders which may lead to suicide attempts; 
(g) offer equal access to services and care to youth with diverse social and 
economic backgrounds; 
(h) offer appropriate services, care, and information to families, friends, schools, 
educational institutions, juvenile justice systems, substance abuse programs, mental 
health programs, foster care systems, and other child and youth support organizations of 
youth who recently completed suicide; 
(i) provide continuous and up-to-date information and awareness campaigns that 
target parents, family members, child care professionals, community care providers, and 
the general public and highlight the risk factors associated with youth suicide and the life- 
saving health and care available from early intervention and prevention services; 
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(i) ensure that information and awareness campaigns on youth suicide risk factors, 
and early intervention and prevention services, use effective communication mechanisms 
that are targeted to and reach youth, families, schools, educational institutions, and youth 
organizations; 
(k) provide a timely response system to ensure that child-serving professionals 
and providers are properly trained in youth suicide early intervention and prevention 
strategies and that child-serving professionals and providers involved in early 
intervention and prevention services are properly trained in effectively identifying youth 
who are at a risk for suicide; 


(1) provide continuous training activities for child care professionals and 
community care providers on the latest best evidence-based youth suicide early 
intervention and prevention services practices and strategies; and 
(m) work with interested families and advocacy organizations to conduct annual 
self-evaluation of outcomes and activities on the national level, according to standards 
established by the DOH. 
SECTION 5. Technical Assistance and Data Management. - 
(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DATA MANAGEMENT. - 
(a) rN GENERAL. - The DOH Secretary shall award technical 
assistance grants and cooperative agreements to government agencies to conduct 
assessments independently or in collaboration with educational institutions related 
to the development of statewide youth suicide early intervention and prevention 
strategies. 
(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. - 
Grants awarded under Section 3, 
Paragraph (1) shall be used to establish programs for the development of 
standardized procedures for data management, such as: 
i 
(i) ensuring the quality of youth suicide early intervention and 
prevention strategies; 
(ii) providing technical assistance on data collection and management; 
(iii) studying the costs and effectiveness of nationwide youth suicide 
early intervention and prevention strategies in order to answer relevant 
issues of importance to national policymakers; 
(iv) identifying and understanding further the causes of and associated 
risk factors for youth suicide; 
(v) ensuring the quality surveillance of suicidal behaviors and nonfatal 
suicidal attempts; 


b 
(vi) studying the effectiveness of nationwide youth suicide early 
intervention and prevention strategies on the overall wellness and 
heaIth promotion strategies related to suicide attempts; and 
(vii) promoting the sharing of data regarding youth suicide with 
government agencies involved with youth suicide early intervention 
and prevention, and nationwide youth suicide early intervention and 
prevention strategies for the purpose of identifying previously 
unknown mental health causes and associated risk-factors for suicide 
in youth. 
(c) RESEARCH. - 
(i) IN GENERAL. -The 
DOH Secretary shall conduct a program 
of research and development on the efficacy of new and existing youth 
suicide early intervention techniques and technology, including 
clinical studies and evaluations of early intervention methods, and 
related research aimed at reducing youth suicide and offering support 
for emotional and behavioral disorders which may lead to suicide 
attempts 
(ii) DISSEMINATING RESEARCH. - The DOH Secretary 
shall promote the sharing of research and development data developed 
pursuant to the preceding paragraph with the national agencies 
involved in youth suicide early intervention and prevention, and 
entities involved in nationwide youth suicide early intervention and 
prevention strategies for the purpose of applying and integrating new 
techniques and technology into existing nationwide youth suicide early 
intervention and strategies systems. 


SECTION 6. Coordination and Collaboration. - 
(1) IN GENERAL. - 
In carrying out this section, the DOH Secretary shall 
collaborate and consult with - 
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(a) National Center for Mental Health (NCMH); 
(b) Department of Education (DepEd); 
(c) National Youth Commission (NYC); 
(d) other government agencies: national and local agencies; 
(e) local and national organizations that serve youth at risk for suicide and 
their families; 
(0 relevant national medical and other health and education specialty 
organizations; 
(g) youth who are at risk for suicide, who have survived suicide attempts, 
or who are currently receiving care from early intervention services; 
(h) families and friends of youth who are at risk for suicide, who have 
survived suicide attempts, who are currently receiving care from early 
intervention and prevention services, or who have completed suicide; 
(i) qualified professionals who possess the specialized knowledge, skills, 
experience, and relevant attributes needed to serve youth at risk for suicide 
and their families; and 
6) third-party payers, managed care organizations, and related commercial 
industries. 
(2) POLICY DEVELOPMENT. - 
The DOH shall coordinate and collaborate on 
policy development with the following government and private entities 
enumerated in the preceding paragraph, including the medical, suicide prevention 
advocacy 
groups, and 
other health 
and 
education 
professional-based 
organizations, with respect to nationwide youth suicide early intervention and 
prevention strategies. 


SECTION 7. Rule of Construction; Religious Accommodation. - Nothing in this Act shall 
be construed to preempt any statute that does not require the suicide early intervention for youth 
whose parents or legal guardians object to such early intervention based on the parents or legal 
guardians' religious beliefs. 
SECTION 8. Evaluation. - 
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(1) IN GENERAL. - 
The DOH Secretary shall conduct an evaluation to analyze the 
effectiveness and efficacy of the activities conducted with grants under this section. 
(2) REPORT. - 
Not later than two years after the date of enactment of this section, the 
Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of the Senate and House of Representatives 
a report concerning the results of the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1). 
SECTION 9. Guidelines and Measures. - 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the DOH shall promulgate and issue necessary guidelines and measures 
for the effective implementation o f  the provisions of this Act. 
SECTION 10. 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 1 1. Repealing Cluuse. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation or part thereof, contrary to, or 
inconsistent with, the provision of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended 
accordingly. 


SECTION 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,