Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV has pushed for the creation of a mental health program for the youth to reduce the rate of suicide attempts and drug use among young Filipinos.
“We should provide troubled youth with professional support and a place of refuge so they don’t resort to drugs or even suicide,” Aquino said in Senate Bill No. 657 or the Adolescents and Youth Mental Health Program Act.
According to a 2015 report of the Dangerous Drugs Board, around 49 percent of first-time drug users belong to the age group of 15 to19 years old.
The World Health Organization also found that in 2011, at least 16 percent of Filipino students aged 13 to 15 had contemplated suicide, while 13 percent had attempted suicide.
The bill proposes the creation of a Mental Health Program for the youth to be implemented by the Department of Health, in conjunction with various other government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Education, and the Commission on Higher Education.
If enacted into law, it will require every public or private educational institution to employ at least one qualified guidance counselor who is authorized as a mental health practitioner to provide support and advice to students.
“We must ensure that the next generation of Filipinos are mentally resilient and don’t fall prey to drug use,” the senator stressed.
