BUTUAN CITY (February 25) — Mental health protection may soon get stronger institutional backing as Dale Corvera filed two bills in the House of Representatives of the Philippines seeking to expand suicide prevention and campus mental health services nationwide.
The proposed Suicide Prevention and Crisis Response Act aims to create a national suicide prevention framework under the Department of Health (Philippines), including a 24/7 toll-free crisis hotline and digital and SMS-based counseling platforms.
The measure also calls for deploying licensed behavioral psychologists in cities and municipalities to help design localized suicide prevention programs and safety interventions.
The second proposal, the State Universities and Colleges Mental Health Service Act, seeks to institutionalize mental health offices across public tertiary campuses under the supervision of the Commission on Higher Education.
The campus-based offices would provide counseling, awareness campaigns, and stress management programs to help protect students at risk of suicide.
Corvera said the measures respond to growing suicide concerns, citing World Health Organization data showing the Philippines recorded suicide mortality rates of 5.2 per 100,000 males and 1.8 per 100,000 females in 2021.
He said suicide prevention requires a “comprehensive, compassionate, and community-driven response” that extends support beyond treatment to early intervention and social protection.
