House pushes for mental health awareness course in K to 12

MANILA – A House of Representatives panel has adopted a resolution urging the Department of Education (DepEd) to integrate a mental health awareness course in the K to 12 basic education curriculum for all public and private secondary high schools.

The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture adopted on Thursday House Resolution 422, which aims to facilitate the implementation of Section 23 (Integration of Mental Health into the Educational System) and Section 24 (Mental Health Promotion in Educational Institution) of Republic Act 11036, or the Philippine Mental Health Law.

Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr., author of the resolution, underscored the need to address the problem on suicide and mental health in the country.

Dalog cited records from the Civil Registration Service and Vital Statistics Division of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing that the number of deaths in the country due to suicide continuously rose beyond 2,000 annually from 2009 to 2016.

Dalog further cited PSA data indicating the Philippines has the highest number of depressed people in Southeast Asia, with mental health illness as being the third most common form of disability in the country, especially among teens and children aged 5 to 15 with 3.3 million suffering from depressive disorders, and suicide rates in 2.5 males and 1.7 females per 100,000.

During the hearing, Mark Bercando, supervising education program specialist of the DepEd Bureau of Curriculum Development, said the agency has already been implementing a homeroom guidance program, which is a special program for all learners from Kinder to Grade 12 even before the pandemic.

Aside from the resolution, the panel also approved the proposed “Public Emergency Blended and Flexible Act.”

HB 8689, authored by Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor, seeks to institutionalize the alternative learning delivery modes in the K-12 Basic Education System.