On July 8, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation—a non-profit organization dedicated to depression awareness and education—signed an agreement to set up a 24/7 suicide counseling hotline. The partnership, named “Hopeline,” is expected to officially begin operating this September.

This is the first of many efforts to address mental health that the DOH is expected carry out, as per the list of priority concerns released by newly appointed Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial, MD. This is not the first time a government official has attempted to incite nationwide awareness and action for mental health.

Bound by Congress

On January 21, 2015, the Philippine House of Representatives received House Bill 5347. The document, entitled the “Philippine Mental Health Act of 2015,” called for the enhancement of mental health services carried out by national and local government agencies, including the DOH, the Commission of Human Rights, and the Department of Justice. The bill also proposed the establishment of a Philippine Council for Mental Health to be an attached agency under the DOH. Citing Article II, Section 15 of the 1987 Constitution, the bill stated that “the State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.” The authors of the bill include current Vice President Leni Robredo, congressman Ibarra Gutierrez, and former congressman Walden Bello.

On August 19 of the same year, in the upper chamber of the Philippine Congress, Senator Pia Cayetano introduced Senate Bill 2910, entitled the “Philippine Mental Health Act of 2015.” Citing the same constitutional responsibility of the State, the content of the document is identical to the House Bill introduced several months prior, save for the absence of the proposal of a national mental health council and a few minor omissions in various sections. The bill references a council for mental health established by former President Fidel Ramos in 1998 under Executive Order No. 470.

In any case, both 2015 bills failed to pass their respective chambers of Congress that year and major news outlets have little to no articles covering either bill since they were first brought to Congress.

An elusive council

Then-President Fidel V. Ramos’s Executive Order No. 470 ordered the “creation of the Philippine Council for Mental Health (PCMH) which shall serve as the policy-making and advisory body on all government programs on mental health.” This Council was to be chaired by the Secretary of Health and made up by most of the remaining Cabinet Secretaries and several representatives from non-government organizations.

However, this council for mental health has either been subsumed by another government office or was never created, since SB 5347 makes no mention of it.

In addition, HB 6679, filed by Speaker Prospero Nograles and Health Chair Arthur Pingoy, sought the establishment of a “Philippine Council for Mental Health” along with a “National Mental Health Care Delivery System” in 2009.

In 2014, there was yet another bill filed to Congress promoting mental health and calling for the establishment of a national mental health council. HB 2450, introduced by Senator Loren Legarda, also called for the implementation of the “National Mental Health Care Delivery System.” The bill made no mention of Nograles, Pingoy, or the 2009 House Bill.

Decade-old, but relevant

In a 2009 report the World Health Organization (WHO), Philippines Office, utilizing the WHO-Assessment Instrument of Mental Health Systems, determined that only five percent of government expenditures allocated for DOH operations were directed towards mental health care.

The report also found that the majority of the country’s mental health institutions at the time were located in the National Capital Region, concluding, “access to mental health facilities is uneven across the country, favoring those living near the main cities.”

However, according to the report, this does not appear to be the cause of a shortage of manpower or incapacity to operate.

“The challenge is motivating these professionals to stay in the country and sustain their involvement, especially in the community setting, because the country is continuing to lose this valuable and crucial resource to overseas employment,” the report says.

It is now the current government administration’s responsibility to convince citizens that many Filipinos have not recovered as well as the former Sick Man of Asia.