SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian filed a bill that seeks to strengthen the promotion and delivery of mental health services in basic education schools.

Senate Bill 379 or the proposed Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act seeks to counter the negative effects of school closures on the mental health and socio-emotional development of learners, teachers and other non-teaching personnel.

In the long-term, it aims to institutionalize the Mental Health and Well-Being Program, which will provide mental health services, emotional, developmental and preventive programs and other support services in all public and private basic education schools.

The measure also seeks to hire mental health professionals and deploy them to public elementary, secondary, and vocational institutions and establish a Mental Health and Well-Being Center in every public and private basic education school in the country.

The Center will be responsible for delivering mental health and well-being services.

To address the shortage of guidance counselors nationwide, Gatchalian pushed for the creation of a sufficient number of plantilla items for the positions of guidance counselor and guidance associate, a position created under the measure.

“Titiyakin natin na ang ating mga paaralan ay may sapat na bilang ng mga propesyonal at dalubhasa pagdating sa mental health. Napapanahon ito lalo na’t patuloy tayong bumabangon mula sa pinsala ng pandemya, kung saan nakita natin ang matinding pinsala sa mental health ng ating mga guro at mga mag-aaral,” he said.