QUEZON City 5th District Rep. Alfred Vargas filed a measure seeking to improve mental health services in college campuses.

House Bill 10163 or the proposed Campus Mental Health Improvement Act authorizes the chief of the Commission on Higher Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities to improve mental and behavioral health services in colleges.

“Students who encounter heavy academic and personal challenges remain vulnerable to mental health problems with the absence of accessible mental and behavioral health services in colleges and universities,” Vargas said in his explanatory note.

He added that his bill aims to increase access to, and reduce the stigma associated with mental health services.

Vargas stressed that access to mental health services for the greater population remains limited because of economic constraints.

House Bill 10163 also mandates the Secretary of Health to establish a College Campus Task Force under the National Center for Mental Health to discuss mental and behavioral health concerns in college and university campuses.