SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is proposing to increase the number of guidance designates in public schools to help address incidents of bullying.

Guidance designates are teachers assigned to perform duties related to the implementation of guidance services.

Gatchalian also urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to review the ideal ratio of guidance designates to learners.

Currently, there is one guidance counselor or designate for every 500 learners.

According to DepEd data, 10,412 out of 45,326 schools have no guidance designates for School Year 2024–2025.

While Gatchalian maintains that teachers should be relieved of non-teaching tasks, he considers the increase in guidance designates as a necessary stopgap measure in the absence of licensed guidance counselors.

“Part of our recommendation to DepEd is to review the role of guidance designates. Maybe we can increase their number depending on the size of the school by adjusting the ratio,” said Gatchalian.

Moving forward, the senator emphasized the importance of implementing the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which he authored and sponsored.

The law mandates the development of a school-based mental health program to promote the well-being of learners and also aims to address the shortage of guidance counselors in public schools.