SENATOR JV Ejercito on Monday raised concerns over the rising mental health problems and HIV infections among young Filipinos, urging the Department of Health (DOH) to step up its information campaigns and expand access to available healthcare services.

Ejercito said the government must strengthen efforts in the early detection, counseling, prevention, and treatment of mental health conditions among young people, particularly students.

“We need sufficient funding, not only for treatment, but also for early detection, counseling, and prevention,” Ejercito said.

He noted that while the DOH provides mental health maintenance medicines and PhilHealth offers outpatient mental health benefits, many potential beneficiaries remain unaware that these services are available.

PhilHealth’s outpatient mental health coverage includes screening, assessment, follow-up consultations, psychosocial support, and essential medicines.

The General Mental Health Services package provides coverage of up to P9,000 annually, while the Specialty Mental Health Services package provides up to P16,000.

According to PhilHealth Acting President and CEO Dr. Beverly Ho, claims under the agency’s General Mental Health Service and Specialty Mental Health packages remain low, with around 7,500 claims recorded in 2025 and 651 claims so far in 2026.

The DOH said it plans to focus its youth mental health efforts on schools, peer-to-peer support training, and community-based programs through PhilHealth’s Yaman ng Kalusugan, or YAKAP, packages.

Ejercito also raised concerns over the reported rise in HIV infections among adolescents and young people.

He cited data presented by civil society organizations indicating that the Philippines has the highest adolescent HIV incidence in the ASEAN region, with minors and young people accounting for as much as 30 percent of new infections.

“We cannot ignore that we have the highest cases of adolescent HIV in Southeast Asia. The lives and future of our young people are at stake,” Ejercito said.

DOH Acting Secretary Dr. Edwin Mercado said the agency is proposing to increase funding for HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention from P1.394 billion under the 2026 General Appropriations Act to P1.674 billion under the proposed 2027 budget.

Mercado said the additional funding would support wider access to HIV prevention and treatment services, including pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, HIV testing, condoms, antiretroviral medicines, and viral load monitoring.

The DOH also plans to work with PhilHealth to integrate HIV testing into local YAKAP clinics and link patients to accredited outpatient HIV/AIDS treatment centers.

PhilHealth currently lists 333 contracted outpatient HIV treatment package providers nationwide, as well as 432 facilities offering general mental health services.

Ejercito said stronger public information campaigns are needed to ensure that young Filipinos know where and how to access government health services for mental health concerns and HIV prevention and treatment.