By Billy Begas
House Deputy Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Luigi Villafuerte urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to fast-track the hiring of 10,000 school counselor associates (SCAs) to promote the mental health of elementary and high school learners.
Villafuerte said he is pleased that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned this in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), amid the disturbing rise in violence and bullying on campuses.
“We are very pleased with the full support of the President in his latest SONA for the fast-track deployment of 10,000 SCAs or counselors, considering that better access to emotional and psychosocial support services in schools would go a long way in promoting the mental health of our young learners, in light of the disturbing spate of violence and bullying on campus, topped by the shooting and stabbing incidents last June, leading to the deaths or serious injuries of numerous students in various schools,” Villafuerte said.
“Even before the President tackled this major concern in his latest SONA, Mr. Marcos had already called on all government agencies, parents and other sectors to work together on ensuring the safety and security of young Filipinos in their schools,” he added.
Villafuerte said the DepEd can now speed up the hiring of SCAs after Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced the Civil Service Commission (CSC)’s creation of the new positions in line with the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act (Republic Act 12080).
With the CSC’s approval of the qualification standards for the positions of SCAs and school division counselors (SDCs), Angara said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) may now create 10,000 positions for deployment to public schools this year.
“The hiring and deployment of as many as 10,000 experts to fill these counselor positions will let DepEd provide better mental health, guidance and counseling support services for our elementary and secondary students in public schools,” Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte said Congress can help the President better address the urgent concern by writing new legislation to institutionalize the hiring of mental health experts for counseling students not only in basic education but in college as well.
The solon authored House Bill 163, which aims to deploy licensed mental health professionals such as psychologists, guidance counselors, or psychiatric nurses to every public high school and state university or college (SUC) campus within three years, in coordination with the DepEd, DOH, and Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
HB 163 mandates annual mental health screenings, the establishment of safe spaces for emotional processing, and training programs for teachers in trauma-informed and empathy-based approaches.
Villafuerte’s brother, Camarines Sur Rep. Migz Villafuerte, filed House Bill 1700, which also seeks to address the need for mental health professionals in schools to provide counseling and emotional support to students amid rising rates of depression and anxiety exacerbated by digital technology.
