Sign Mental Health Bill into law, Duterte urged

MANILA — Sen. Risa Hontiveros yesterday appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte to sign into law the Mental Health Bill, which seeks to integrate mental health services and programs in the country's public health system.

Hontiveros, the bill's principal author, stressed that the measure can help those suffering from depression and other mental health issues.

“Let's have a policy that actually saves lives. So many Filipinos need this measure. So many of our countrymen and women from all walks of life suffer in silence and need our help. It's about time we answer the call,” she said.

The bill passed the Senate in May 2017. The House of Representatives passed its own version in November last year.

The measure's final version, ratified by the upper chamber in February, is awaiting the chief executive's signature.

The senator made the call in the wake of the deaths of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain.

According to the World Health Organization, over 300 million people worldwide are suffering from depression.

“In 2013 alone, it was found that as many as seven Filipinos committed suicide daily. The Global School-Bases Student Health Survey of 2015 reported that 17 percent of high school students in the Philippines aged 12 to 15 said they had attempted suicide at least once,” Hontiveros said.