Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Camille Villar (Rep. Villar’s office)

Senate hopeful Las Piñas City lone district Rep. Camille Villar is calling for improved mental health access and therapist services not only in schools but also in communities as a way to address the problem of bullying.

This, as the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidate cited the "worsening mental health crisis in the education sector". She said this led to cases of bullying.

“Mahalagang siguruhin natin ang mental wellness ng ating mga mag-aaral. Kailangan natin siguruhin na sila ay nasa hustong estado ng pag-iisip, lalo pa’t alam naman natin na malaki ang impluwensiya ng peer pressure at discrimination sa mga paaralan na kadalasan ay nagiging dahilan ng bullying,” Villar said on Wednesday, April 9.

(It is important to ensure the mental wellness of our students. We need to make sure that they are in a sound state of mind, especially since we know that peer pressure and discrimination in schools greatly influence instances of bullying.)

To address the uptick in incidents of school bullying, Villar said learning institutions should hire more guidance counselors to do regular counselling consultations with students and assess their mental well-being.

Villar in 2023 filed House Resolution (HR) No. 900, which called on the Committees on Health and Basic Education of the House of Representatives to look into the status of mental health in the education sector in particular, and the population in general to raise mental health awareness and determine the extent of mental health crisis in the country.

Improving the education sector is a top priority agenda of Villar in her campaign to win a Senate seat in the May 12 elections.

"Matagal na po nating itinutulak ang pagpasa ng mga panukalang batas na magsisiguro ng maayos na estado ng ating mga mag-aaral. Naniniwala po ako na education is a great fiscalizer kung kaya’t kailangang siguruhin ng pamahalaan na maayos ang lagay ng ating mga estudyante para maging maayos ang kanilang kinabukasan," said the House deputy speaker.

(We have long been advocating for the passage of legislative measures that will ensure the well-being of our students. I firmly believe that education is a great equalizer, which is why the government must ensure that the condition of our students is well taken care of to secure their future.)

Aside from ensuring the mental well-being of students, Villar has also filed House Bill (HB) No. 10933, or the proposed Teacher’s Mental Health and Wellness Act, to provide holistic support to all educators in the country. The measure seeks to ensure that teachers' mental, emotional, and psychological well-being is given the same importance as their professional development.

She has also filed House Bill (HB) No. 10934, which proposes the inclusion of mental health disorders in the benefit packages of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, or PhilHealth.

“We need to look at the problem with a new and modern perspective so we can come up with proper solutions to address the mental health crisis in our country,” Villar said.