Senators have lauded the move of the House of Representatives for passing on third and final reading its version of the mental-health bill.
With 223 affirmative votes, zero negative votes and no abstentions, the House had approved the Mental Health Act on third and final reading.
Sen. Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, sponsor of the counterpart bill in the Senate, said that she’s looking forward to working with her colleagues in Congress to finalize the bill.
“I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in Congress in finalizing the bill and having it signed into law before the year ends as a wonderful Christmas gift to the Filipino people,” Hontiveros-Baraquel said in a news statement.
Hontiveros-Baraquel said that, after being one of the few countries left without a mental-health policy, the Philippines is now one step closer to implementing a policy that would respond to the mental- health needs of Filipinos.
“Once enacted into law, the measure will integrate mental health into the general health-care system,” she added.
Sen. Joel Villanueva described the legislation as “an important policy that addresses the concerns of our fellow Filipinos who are in dire need of accessible mental-health care.”
As one of the authors of the bill’s counterpart version, Villanueva said that he had inserted a provision that proposes to standardize collection and management of data and promote evidence-based research on youth suicide and institutionalize the 24/7 national hot line for suicide prevention.
He, meanwhile, expressed hope that during the bicameral conference-committee hearing, both chambers would be able to reconcile the differences.
Sen. Juan Edgardo M. Angara, like his colleagues, is also hopeful that the bicameral committee will meet immediately to come up with a draft that will be submitted to President Duterte for his signature.
“It’s about time that we enact a mental-health law. We are one of the very few countries today that has no national mental-health policy,” Angara said.
Angara added that the measure is necessary so people would no longer “suffer silently in the dark.”