MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed on Mondayslotvip, December 9 a law that expands the pool of professionals that can provide mental health services to students amid the decades-long shortage of guidance counselors in public schools.

Republic Act 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, also creates better-paying career paths for licensed guidance counselors — a development that one former guidance counselor said could be a "catalyst" to increasing their numbers. 

Marcos noted the urgency in passing the law, which the House and Senate had approved on final reading in 2023. “The need for this legislation is urgent and undeniable. Globally, mental health concerns are escalating. In the Philippines, the statistics are alarming," he said during a signing ceremony in the Malacañang Palace.

"Seventeen percent of our young people have contemplated taking their life, yet less than one percent sought professional help. This law aims to bridge that gap by embedding mental health services directly into our schools—our nation’s first line of defense against mental health issues," Marcos added.

Pay hike for counselors. The new law bumps up guidance counselors’ salary grade from a range of SG 11 to 13, to SG 16 to 24, hiking the maximum salary grade they can achieve by 11 spots.

Currently, guidance counselors are among the lowest paid in the basic education system, with entry-level counselors assigned salary grade 11 (P27,000 per month). This is even as they are required to complete a Master's degree and pass a licensure exam before they can provide counseling services.

As a result, too few students take up the profession. Latest government data show that there are 4,460 vacancies for guidance counselor positions nationwide as of March 2024.

This far outnumbers the estimated 251 graduates of Masters in Guidance and Counseling programs from 2018 to 2021, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).

"The DepEd has been trying to encourage more registered guidance counselors to join DepEd. There were in fact 5,000 items but not filled because of lack of registered guidance counselors and the salary grade is only 11 to a maximum of 13," House basic education chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo told Philstar.com.

The shortage of guidance counselors has forced several schools to assign teachers to be their de-facto guidance counselors, calling them “guidance teachers” instead.

Stand-ins prohibited

But non-counselors cannot stand in as mental health workers in schools under the two-decade Republic Act 9258 or the Guidance and Counseling Act. This, however, has not been strictly implemented.

To address immediate staffing needs, the new law allows volunteer teachers chosen by principals to continue serving as guidance advocates with additional pay after completing required training. 

The law also allows psychologists to provide counseling services in schools.

Additionally, graduates who have completed at least 18 units of behavioral science may now serve as "school counselor associates" with a salary grade of 11 to 15.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara welcomed the passage of the law on Monday and thanked EDCOM 2 for the inclusion of "deliberate and data-driven provisions" in the law. 

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Senate basic education panel chairperson and EDCOM 2 co-chairperson, hailed the passage of the measure at a time when students are facing a "pandemic of mental health." He also noted the high incidence of bullying in Philippine schools, which are captured in international assessments. 

"By ensuring the accessibility of mental health services, we can instill resilience in our learners, prevent suicides, and make our schools safer," Gatchalian said. 

Institutionalizing mental health programs

To make mental health services more accessible to students, the new law requires DepEd to establish and maintain a "care center" in all public schools.

Through this care center, all schools will need to provide a range of mental health services from screening and evaluation to monitoring. Schools must also be capable of having a referral system for students needing diagnosis from licensed mental health professionals outside the school.

The legislation comes as DepEd data showed 404 student suicides and 2,147 attempted suicides in 2021, figures that were repeatedly discussed during congressional hearings on students' mental health struggles.

Reactions

Francis Ray Subong, a guidance counselor and former official of the Philippine Guidance and Counseling Association (PGCA), sees promise in the new law. "Hopefully, this law would be a stimulus. Since career progression and benefits are better now, enrollment for masters and the number of takers might increase drastically in three to five years' time," he told Philstar.com.

However, Subong cautioned that quality control remains a concern. "The Philippines needs Counselor Supervisors, which we don't have a system for. Many aspects of the system need improvementslotvip," he added.

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