Risa lauds Joey De Leon apology, invites host to help raise awareness about depression

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday lauded Joey De Leon for apologizing for controversial comments about depression, and invited the Eat Bulaga host to become part of efforts to raise awareness about mental health issues.

“Appreciate Mr Joey de Leon for admitting his mistake & apologizing, & invite him to join us in raising awareness about mental health,” the senator said in a tweet.

De Leon was criticized over a comment he made on Thursday on  Eat Bulaga's "Juan for All, All for Juan" segment after a contestant said she has depression.

De Leon said: "Yung depression, gawa-gawa lang ng mga tao iyan. Gawa nila sa sarili nila."

The noontime show host has apologized for his remark, saying he was wrong in minimizing the effect of depression.

"Nagkamali po ako…Dala ng gulo at tuksuhan natin, naging mababaw lang at magaan ang pagtanggap ko sa salitang 'yan," De Leon said.

On Twitter, Hontiveros said: “Depression is not a self-inflicted invention. It’s real, so real that it can move one to end one’s life.”

“Don’t trivialize it. Understand it,” she said.

Hontiveros is the principal author of Senate Bill No. 1354 or the proposed Philippine Mental Health Law that seeks to integrate mental health services into the national health system to make it more accessible, affordable and equitable.

Citing data from the Department of Health (DOH), Hontiveros earlier said that one in five Filipino adults have some form of mental illness, with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety topping the incidents of disorder. —JST, GMA News