Sherwin Gatchalian calls for more mental health professionals in schools, communities

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday called for efforts to address the shortage of mental health professionals in the country to expand services in schools and communities following recent fatal shooting incidents in schools.

In a statement, Gatchalian said the country needs to produce more graduates who can become mental health professionals, following the Department of Health’s (DOH) announcement of plans to train healthcare workers to help address the shortage.

“The Department of Health’s plan to train healthcare workers to provide mental health support can help address the shortage of mental health professionals,” Gatchalian said.

“In the long run, however, we need to ensure that we will produce enough graduates who will become mental health professionals and such other professionals who are qualified to deliver school-based mental health programs and services,” he added.

The senator said this is consistent with Republic Act No. 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which mandates the institutionalization of mental health programs and services in all basic education institutions.

“This should not be a privilege; mental health services should be accessible to everyone in all schools and communities,” Gatchalian said.

In a radio interview, DOH Secretary Edwin Mercado said the agency plans to implement task shifting, under which healthcare professionals will be trained and certified to provide initial mental health interventions.

The statement came after a fatal shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University High School campus, where two students were killed, including the Grade 8 student who was identified as the shooter.

In the wake of the incident, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it needs to hire 48,000 school counselor associates nationwide, but its 2026 budget currently covers only 10,000 positions.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the goal is eventually to have one school counselor associate in every school to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support for learners.— MCG, GMA News