Mental health services will now be provided students under a new law that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed on Monday (December 9).

This developed as the country’s health and education leaders aired serious concern over the rising number of youth suicides.

The Department of Education data in 2021 showed 404 student suicides and 2,147 attempted suicides.

Republic Act 12080 or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-being Promotion Act seeks to address the long-standing problem of shortage of guidance counselors in public schools.

The new law provides for a career path for licensed guidance counselors that will ensure better pay for them. It also authorizes behavioral science graduates to be qualified as “school counselor associates.”

RA 12080 increases counselors’ salary grade from a range of SG 11 to 13 to SG 16 or 24, ensuring a 11-step higher salary grade for them.

Under the 2024 salary grade schedule, SG 11 offers a basic pay of PHP27,000 while SG 16 guarantees a basic salary of PHP39,672. The law, thus, grants a hike of the basic pay to at least PHP12,672 per month.

Under RA 10280 psychologists will be allowed to provide counseling services in schools.

Proponents in Congress of the new law includes the following. Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva and Nancy Binay in the Senate and Reps. Roman Romulo (Lone District, Pasig City); Harris Christopher Ongchuan (2nd District, Northern Samar); and Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City).

Former Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian, now secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, is also a principal author of the Lower House version of the measure.

Authors of the measure noted that guidance counselors are among the lowest paid personnel in the basic education sector, notwithstanding their completion of post-graduate degrees and passing of licensure examination provided for counseling services professionals.