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MANILA, Philippines— The Kabataan Party-list on Saturday, June 9, called on the Marcos administration to give attention to the “prevailing mental health crisis” in the country, a day after a student of the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) was reportedly found dead in her lodging house in Catarman, Northern Samar, on the day of the university’s commencement exercises.
The alleged suicide was first reported on Friday by the UEP student publication The Pillar, which said a death note was found in the student’s room, in which she apologized to her parents for failing to graduate on time.
The Inquirer asked the UEP administration for further confirmation and updates on the investigation but received no response as of this writing.
“Our country cannot afford to keep turning a blind eye on the hundreds of young lives that have been taken by academic and economic pressures of today’s society,” said Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel.
“Panahon na para bigyang atensyon ng Marcos Jr.-Duterte administration ang umiiral na mental health crisis at pagtalakayan ang ganitong mga insidente upang makabuo agad ng pambansang plano,” he added.
Our country cannot afford to keep turning a blind eye on the hundreds of young lives that have been taken by academic and economic pressures of today’s society.
— Raoul Manuel #Kabataan (@iamRaoulManuel) June 9, 2023
Manuel also asserted that ensuring humaneness of the country’s education system should be considered by the Second Congressional Commission on Education’s and should be made part of the Department of Education’s K-12 curriculum review.
READ: DepEd forms task force to review K-12 program https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1768861/deped-forms-task-force-to-review-k-12-program
Following consultations with mental health advocates and organizations, the youth party-list announced that it plans to file a House resolution pushing the Marcos administration to look into the country’s mental health crisis. /ra