Bacolod councilor pushes barangay mental health program

BACOLOD CITY — A proposed ordinance seeking to institutionalize a barangay-based mental health program in Bacolod City was approved on first reading by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Nov. 12, 2025.

The measure, authored by Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr., is titled the “Mental Health Care Ordinance of Bacolod City” and aims to enhance mental health services through a life-course, community-centered approach.

An initial budget of PHP 1 million is proposed to launch the program through the Bacolod City Health Department and the Bacolod City Mental Health Center, which will serve as the lead implementing agencies.

Gamboa said the ordinance is grounded in international human rights frameworks, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He emphasized the rights of persons with mental health conditions to equality, dignity, privacy, autonomy, and participation.

The ordinance outlines the training and deployment of barangay-based mental health workers who will provide a full range of services — from prevention and promotion to treatment, care, and rehabilitation.

It also proposes reorganizing the 2015 Bacolod City Mental Health Committee into a broader and more inclusive Bacolod City Mental Health Council.

The council will serve as the main policy-making and coordinating body for mental health efforts in the city.

Under the proposed structure, the mayor will serve as chair of the council, with the vice mayor as vice chair and the City Health Department as the body’s secretariat.

Membership will include representatives from the Sangguniang Panlungsod, youth, education, labor, legal, planning, gender and development, barangay councils, nongovernmental organizations, parent–teacher associations, and professionals from the Philippine Psychological Association, the Philippine Psychiatric Association, and the academic sector.

The council will be tasked with drafting, updating, and implementing the Bacolod City Mental Health Action Plan.

It will also be required to submit annual progress reports to the mayor and the Sangguniang Panlungsod to ensure transparency and accountability.

Gamboa said the measure seeks to make mental health care more responsive, integrated, and accessible to all Bacolodnons.

“This measure strengthens mental health services across all barangays and integrates them into broader public health and social support structures,” he said.