FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List Representative Brian Poe has filed House Resolution No. 428, urging a nationwide strengthening of mental-health support systems in schools, communities, and digital spaces amid new data showing that seven in ten Filipinos have experienced bullying, often with lasting psychological effects.
The resolution underscores that bullying is not merely a disciplinary issue but a public-health and mental-wellness concern, with verbal and social aggression leading to anxiety, depression, and self-esteem loss among victims. The findings reveal that while 68 percent of Filipinos have experienced bullying, only 49 percent feel comfortable seeking help, signaling a dangerous gap in psychosocial support nationwide .
‘Behind every case of bullying is a silent mental-health crisis,’ Rep. Poe said. ‘We cannot treat bullying as just misbehavior; it is trauma that must be met with compassion, counseling, and care. Our schools and communities must be safe spaces for healing.’
Grounded in the Mental Health Act (RA 11036), the measure urges the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DOH) to ensure that every school has at least one qualified mental-health professional-such as a psychologist, guidance counselor, or social worker-trained in trauma-informed intervention. It also directs the integration of mental-health first-aid training for teachers and staff, so they can identify early warning signs of distress and provide appropriate referrals .
To ensure that help is accessible beyond the classroom, the resolution calls for the expansion of 24/7 mental-health hotlines and online counseling services dedicated to victims of cyberbullying and emotional abuse. These efforts will complement existing awareness campaigns that destigmatize therapy and encourage empathy-based peer support .
Rep. Poe also called on the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and National Privacy Commission (NPC) to promote digital well-being programs, emphasizing that cyberbullying leaves invisible wounds that can persist longer than physical harm. ‘In an era when words online can break spirits, we must respond with stronger systems of care,’ he said .
Recent data published by the BusinessMirror shows that 91 percent of cyberbullying victims reported experiencing harassment on major social platforms, while more than half of all victims simply ignored the attacks, reflecting a deep sense of helplessness. Rep. Poe said this highlights ‘an urgent moral and institutional duty to bring mental-health care to where people are-online, in classrooms, and in every barangay.’
‘Prevention begins with empathy. Healing begins with access. Our goal is not only to stop bullying but to rebuild confidence, restore dignity, and make mental-health care a right, not a privilege,’ he added.
Through House Resolution No. 428, Rep. Poe reaffirmed his long-standing advocacy to weave mental-health protection into every layer of education, governance, and digital citizenship, ensuring that every Filipino-especially the youth-has the support to recover, grow, and thrive.