Ejercito to DOH: Youth needs info drives on mental health, HIV

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. JV Ejercito urged the Department of Health (DOH) to step up its campaigns on mental health and HIV infections, particularly with the rising cases of suicide and the high incidence of HIV cases among young Filipinos.

Speaking at a recent Senate budget hearing, Ejercito emphasized the urgent need to address these interconnected youth crises.

“With regard to mental health, we have repeatedly raised the alarm over an increasing number of suicide and mental health cases among Filipino youth, particularly students. We need sufficient funding not only for treatment but also for early detection, counseling, and prevention,” Ejercito stressed.

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READ: DOH points to low pay for lack of psychiatrists, psychologists in PH

Unused mental health services, expensive meds

The DOH provides free mental health maintenance medicines and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) offers specific care packages, but most of the target beneficiaries remain unaware of these benefits, Ejercito pointed out.

He added that the national government must double its efforts in reaching the public, as he noted mental health issues had become a “clear and present danger.”

“We are providing the maintenance medicines, which are very expensive, for mental health… But the problem is, people are not aware of this. People just do not know. Sayang naman, DOH is offering mental health programs that are not being availed of.”

Ejerito cited Dr. Beverly Ho, PhilHealth’s acting president and CEO, who revealed that claims for PhilHealth’s General Mental Health Service and Specialty Mental Health Package remained low, recording around 7,500 claims in 2025 and only 651 claims in 2026.

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Part of the challenge, the DOH noted, is expanding the number of accredited, trained mental health service providers nationwide.

To address the youth mental health crisis, DOH acting Secretary Edwin Mercado outlined plans to focus on schools, peer-to-peer support training, and community-based programs through PhilHealth’s Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (Yakap) packages.

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Highest adolescent HIV rates in Asean

During the same hearing, Ejercito also raised alarming data from civil society organizations that showed that the Philippines currently holds the highest adolescent HIV incidence in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), with minors and young people accounting for up to 30 percent of new infections.

“We can’t just stay silent about having the highest cases of adolescent HIV in Southeast Asia. It’s the life and future of our youths at stake here. We need to double our effort to educate and protect our youth,” Ejercito said.

READ: Philippines posts highest estimated adolescent HIV incidence in Asean

According to Mercad, the DOH has committed to boosting its budget for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention from P1.394 billion in the 2026 General Appropriations Act to P1.674 billion under the proposed 2027 budget.

The health chief explained that the increased funding would expand access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV testing, condoms, antiretrovirals (ARVs), and viral load monitoring. 

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He added that DOH was also partnering with PhilHealth to integrate HIV testing into local Yakap clinics and connect patients to accredited Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment (OHAT) centers to reach global treatment targets. /atm