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PASAY CITY—Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go on July 1, declared a youth mental health and school safety crisis following a recent wave of school violence, including a deadly shooting at Jose National High School in Tacloban City.
Speaking at a Senate committee hearing, Go warned that these violent incidents require immediate legislative and administrative intervention to protect students nationwide.
He emphasized that the situation has escalated beyond a routine law enforcement problem, demanding a comprehensive national response.
During the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality hearing, the lawmaker reclassified the violence as a critical public health issue.
Go directly linked the spike in school attacks to a severe nationwide shortage of guidance counselors and child psychiatrists, leaving students without essential psychological support.
He argued that treating these tragedies strictly as peace and order violations ignores the deeper emotional and psychological distress affecting Filipino youth.
To combat the crisis, Go pushed for aggressive legislative action, including his filed Senate Bill 176 (the State Universities and Colleges Mental Health Service Act of 2025) and Republic Act 1280.
As an immediate stopgap measure, he proposed hiring 10,000 school counselor associates across the country to bridge the severe staffing gap.
Additionally, the senator called for a visible yet non-intimidating police presence around campuses to deter potential attackers and ensure immediate physical security for students.
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Date posted: July 2, 2026 3:32 PM