SAMANTHA POBLACION
The recognition of mental health as a basic human right in the Philippines finally came to pass after the Philippine Mental Health Law (Republic Act No. 11036, or RA 11036) was signed into law on June 21, 2018. The bill was pending in Congress for almost 20 years – a stark reminder of the stigma that still permeates discussions on mental health issues by Filipinos. It was also perhaps no coincidence that the bill was signed into law on the heels of high-profile suicides that occurred one after the other.