HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE SANGGUNIANG
PANLUNGSOD NG DIPOLOG, TODAY, WE FACE AN
URGENT CALL TO ACTION—AN OPPORTUNITY TO
MAKE A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF OUR
YOUTH AND OUR COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. WE
ARE CONFRONTED WITH A SILENT EPIDEMIC, A
RISING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS THAT AFFECTS OUR
CHILDREN, FRIENDS, AND FUTURE LEADERS.
RECENT DATA SHOWS THAT OVER 3.6 MILLION
FILIPINOS ARE LIVING WITH MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES, WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AMONG
THE MOST COMMON. EVEN MORE ALARMING,
NEARLY 17% OF FILIPINO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
HAVE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE, AND 12% HAVE
SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED IT. THESE NUMBERS ARE
NOT JUST STATISTICS; THEY REPRESENT YOUNG
PEOPLE IN PAIN, STRUGGLING IN SILENCE, AND
FEELING LOST AND ALONE. BUT TODAY, WE HAVE
THE POWER TO CHANGE THAT NARRATIVE. TODAY,
WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE VOICE OF
HOPE AND HEALING THAT OUR YOUTH SO
DESPERATELY NEED.
THE SANGPIT KABATAAN ORDINANCE,
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANDEL ZOE LUGASAN, IS A
POWERFUL RESPONSE TO THIS SILENT EPIDEMIC.
IT IS A COMMITMENT TO CREATE A COMMUNITY
WHERE MENTAL HEALTH IS NOT A STIGMA, BUT A
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY. BY ESTABLISHING PEER
SUPPORT GROUPS AND A DEDICATED MENTAL
HEALTH HOTLINE, WE ARE BUILDING A SAFETY NET
FOR OUR YOUTH. WE ARE TELLING THEM THAT IT IS
OKAY TO SPEAK UP, TO SEEK HELP, AND TO
SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. IMAGINE A CITY WHERE
EVERY YOUNG PERSON FEELS HEARD, VALUED,
AND UNDERSTOOD. A CITY WHERE THEY KNOW
THAT HELP IS JUST A CALL AWAY, THAT THEY HAVE
A NETWORK OF PEERS READY TO LISTEN AND
SUPPORT THEM. THIS IS THE VISION OF THE
SANGPIT KABATAAN ORDINANCE—A VISION OF A
CARING, COMPASSIONATE, AND CONNECTED
COMMUNITY.
OUR ACTIONS TODAY CAN PAVE THE WAY FOR A
BRIGHTER TOMORROW. BY SUPPORTING THIS
ORDINANCE, WE ARE NOT ONLY ADDRESSING A
CRITICAL ISSUE; WE ARE INSPIRING A MOVEMENT.
WE ARE INSPIRING OUR YOUTH TO BE BRAVE, TO
REACH OUT, AND TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.
WE ARE INSPIRING PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND
COMMUNITY LEADERS TO BE MORE AWARE, MORE
UNDERSTANDING, AND MORE PROACTIVE IN
SUPPORTING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF OUR YOUNG
PEOPLE. THE SANGPIT KABATAAN COMMITTEE WILL
LEAD THIS CHARGE, WORKING HAND IN HAND
WITH SCHOOLS, HEALTH INSTITUTIONS, AND
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE THE
TRAINING, RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT NEEDED TO
MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE. TOGETHER, WE WILL
CREATE A NETWORK OF CARE THAT ENSURES NO
YOUNG PERSON IN DIPOLOG IS LEFT TO FACE THEIR
STRUGGLES ALONE.
HONORABLE COLLEAGUES, LET US SEIZE THIS
MOMENT TO BE AGENTS OF CHANGE. LET US RISE
TO THE CHALLENGE AND BE THE CHAMPIONS OF
OUR YOUTH. BY PASSING THE SANGPIT KABATAAN
ORDINANCE, WE ARE MAKING A POWERFUL
STATEMENT—THAT EVERY LIFE IS PRECIOUS, THAT
EVERY VOICE MATTERS, AND THAT WE ARE
COMMITTED TO BUILDING A FUTURE WHERE
MENTAL HEALTH IS A PRIORITY. LET US BE THE
LEADERS WHO TURN THE TIDE OF THIS MENTAL
HEALTH CRISIS. LET US BE THE ONES WHO
TRANSFORM DIPOLOG INTO A CITY OF HOPE, A
CITY WHERE EVERY YOUNG PERSON KNOWS THEY
ARE NOT ALONE, AND THAT TOGETHER, WE ARE
STRONGER. TOGETHER, WE CAN INSPIRE HOPE,
IGNITE CHANGE, AND SAVE LIVES. LET US TAKE
THIS STEP FORWARD, WITH COURAGE,
COMPASSION, AND A COMMITMENT TO THE WELL-
BEING OF EVERY YOUNG PERSON IN OUR
COMMUNITY. THANK YOU.
