BulSU MH Crisis: Just all in BulSUans heads?

Nash Villena

October 10, 2023

Graphic by: Nash Villena/Overturn

With the growing cases of mental health burdens among young adults ages 15-24 years old in the Philippines, it gave emphasis more than ever to the importance of stable mental health support from the primary sector that caters to youths in their most vulnerable phase—educational institutions.

Out of all the problems of Bulacan State University (BulSU), an invisible foe freely roams day and night beyond scarce classrooms, dysfunctional restrooms, and poor supposed “Free Wi-Fi connection”; a phantom without a face but knows how to mentally break a student from within.

Junior-year BS Food Technology student Runsell Ken Robelas from the College of Science (CS) confesses that he always feels pressured and anxious whenever a certain professor teaches their class. “May isang terror prof [sic] ako na para sa kanya ang mental health ay bali wala lamang”, Robelas tells Overturn.

Among other reasons, his experience is what prompted Robelas to push through in joining the BulSU SG Mental Health Coalition (MHC), a university-based student committee advocating for a mental health-friendly BulSU, as he wants to be a part of making a change in bettering the lives of his fellow students.

Beyond his position on MHC as the local chairperson for CS, Robelas does his best to advocate mental health awareness and its de-stigmatization with people by investing first in himself as he joins various seminars and workshops tackling mental well-being both within and outside the university.

However, the MHC CS local chairperson affirms that there is still a lot of work to be done for BulSU to truly become a mental health-friendly university beyond the usually implemented three-day mental health breaks each semester.

Phasing through more barriers

Vincent Elijah Canlas, a junior-year BA Journalism student and an associate at MHC, also shares the same sentiments as he is aware that the existence of discrimination on mental health conditions both unspoken and told, is still prevalent within the campus.

Canlas believes in the importance of mental health awareness as it can empower individuals to be more accepting and understanding of people with mental health problems, and likewise, prevent discrimination and break stereotypes among communities regarding the topic.

“Maingat ko ring ginagamit ang 'social media' upang magbahagi ng mga kaisipan, panawagan, at karanasan upang maisulong ang isang 'safe internet space' na nakikinig at umuunawa sa danas ng aking mga social media friends”, Canlas added.

MHC’s growing social media presence each year is also evident with its Facebook and Instagram pages known for disseminating information and awareness including publication materials, motivational content, infographics, and interactive posts.

Despite the existence of MHC, college-initiated programs, and regular seminars discussing mental wellness, challenges are still present in making BulSU genuinely a safe space for all.

Amid progressive discussions, remarks such as "Ino-overthink mo lang 'yan", "Magdasal kayo palagi para hindi kayo nakakaranas ng mental health crisis", and "Maging grateful ka na lang" are still concerningly observed within the institution, says Canlas.

He further expounded that BulSU is not yet completely a mental health-friendly university but steps have been taken to get there: miles worth of steps forward should the administration add the matter on hand to its priorities that would benefit its constituents down to its colleges. The creeping effect of negligence

“I certainly believe that our college is not mental health-friendly enough”, Jeibhine Turla told Overturn.

Turla, the incumbent MHC College of Education (COEd) local chairperson and a junior-year BSEd Major in English student says that on a smaller scale, the effects of the past administration’s neglect to take action was something that he and his college felt.

He said that although there are professors and admin staff who help maintain a mental health-friendly environment, there still exist practices at COEd that hugely violate students’ mental health, as the same goes with the teachers themselves.

“Just like the laws in a country, neither one cannot recognize their rights if they are not aware of it, nor if it has been violated or given at all”, Turla explained as he gave emphasis on the importance of mental health awareness and every student’s right to access mental health services.

The Republic Act 11036, also known as the “Mental Health Act” of 2018, declares that “the state affirms the basic right of all Filipinos to mental health as well as the fundamental rights of people who require mental health services”.

Particularly Chapter 5 Section 24, Mental Health Promotion in Educational Institutions, mandates academic institutions to raise awareness and provide support and services for individuals at risk and their access to facilities; treatment, and psychological support for people with mental health conditions.

A law that has been passed for over five years yet still critical to claim that it was completely attained in academic institutions such as BulSU, which offers a BS Psychology course under the College of Social Science and Philosophy, and is known to produce board passers alumni through the annual Board Licensure Examination for Psychologists and Psychometricians (BLEPP).

Although there are mental health professionals among faculty members and at the Guidance and Counseling Services Center (GCSC), such as psychometricians, the former MHC Chairperson Destiny Mrien del Rosario expresses that the BulSU admin still lacks focus on strengthening mental health services in the university.

“Kulang pa rin ‘yon kasi hati oras nila o kulang sila sa tao”, del Rosario points out the lack of mental health professionals in the institution.

Moreover, Turla finds the integration of the current semester’s health break and the university’s first fast-to-face intramurals since the pandemic bothersome as it appears to him it devalues the essence of the break indicated in the academic calendar.

The three-day health break, from October 16 to 18, falls at the exact week the university intramurals will be held based on the academic year 2023-2024 calendar, October 16 to 20, overlapping with its first three days.

BulSU was among the academic institutions that implemented academic freezes for its community from the previous semesters, but not all of those were fully initiated by the administration themselves as student leaders, mainly the BulSU Student Government (SG), had been the one to file such proposals for those breaks to be approved and implemented.

A challenge: Shedding the limelight at the phantom

With the Dr. Teody San Andres-led administration picking up where the 8-year term of the Dr. Cecilia Navasero-Gascon admin left off, BulSU students and advocates alike are hopeful for a positive change addressing the mental health crisis experienced by the community, particularly the students.

Robelas is looking forward to the administration employing more mental health professionals who are qualified to attend [or at least conduct initial medical care] on BulSUans experiencing mental health burdens. Likewise, consideration of the teachers to the students who need professional help in their times of absence.

If MHC Associate Canlas were to be asked, he wanted the university to have a mental health desk wherein students can reach out to and access services addressing their mental health problems, as he hopes that the BulSU administration will be serious and proactive in reviewing reports about the depreciation and neglect of its stakeholders’ mental wellness.

“Batid ko na may sapat pang plantilla positions para tumanggap ng mga psychologist, psychiatrist, at iba pang propesyonal na hahawak sa mga kaso ng mental health concerns ng mga BulSUans”, Canlas explained.

As Bulacan State University continues with its mission to produce highly competent, ethical, and service-oriented professionals who will be able to contribute to the development of the nation, to prioritize the well-being of its constituents which the institution prides on, is deemed to be equally essential by various BulSUans.—OVERTURN