10/10/2026
On this World Mental Health Day, anchored in WHO’s theme “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” we underscore the importance of being active co-creators of mental health systems, ensuring that policies, legal frameworks, and support are shaped together WITH people with lived experiences of mental health conditions, and not merely FOR or ABOUT them. But the fight for inclusion must go beyond being heard. It also demands that we become critical toward a system plagued by corruption and the misallocation of public funds.
In the proposed 7.2 trillion 2027 national budget, there is an alarming contrast between the direct defunding of health and social programs and the skyrocketing allocations for defense and discretionary infrastructure. By the numbers, the health sector faced an aggressive 33.6 billion spending cut—leaving mental health lines still heavily suppressed, representing only a small fraction of the already stripped total budget.
Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense (DND) is allocated more than 328.8 billion, including 50 billion purely for the revised Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program. Moreover, the government also pumped an extra 98 billion into the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), massively increasing the budget for roads and localized line items. Budget Watch Dogs explicitly flags these local insertions, alongside 112 billion in unprogrammed appropriations, as patronage- and corruption-prone “pork”, especially in lieu of the upcoming midterm elections.
When public funds are diverted to enrich private interests or fund military hardware, it results in the chronic underfunding of social services.
Government-run hospitals and community centers, for example, cannot sustain a reliable supply of psychiatric medications. This pushes patients to forcibly buy them at a more expensive cost out of pocket. Financial barriers also cause “forced non-compliance” wherein patients stop taking their medication because of its hefty price.
While the proposed budget funds thousands of military and state agency personnel, funding to hire and properly compensate public mental health professionals remains suppressed. A manifestation of this in the Philippines is the 1 psychiatrist per 100,000 people ratio, with the vast majority concentrated in wealthy urban areas like the National Capital Region.
While the House of Representatives pumped 98 billion for local roads and multi-purpose buildings, the funding to expand and modernize public psychiatric infrastructure is sidelined. Instead of being a space for recovery and healing, public psychiatric spaces are underfunded, understaffed, and heavily congested—operating beyond their maximum capacity.
Mental health must not remain an empty promise on the podiums and in the halls of our institutions. The right to mental health means nothing if people cannot afford their medication, access qualified professionals, or find public facilities that are able to cater to their needs. Lived experiences must not only be heard—they must translate to concrete action, accountability, and systemic change. Inclusion demands more than just listening. It demands that we remain critical of the conditions that perpetuate suffering and collectively fight for a society where care is accessible, public resources are allotted rightfully, and no one is left to struggle alone.
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