Minding the Mental Healthcare Gap

But for me, there will be no job nobler than being a mental healthcare provider, for one psychologist can win hundreds of invisible wars and save thousands of people through the power of words, and a bit of medicine.

My dream of getting a Psychology degree at the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) is hanging by a thread. Last year, I applied for the University of the Philippines College Admission online, choosing BS Psychology and BA Psychology as my first two courses. When the first wave of results dropped early this May, I was waitlisted for a Degree Program with Available Slot (DPWAS). Then I waited for the DPWAS results to drop.

Surprisingly, there were three slots left for BA Psychology. BS Psychology easily ran out of available slots.

I hope this serves not only as a testament to how popular Psychology courses are, but also as a testament to how more Filipinos of my generation are considering entering the medical world as mental healthcare specialists.

But as of October 2022, the Department of Health (DOH) has been training local healthcare workers to “democratize mental health services” and prevent relying on mental health specialists. This training can make mental healthcare more accessible to the common folk. However, this is at most a band-aid solution to the lack of mental healthcare providers. The least the workers are expected to do are providing counseling and referring people to mental healthcare specialists.

We require mental health specialists because they have more understanding about the symptoms of each mental illness and devote applied

Overthinking Diaries

their time to understanding the mind of each individual. It takes lots of understanding about the human mind and empathy to give the best solutions to each person’s problems, something that I fear mere training cannot give to the aspiring mental health workers. But if the DOH wants to produce high-quality mental healthcare workers, they’d have to acquire lots of materials and time to assure that each worker could give counseling as effective as the mental health specialists.

A Psychology degree opens many grand doorways, hence its popularity. But for me, there will be no job nobler than being a mental healthcare provider, for one psychologist can win hundreds of invisible wars and save thousands of people through the power of words, and a bit of medicine. As for myself, I might have to settle for that BA Journalism degree and brave myself through med school.

By Samuel Reyes

Is Nuclear Energy the Right Call?

The entirety of Las Piñas City is under the 80-kilometer radius danger zone from the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). If the power plant melts down, we’d end up like Chernobyl – smokefilled skies, radioactive debris, and thousands of displaced lives. The azure skies and the greenery Las Piñas is known for would be forever changed.

Good news: There’s no need to panic for now. The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant isn’t about to melt down soon. In fact, it’s hasn’t been functioning ever since its construction in 1985 Well, the keyword was “for now.” It just so happens that the Department of Energy (DOE) is looking into the powers of nuclear energy with the intent to open this Nuclear Power Plant.

All of this, considering that the Philippines itself is ill-equipped to support nuclear energy. The Philippines is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, meaning that it is vulnerable to both volcanic and seismic activity. Nuclear power plants are vulnerable to these quakes, potentially causing a situation similar to that of Fukushima power plant, which melted down due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Power Plant

I could see why. After all, clean energy could minimize the use of non-renewable sources of fuel. The problem is that this energy is a bit too clean. So clean, in fact, that it even cleans up the Philippines’ budget. The original BNPP project took a whopping P28 billion to build. Today, it costs between P40 million to P50 million to maintain the plant every year, even though it’s not functioning at all.

Marcos Jr. said in his SONA that if he were to construct another nuclear power plant, he would base it on the standards of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Reasonably, he would apply the same standards to maintaining the BNPP. No matter how much you follow the standards of the IAEA, there’s still no guarantee that these power plants could consistently weather multiple natural tragedies and intensify the destruction they bring about.

No amount of clean energy could ever clean up the nuclear destruction the country could potentially face. If the BNPP melted down, remember, we’d never see the tall bamboo and the sparrows soaring above the skies of Las Piñas ever again.

Seeking The Reality

By Donna Jane Ramirez

De Lima’s Triumph with Truth

When defenders themselves are under attack, where do we go? — a question that plagued Filipinos when Senator Leila De Lima was vehemently accused of taking drug money during her tenure as Justice Secretary. Six years passed and one of two remaining drug-related cases dropped; De Lima’s recent acquittal became a long-overdue step towards justice for human rights. And, I nod to the decision.

De Lima, who is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters, is now one step away from freedom. Throughout her six-year ordeal, she endured countless slanders, a global pandemic, a hostage and a prison break, and deaths of several stray cats that became companions in her liberty-shackling cell. This phenomenon only exposed the frustrating politicization of the justice system in our country, where one’s freedom can be held hostage by those in power.

More often than not, women who choose to stand up and be at the forefront are always forced to keep their power in tow because of cowards afraid of justice. Well, this only speaks volumes about women like Senator Leila De Lima.

Thus, there is no denying that she will still have a target dangling on her back once she steps foot again in the streets. However, the undeterred woman she is does not care. As she said, “There is simply no substitute for freedom.” Her statement reflects her true nature — a woman ready to defend the truth and advocate for the rights, justice, and freedom of Filipinos against the politics fueled by greed and power.

Let this be a reminder that, armed with truth, we need never be afraid.

Senator Leila De Lima’s recent acquittal is not only a triumph for her, but also a symbol of hope for everybody. Her story, marked by bravery, serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of defending the truth. It sheds light on the battles faced by defenders of justice and prompts us to call on for a fair and impartial justice system.

Let this be a reminder that, armed with truth, we need never be afraid.