Do We Want to Live in a World Where Many Are Ignorant to the Mental Suffering of Others?

This petition is created to urge the Philippine government and other organizations to partner with local artists in creating low-trigger, informative public service announcements to boost mental health literacy and reduce stigma. But why?

About eleven percent of the Filipino population struggle with their mental health. Though it might not seem like much, the number comes out to a total of about 13 million people. Here are the main issues when it comes to mental health and its main contributing factors. 

• Issue #1: Lack of mental health resources
  Cause: Underinvestment of budget for mental health resources 
  - Only 3-5 percent of health budget dedicated to mental health
  - Only 2.02 mental health professionals per 100,000 people
  - Causes the remaining resources to be rare and expensive
  - Mental health conditions cause the Philippines to lose 68.9 billion PHP annually, 0.4% of its gross domestic product, due to less work productivity and absenteeism.
• Issue #2: High levels of mental health stigma
  Cause: Misrepresentation of mental health struggles in media and art
  - A Filipino film was made in 2017, called "Tililing" (or crazy in Tagalog). It was about three nurses who work in a mental asylum, meet the patients, and start questioning themselves if they're going crazy. The movie poster was criticized for the actors making crazy and over-exaggerated faces to represent those who are struggling with mental health. Not only were they called out by the audience, but also by the Commission on Human Rights, who called it "stereotypical and discriminating."
  - Nine out of ten people with mental health conditions say that media plays a role in reducing stigma, if done right.
  - A survey done by the Social Weather Stations shows that two out of three Filipinos fail to identify fake news in TV, radio, and other forms of media.
  - Less than half of Filipinos can identify a mental health issue when presented with a scenario that shows signs of a specific mental issue: anxiety (33.9%), eating disorders (32.6%), bipolar disorder (38.4%), and depression (49.6%).
  - Filipino culture also tends to encourage resilience, with families having expectations about being strong all the time, to the point where people will hide their mental health struggles to abide to those unrealistic standards

With that, here are some solutions that people have tested and tried.

• Tested Solution for Underinvestment: Investing in scholarships for mental health related courses in higher education
  - Background Information: 182 million pesos were allotted to scholarships for Master degree courses related to guidance counselling and psychology 
  - Issue #1: Does not guarantee a good salary
  - Issue #2: 4 out 10 college students drop out because of work and financial pressures
  - Issue #3: Inequality of those mental health employees who work in private or public sectors: average of 27,000 PHP monthly for public sectors, average of 40,000 PHP monthly for those in private sectors
• Tested Solution for Misrepresentation: Use of movie guidelines, rating systems, and post screening support
  - Issue #1: Inconsistent rating systems: Some local films were restricted, while foreign films with violent themes are overlooked and allowed. Some critics say that the rating systems don't align with the content, which confuses people. Additionally, the interpretation of what violent themes are can be subjective.
  - Issue #2: It costs a lot to have a film reviewed, with the actual fee, taxes, and other fees adding up to a high total. Prices range from 6,000 to 12,000 pesos. This makes it difficult for small and local creators to get their work published, and easy for rich creators with dangerous or inaccurate films to pass. 

This is why I propose including creative and accurate arts for mental health advocacy and education.  As shown by the research above, the Philippines is severely limited in mental health professionals, resource access, and overall facilities. Fine arts can become a more accessible source of education, treatment, and advocacy, and this is why the petition was created in the first place.

As the title says, together, let us not only use our creative talents for entertainment, but rather to strengthen the weak and open the eyes of the unaware.