ILOILO — The Iloilo provincial government has rolled out a 24/7 mental health hotline aimed at directly addressing rising psychological distress and suicide cases, particularly among young Ilonggos, in what officials describe as a response to a crisis now considered more urgent than other socio-economic challenges.
Launched on April 23 at the Grand Social Hall of Casa Real de Iloilo, the PRIME Mental Health Helpline provides round-the-clock crisis support, psychological first aid, and referral services as part of the province’s intensified push to institutionalize mental health care.
“We are attending to a very serious problem. And this is even more serious than the oil price hike and other crisis,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
The helpline, which can be reached through 0968-855-0997 (Smart) and 0966-241-8133 (Globe), as well as via email and social media, forms part of the Program for the Resilience of Iloilo in Mind and Emotion (PRIME), a flagship initiative under the province’s broader “MoReProGRes Iloilo” development agenda.
Defensor said the program is designed to curb mental health struggles and respond to the persistent incidence of suicide, with particular concern for the youth sector. He also revealed plans to regulate teenagers’ exposure to mobile phones and social media, which have been identified as contributing factors to mental distress.
Don Sasu, Project Development Officer IV and PRIME Focal Person, said the initiative is the first of its kind in the country, with a local government unit directly implementing a dedicated mental health hotline.
“This is more on prevention sang aton problema. Kon kaisa mabatian naton ang tinaga nga ‘it’s okay not to be okay.’ But once we are not okay, what we are going to do to be okay? Dira nagasulod ang aton PRIME helpline,” said Sasu.
But Sasu clarified that the hotline is not limited to residents within the province, as Ilonggos worldwide can access the service through its hotline numbers.
The PRIME Helpline is manned by trained social workers and psychometricians who provide immediate psychosocial intervention and guidance to individuals in distress.
Data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) underscore the urgency of the initiative, with 4,875 individuals in the province currently registered as living with mental health conditions under the Department of Health.
Of the total, 2,495 or 51.2 percent are male, while 2,349 or 48.2 percent are female. The most affected age group remains those between 17 and 30 years old.
The five most common mental health and neurologic conditions recorded are psychosis, epilepsy, general anxiety disorder, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Despite these figures, the province reported a decline in suicide cases, from 76 in 2024 to 63 in 2025./PN
