THE 90 congresswomen of the House of Representatives, all members of the Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. (AWLFI), have agreed to build a crisis center for women and girls to help curb the country’s worsening mental health situation.

AWLFI founder and Co-President Gina de Venecia (Pangasinan, 4th District) said the foundation plans to establish the first Crisis Center for Women and Girls, designed to deliver mental wellness services in crisis settings and strengthen preventive mental health care.

De Venecia cited a Sapien Labs study showing the country’s National Mental Health Quotient falling from 78.44 in 2023 to 68.76 in 2024 despite the Mental Health Act’s passage in 2018. She said this drop underscores the urgency of accessible support facilities for vulnerable sectors.

The planned Crisis Center will be a tripartite project involving the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), and AWLFI.

“In our exploratory talks, we agreed to pursue one priority initiative: the establishment of Crisis Centers for Women and Girls in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao,” De Venecia said.

AWLFI Co-President Linabelle Ruth Villarica (Bulacan, 4th District) said the DSWD has committed a 5,000-square-meter parcel of land inside The Haven for Women compound in Alabang for the first center.

Renowned architect Dan Lichauco prepared the building design free of charge.

De Venecia added that the crisis centers will follow the prototype of The Havens established by the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc. (CSFI), which were later turned over to the DSWD for management.

During her tenure as CSFI president in multiple Congresses, De Venecia led the establishment of The Haven for Children with four regional centers, The Haven for Women with 15 regional centers, and The Haven for the Elderly. (Leonardo Micua)