THE 11th Infantry Division (ID) and the Sulu State College (SSC) have forged a partnership agreement to enhance collaboration through mental health.
The agreement was forged when Professor Charisma Ututalum, SSC president, visited 11ID headquarters at Camp General Teodulfo Bautista in Bus-Bus village, Jolo, Sulu and met with Major General Ignatius Patrimonio, 11ID commander, on Monday, November 13, 2023.
During the visit, Ututalum did a benchmarking with regards to the best practices of the Division Integrated Counseling Office (DICO) on interventions for mental health to those emotionally and psychologically challenged.
The 11ID said the agreement stated that Major Pedro Michael Millares, Jr., chief of DICO, as a registered Guidance Counselor, will engage with SSC to train their students in the area of Mental Health and Human Sciences.
The agreement stated that in return, DICO will utilize the SSC students as Para Counselors.
The 11ID is the first Philippine Army major unit to establish the DICO.
The mission of the office is to promote the growth and development of both personal characteristics and interpersonal competencies of the troops.