Around 800 students and government employees join the Mental Health Awareness Summit dubbed as “Better Today Conversations”, which is a collaborative initiative between the Provincial Government of Quirino and PLDT and Smart.

In partnership with PLDT and Smart, the Provincial Government of Quirino recently held a mental health awareness summit with students and government employees from the province of Quirino.  Advocating mental health awareness in communities, PLDT Group featured mental health professionals, including Riyan Portuguez (“Your Millennial Psychologist”), doctor and podcaster Dr. Gia Sison, and popular content creator Macoy Dubs.

“We are grateful to our partners from PLDT and Smart for bringing this mental health awareness summit to Quirino. This is an important initiative that aims to shed light on the importance of taking care of our mental health. By providing this space to talk about mental health and wellness, we are able to destigmatize these important matters and are able to share the message that there is hope,” said Provincial Governor Dakila Carlo “Dax” E. Cua.

“With our Better Today program, we aim to provide a safe space for everyone to create and spark inter-generational conversations on mental health and wellness. As a community platform, Better Today strengthens the vision of togetherness and camaraderie – and how, in every way, it becomes an important reminder that you are not alone. This is a key part of our advocacy in PLDT and Smart to provide a safe, inclusive space for everyone, to help enhance the positive impacts of technology in the lives of Filipino people,” said Cathy Yang, First Vice President and Group Head for Corporate Communications.

Students gather during the breakout session to share their insights from the talks.

The summit enabled the participants to process the lessons learned during the breakout sessions. They were also given an opportunity to engage with Portuguez by asking their questions on mental health-related topics, including self-care, managing and regulating strong emotions, and creating healthy habits to enhance one’s mental and emotional wellbeing.

Promoting digital wellness is a key part of PLDT and Smart’s continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) #3 that stands for good health and well-being.

Riyan Portuguez, more popularly known as “Your Millennial Psychologist”, is one of the resource speakers during the Mental Health Awareness Summit.