GenSan takes the lead in PLDT, Smart mental health initiatives

PHOTO: Shown onscreen is Riyan Portuguez, more popularly known as “Your Millennial Psychologist”, leading the PFA training with GenSan.

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PLDT, Inc. and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) reinforce the companies’ commitment to champion mental health awareness by supporting the mental health efforts of the local government units (LGUs). 

Taking the lead, General Santos (GenSan) City, through its Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) and Youth Affairs and Development Office (YADO), conducted its Psychological First Aid Program (PFA) to mobilize the youth to become first aid volunteers. Through PFA, the volunteers communicate with distressed individuals in a conversational and gentle manner to provide them with immediate support during difficult times.

GenSan’s pilot run of its PFA training had 61 participants from 10 barangays in GenSan, including Barangays Fatima, Labangal, Calumpang, Baluan and Lagao. It was led and facilitated by Riyan Portuguez, more popularly known as “Your Millennial Psychologist”. Portuguez is a registered psychologist and psychometrician.

According to GenSan SK Federation President John Salvador D. Demdam, it is important to drive conversations on mental health through awareness campaigns.

“Awareness is a form of education – the more you know, the more power you have. This power has the potential to impact our communities. Through our Psychological First Aid program, we enable youth volunteers to be well-equipped, so they can have the knowledge and skills to address mental health issues in their respective communities,” Demdam said. 

During the training, Portuguez discussed the basics of PFA, through its Look, Listen and Link principle. She underscored the importance of providing a safe space for individuals to express themselves.

“When we communicate with distressed individuals, we must be comfortable in the silence. We must allow them to feel their emotions and feelings,” Portuguez said.

According to Portuguez, another component of PFA is practicing self-care. “As PFA volunteers, you must honor your feelings. Practice self-compassion and forgive yourself by recognizing your own mistakes and your own lapses,” Portuguez said.

Jose Lukban Rosete, who is Smart’s Assistant Vice President and Head for Government Relations, also shared PLDT and Smart’s collaborative initiative and platform Better Today with its advocacies on mental health awareness and child online protection.

“In Better Today, we believe in the Filipino youth as our co-champions in becoming advocates and agents of being better – with the holistic approach of self-family-community. Our mental health program creates intergenerational conversations on mental health. It gives our stakeholders a chance to go beyond the self and help out the larger community regardless of religion, gender and political orientation,” Rosete said.

“We support GenSan SK and YADO with their mental health initiatives to help families and communities. We are happy to have GenSan SK and YADO as our co-champions in raising mental health awareness – both offline and online to create a more empathic culture,” Rosete added.

PLDT and Smart continue to deploy programs and innovations designed to uplift and improve the overall physical and mental wellness of Filipinos.

These initiatives emphasize the commitment of PLDT and Smart to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG #3: Good Health and Well-Being.