{"id":55117,"date":"2023-04-05T11:30:37","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T03:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=55117"},"modified":"2023-04-05T11:30:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T03:30:39","slug":"la-union-lgu-lead-pldt-smarts-mental-health-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2023\/04\/05\/la-union-lgu-lead-pldt-smarts-mental-health-initiatives\/","title":{"rendered":"La Union LGU lead PLDT, Smart\u2019s mental health initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PLDT and Smart supported the Provincial Government of La Union\u2019s capacity-building mental health program through the Psychological First Aid (PFA) training.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDigital wellness is one of our key advocacies in PLDT and Smart. We are privileged to partner with the Provincial Government of La Union as they create a safe, inclusive space for mental health in their own communities. We hope that through this PFA training, we continue to champion mental health and cultivate a culture of empathy and kindness \u2013 both online and offline,\u201d said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through the training, around 50 participants from various sectors were trained and mobilized as psychological first-aid volunteers, including senior citizens, barangay healthcare workers, provincial and city health officers, disaster resilient unit officers, among others.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMental health has always been an advocacy that is close to my heart, and I am very grateful to PLDT and Smart for helping us strengthen our mental health program in the province. We hope that by raising awareness and mobilizing our sector representatives that we are able to champion safe spaces for mental health in the different communities across the province,\u201d said Joy R. Ortega, Sangguniang Panlalawigan of La Union Board Member.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The volunteers are trained to communicate with distressed individuals in a conversational and gentle manner&nbsp;and provide&nbsp;and non-intrusive, practical care during difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the training, Riyan&nbsp;Portuguez, more popularly known as \u201cYour Millennial Psychologist\u201d,&nbsp;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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen we communicate with distressed individuals, we must&nbsp;be comfortable in the silence. We must allow them to feel their emotions and feelings,\u201d Portuguez said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Portuguez, another component of PFA is practicing self-care. \u201cAs PFA volunteers, you must honor your feelings. Practice self-compassion and forgive yourself by recognizing your own mistakes and your own lapses,\u201d Portuguez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PLDT and Smart continue to deploy programs and innovations designed to uplift and improve the overall physical and mental wellness of Filipinos.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These initiatives are part of PLDT and Smart\u2019s continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly UNSDG #3 that stands for good health and well-being.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>These initiatives are part of PLDT and Smart\u2019s continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly UNSDG #3 that stands for good health and well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":55118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[2550,379,343,96,2727,1656],"class_list":["post-55117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-corporate-social-responsibility","tag-pldt","tag-smart-communications","tag-technology","tag-technology-adaption","tag-technology-investment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}