TEAM A.K.A.

CORTAGA, Mel Bench M.

DAILEG, Richard Mel
HERNANDEZ Jr, Eduardo L.
RAÑOCO, Enrico Miguel V.
SANTOS, Filoteo Mari
SINAGUINAN, Alia Shaina M.
TAN, Denise Arielle N.

IMELDA BENITEZ-DOMETITA
Head Coach

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I. PLAN TITLE
In this age, modern people are deemed to be more self-centered, less
responsive to the nature of compassion and humanity (Riggio, 2017). If this so is
factual, it is a challenge for beings to survive in their personal life crisis as no one
is willing to stand for them and hope for something best.
#KapiTayo stands on its advocacy of helping people who are under the pain
of depression in the midst of modern-day individualism. Depression, which is
becoming prevalent and threatening especially to the Filipino youth, is getting
more serious than before. With #KapiTayo campaign, a persistent voice will
continue to speak for those (a) who are afflicted with the disorder, (b) the youth
with high tendency of getting mentally unhealthy, and (c) families troubled to be
hopeful that someone is willing to lend a hand for help - a hand that breaks the
stigma and embraces those who struggles. This campaign accepts, caters, and
understands youth because humanity is not dead -- WE CARE.

II. BACKGROUND

Recently, Jolo Coronel, a concerned citizen, posted a story in Social Media

about certain suicide attempt of a disturbed girl that he has witnessed along the
footbridge of España Avenue, Manila. In his narrative, the girl was standing at the
edge, close to jumping from the footbridge, crying. Witnesses were heard to shout,
“Laban lang, ate!” Whereas the girl persistently cried, “Ayoko na! Ayoko na!” Jolo
Coronel expressed his fear for the girl and for the limits of life. Rescue team came
after several minutes, and the girl was saved.

This is one example of the many suicide attempts and actions that are
recurring in the Philippines. The narrative shared by Mr. Coronel is only one of the
rare cases where fortunately, the attempt is impeded.

In July 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11036 or the
Philippine Mental Health Law, a landmark legislation that sends Filipino people to
a newfound victory-- a law that caters to the stigmatized issue of depression.

The Philippine Mental Health Law of 2018 seeks to establish the basic right of
all Filipinos to mental health and services. It also fosters the well-being of people

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by ensuring that: mental health is valued, promoted and protected; conditions are
treated and prevented by making timely, affordable, high quality, and culturally-
appropriate mental health services available to all and free from coercion.
Introduction of mechanisms for suicide intervention, prevention, and response
strategies with particular attention to the concerns of the youth will be given
importance by the National Mental Health Program (Parrocha-Dilim, 2018).

Creation of this law was passed due to the severe cases of depression
recorded by different government agencies and international organizations,
particularly for the Philippines. According to the Department of Health, the World
Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 154 million people suffer from
depression and 877,000 people die of suicide every year globally because of
familial, social and personal causes. In 2011, WHO Global School-Based Health
survey has shown that in the Philippines, 16% of students ages 13-15 years old
have seriously considered attempting suicide while 13% have already
experienced suicidal thoughts. Suicide cases in males increased from 0.23 to 3.59
per 100,000 between 1984 and 2005, and rates fluctuated from 0.12 to 1.09 per
100,000 in females making intentional self-harm as the 9th leading cause of death
among 20-24 years old in the Philippines (Department of Health, 2018).

In a specific case, the Marikina Police District found the dead body of Ignacio
Enrique Domingo, a 22-year-old student of the University of the Philippines -
Diliman about 2:00 PM on September 28, 2019 in his apartment. Investigation
results disclosed that the lifeless body of Ignacio has a karate belt tied around his
neck while hanging on the cabinet handle. Giselle Gervacio, mother of the
deceased, forcibly opened the door to the room and tried to save her son by
cutting the belt and initiating Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). However,
when Marikina Rescue 161 personnel arrived to check the victim, no vital signs
were present. Ignacio Enrique Domingo was a member of the Sigma Rho
fraternity. Recently, a post in Social Media has spread pertaining to their alleged
hazing ritual in the fraternity.

Months before the incident, Mr. Domingo resigned from the UP College of
Mass Communication Student Council and had been under investigation by the

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 school administration for some acts of ritual violence in his fraternity. The case of
his death is not yet closed for investigation.

Stressful experiences and social failures are only few of the varieties of
relational interactions that can trigger depression. The youth who are sensitive,
underdeveloped and still confused as to their sense of self are prone to these
factors. However, local organizations are persistently working to help the country
address mental health and avoid worst case scenarios. MHACTNow, the official
campaign for the Philippines’ first ever Mental Health Act garnered more than
20,000 signatures for its petition that leads to a favorable response from the
government. It also sparked a nationwide discourse about its importance.

In addition, the Youth for Mental Health Coalition, a one-year-old organization

with representatives from all over the country, has taken leaps within a short time.
Their strong social media presence has given the Filipino youth a platform to carry
out their message about mental health issues (MAGIS Creative Spaces, 2018).
Legislation has also shown its recognition towards mental health. Hon. Romulo
Pena, Representative of the First District of Makati has filed a bill granting a
five-day mental health wellness leave for all employees and mandating public and
private schools to integrate mental health awareness in their curriculum and that
all educational institutions to employ at least one certified guidance counsellor
who is trained as an authorized mental health practitioner to provide lectures and
counseling services to students. (Luci-Atienza, 2019).

III. OBJECTIVES

The campaign #KapiTayo aims to raise awareness on the alarming growth of

mental health crisis in the Philippines, and to neutralize the stigma for those
people who are recognized undergoing the crisis. With this, the campaign aims
to:

1. Advance awareness among Filipino youth and public on the state of mental
health crisis in the Philippines.
2. Neutralize the stigma about mental health crisis in the Philippines.
3. Encourage the target audience in strengthening their sense of self-worth
and confidence.

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IV. KEY STAKEHOLDERS
1. Millennials (Ages 23 to 38 years old) - Filipino millennials, often referred
as the "anxious generation," has consistently evolved into a fast paced and
competitive environment where users seem to feel the pressure about their
life value. With this, social media has played the pivotal role towards their
system of thinking -- developed to mental health of Millennials and their
capacity to look for the beauty of life.
2. Other Generations (Gen. X, Gen. Z, Baby Boomers, etc.) - Cases of
mental health illnesses are seen to have affected different ranges of
threshold. Mental Health crisis can emerge in groups of children or even
young-adults who belong to Generation X and Baby Boomer Era.
3. Social Media Influencers - The campaign collaborates with Social Media
Influencers that share the same advocacy to neutralize the stigma on
mental health illness towards highlighting their public viewers on the
struggles of disorders, and how the social stigma adds to the burden of the
afflicted. Since millennials and other generations mostly rely on social
media, influencers may use it as an avenue to give inspiring messages for
those youth suffering from mental health illnesses and their families.
4. Mental Health Professionals – Mental health associations and
professionals are currently the companion of those who are struggling with
their mental health through the provided services. However, families and
the afflicted themselves are still hesitant in attending to their needed
medical care because of the created social stigma. The campaign
introduces events that will give different approaches and concrete reasons
about the relevance of early determination, diagnosis and medication for
the youth with risks of mental health crisis, their family and for the general
public.
5. National Government Agencies and Non-Government Organizations
(NGOs) - The campaign will be guided by the government agencies, who
are members of the Philippine Council for Mental Health in formulating
campaign guidelines and policies pursuant to the Mental Health Act of
2018, Chapter 4 – Section 19 where government facilities can provide
research materials to support the campaign. NGOs however will ensure the
sustainability of the campaign in a long-term basis.
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V. KEY MESSAGE
The #KapiTayo campaign centers on the following messages:
1. Instilling the concept of “hope” to individuals who are in a Mental Health
crisis and offer them an emotional relief to their burden as the society
understands and accepts the struggles that they are going through.
These mental health challenges in one’s mind are never a marked glitch
on one’s lifetime.
2. Despite the stigma on individuals under certain mental health crisis
continues to persist; awareness and knowledge on different implications
are still the pioneering actions in adopting a positive attitude in the
concept of mental health for the general public.
3. Going through a mental health crisis should never be dealt alone.
Communication with a family member and/or friends helps in
prevention. “Walang dapat ikahiya” (There is nothing to be ashamed of)
should be the mentality that Filipinos with or without mental health crisis
have to keep in mind. This would trigger people to be confident as the
whole society supports upon the recovery process.
4. Valuing the sole purpose of one’s existence is an important mindset to
keep. Constant inspiring thoughts, motivational dialogues and reminders
suggests an optimistic side of life for youth and adults who are distressed
in different means. “Prevention is better than cure.” Little by little through
media, individuals could realize the beauty of life with “companions” to
support them.

VI. STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

Campaign Roadmap: The campaign will have the following stages: pre-work,
launch, involve/inform, and sustain.
Publicity strategy: Media influencers, professionals, government agencies and
non-government organizations who share the same advocacy will be the avenue
to help in getting the message across a wider scope of audience.
1. Online Media – The primary channel that will carry the campaign’s
advocacy. Social Media platforms are more accessible for people in
reaching relevant information in a short time. With these, social media is

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 efficient in spreading awareness, plan of actions, and messages to
educate, inspire and invite people about the concept of the campaign.
2. Public Events - The campaign aims to engage the primary and
secondary audience through various events and activities that can mount
the objectives of this campaign.
Social Media Strategy: To effectively communicate the raised awareness,
millennials and other generations will be tapped by the campaign through the
following:
• Facebook – An official Facebook page will be created to approach the
millennial. The page will publish articles, videos, and photos that are
relevant to the campaign.
• YouTube - An official YouTube page will also be created to be used as
a platform by uploading content videos for delivering a comprehensive
discussion on mental health and shared stories among social media
influencers. The official music video for the campaign, “Kaya ko ‘to!”
an original composition, will be released through this medium.
• Twitter - An official Twitter page will be made to reach the target
audience. Through the page, they can post tweets, photos and videos
that could inspire their followers.
• Instagram – An official Instagram account will also be launched to get
help from Instagram influencers in inspiring their followers to alleviate
the stigma by different visual contents.

Tactics:
PRE-WORK STAGE
Strategic Alliance: The campaign aims to partner with private and public
organizations, influencers, and mental health professionals to conduct the
planned campaign. Pre-work activities will be done three months prior to the
set date of the campaign's launch, to ensure that the projects are on the right
track.
NGO Engagement - Foundations or associations with affiliation to Mental
Health will be tapped four months before the launch to help in addressing the
problem on mental health. Non-government organizations may affiliate their

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organizations to the campaign a month prior to the launch by sharing or
publishing story about the campaign.
Private and Public Institutions - In line with the campaign, four months prior
to the campaign's launch, universities with high cases of mental health
concerns will be tapped to showcase the advocacy by having seminars and
activities.
Influencer Engagement – Social Media Influencers will carry the campaign’s
messages to reach their respective audience. Influencers will publish tweets,
photos and videos on their accounts and pages to encourage their followers to
support the campaign.

LAUNCH STAGE
Social Media Takeover. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube official
pages will be created a week before the month of August. The planned content
will be posted on the first day of August. Millennials will be targeted with
providing daily various contents (inspirational messages, daily suggested
routines) that will carry the advocacy of the campaign and will take over their
newsfeed. Articles, photos, videos, and other publishing materials will be
offered by these platforms.
Teaser Vlog- On the first month before the Grand Launch, a teaser will be
uploaded on the social media pages to initialize and show that the campaign
will be happening soon. Furthermore, it will serve as the opening video for the
series of vlog materials on social media for branding and consistency of the
contents.
#KapiTayo! Grand Event Launch. When social media posts takeover their
newsfeed, #KapiTayo Grand Event Launch will call the campaign for a start in
partnership with different media and technology partners, and non-government
entities. The event will be joined by the Philippines’ Be Healed Foundation
Ambassador for Mental Health: Actress Antoinette Taus and Miss International
2016 Kylie Verzosa. The events' objectives will be deployed through learning
in comprehensive discussions with guest speakers and the plan for the year-
long campaign.

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 INVOLVE AND INFORM STAGE
Kaagapay Mobile Application. Kaagapay mobile application is designed to be
a venue to release emotions and stress of the target publics. The audience
would also be given a radar map that will offer a list of the most available and
nearest mental health clinics. Moreover, the application will provide an online
diary/journal on their account that will be sorted into “jar of emotions” (e.g. jar
of happy thoughts – joyful experience within the day; jar of sadness – things
that made the audience sad; etcetera). The audience will be able to recognize
and process their emotions.
#KapiTayo! Bisita Unibersidad - College and High School students at high
risk of experiencing mental health disorders because of various negative
reasons. Thus, expanding their awareness and knowledge may help them to
overcome their fears, and recognize their emotions. For ten months, the
caravan will visit selected universities and high schools in Manila and conduct
the following:
• Usap Tayo! Alam mo ba…, where in, mental health professionals and
influencers will speak about the advocacy by sharing their experience
and knowledge.
• Pledge Wall. This wall will feature the image of stigma about mental
health and students will put their signatures as a sign that they are joining
the campaign to amplify awareness and lessen the stigma.
• Festival of Art will be exhibited at different schools featuring the works
of the artists of Silakbo Philippines featuring mental health. Different
posters are designed to take the students’ interests in knowing and
exploring mental health.
• Kaagapay Mobile Application Experience where students will be
requested to download and install the application. They will get to
experience on-hand the application and its purpose. This is the
campaign’s practice of promoting the application for the students.
Istorya Ko! - Most of the public figures are being idolized by many because of
their profession and image. In the campaign’s official pages; every last week of
the month, chosen public figures will unmask the ongoing stigma about mental

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health. Public figure’s untold mental health story will be unfolded to inspire
people who are suffering with mental health disorder to never lose hope.
Facebook Session - Millennials may take part in sharing content (such as
articles, photos, videos, and etc.) and engaging in the prepared activities.
• Alas tres! Alas otso! - A Facebook Live segment sessions show
Mental Health practitioners discussing the issue of mental health. Here,
Facebook users may visit the live stream every 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM
and leave questions and reactions/comments to the comment section.
• Smile ka naman d’yan! - An original comics series about self-love.
#KapiTayo Forever (Campaign Culmination) – In the last month of the
campaign, a three-day food park will be opened publicly.
• Ikanta natin to! (open-mic session) – Series of performances from the
Philippine OPM Bands.
• Hapag-Kwentuhan style will be observed in the event to help the primary
audience release their feelings and learn from them.
• Series of discussion and culmination of the campaign. Attendees of the
culmination may receive exclusive souvenirs from the local sponsors.
Ako, Sa Mga Mata Mo Film Festival – A nationwide contest which aims to
further highlight the relevance of mental health in the extent of incorporating it
into art. The contest will be held nationally and the winners will be recognized
during the culmination of the campaign.

SUSTAIN STAGE
#HUG: Help. Unite. Grow. is a long-term collaborative program to be carried
out between and among mental health care institutions and NGOs such as:
• Socal Media Take-Over: #KapiTayo’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
account will be delegated for continued updates and uploads.
• Kaagapay Mobile Application: The mobile application will continue to
thrive to inform about clinics, announcements, and daily motivations.
• Istorya Ko!: Ambassadors who participated will commit into crafting their
take on sharing the advocacy. A new set of advocates will be telling their
stories through personal and #KapiTayo’s official accounts.

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 • Provided free services and checkups for people who suffer from Mental
Health issues by NGOs.

VII. TIMETABLE
The coverage period of the campaign would be August 2020 – July 2021.
(Please refer on Appendix P)

VIII. BUDGET
Total estimated cost of the campaign is 762,470 PhP.
(Please refer on Appendix Q)

IX. MEASURE OF PR EFFECTIVENESS

To determine whether the objectives of the campaign have been met, the
following criteria will be considered:
1. Increased Social Media Presence and Media Impressions - Increase
of fan base, traffic, social media mentions on platforms and number of
positive mentions from targeted media outlets.
2. Active participation on events - Large number of people joining events
and contest, with positive feedbacks based on events’ evaluation forms
3. Positive campaign results and implications - Awareness, attitudes
and perceptions have changed from negative to positive based on the
feedbacks on social media.

REFERENCES

Department of Health. (2018). MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM. Retrieved from doh.gov.ph:

https://www.doh.gov.ph/national-mental-health-program

Luci-Atienza, C. (2019). Makati solon bats for granting of 5-day mental health wellness leave
to all employees. Manila Bulletin.

MAGIS Creative Spaces. (2018, October 12). 7 Groups and Projects Changing the
Conversation on Mental Health in the Philippines. Retrieved from
https://magiscreative.net: https://magiscreative.net/tag/mental-health/

Parrocha-Dilim, J. N. (2018, September 11). Joanne Namnama Parrocha-Dilim. Retrieved

from Philippine Information Agency: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1012558

Riggio, R. (2017, July 27). Are We All Becoming More Self-Centered? Retrieved from
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/cutting-edge-
leadership/201707/are-we-all-becoming-more-self-centered

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