Bondoc, Laura Sophia F.

– BA 301

            As human beings, we all have our own pros and cons. There is this quotation
that states “No one is perfect,” and this applies to what we are as a person. However,
even though we make mistakes in our lives, it is essential for us to know where we are
lacking in order for us to possibly change them eventually, not only for ourselves but
also for the people around us. Filipinos are known to be resilient, yet we also have
some toxic traits that are needed to be addressed and improved on. One of them is
being insensitive or invalidating what other people feel. Personally, I have experienced
this trait from the people around me even with the people I love. I have always
experienced this kind of treatment from others, and it really affects me mentally since
people do not give me the opportunity to express what I feel nor to be listened to. It felt
very downgrading as my thoughts circled around the depths of my mind which then led
to anxiety, and for sure other individuals also have the same encounter. On a brighter
note, social marketing can bring forth social change that serves as a goal in making
Filipinos educated about this toxic trait that others possess. In addition, social
mobilization is also another brilliant way on how we can instill in people’s hearts and
minds to start standing for what is right. A great example of this is the MHACTNow, a
campaign in the Philippines that aims to make everyone feel that they are valid and they
matter. The Mental Health Act is one of their projects as they gathered more than
20,000 signatures, which then resulted in the government taking action. Moreover, this
local organization also has the Youth for Mental Health Coalition which maximizes
social media as they use it to make people be heard and acknowledged about whatever
they feel. Through obtaining various signatures from different personalities, social
mobilization was applied for they partnered with these individuals and became allies
who fought for one objective. On the other hand, the usage of social media is a great
example of social marketing as it allows a wide reach of people, thus, promoting
validation of feelings and mental health, as they discourage behaviors that can affect
our mentality such as invalidating feelings of people. Hopefully, as organizations and
different individuals shed light o this topic, we can little by little eliminate this toxic trait
that other fellow Filipinos have.