MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Telecommunication giants PLDT and Smart invited artists, advocates, and mental health experts to share their stories anchored on passion and purpose, strength and resilience, empathy and community, and hope. The storytelling initiative is PLDT and Smart’s second run of its Better Today Time Capsule Project, empowering the youth to find safe spaces to express themselves.
With the support of design platform Canva Philippines, PLDT and Smart’s Better Today Time Capsule Project also encourages the youth to submit their own “time capsules,” which are works of art in the forms of music, spoken word, photography, and visual art.
Mental health advocate and musician Claudia Barretto shared her story on Passion and Purpose and how her music has become a form of catharsis and mental healthcare. She underscored the importance of becoming an authentic storyteller as a way to foster stronger relationships with other people.
“It’s important to be honest about the story you’re trying to tell. The connection you build with other people is natural when you’re being truthful. [By] being an authentic storyteller, I can be vulnerable. I can speak my truth. I can tell my story,” Barretto shared.
Expressing his own passion for art, photographer and filmmaker Angelo Mendoza shared how photography has enabled him to “find peace and joy in things that give us a sense of purpose.”
“Finding your passion is a constant journey of self-reflection and self-love. It’s a difficult process, but it matters to try. The process [of photography] feels cathartic. I am able to cherish the present, and create a meaningful bond with the people and things I photograph by letting myself be a bit more vulnerable,” Mendoza said.
Better Today is a key part of PLDT and Smart’s continuing commitment to help the Philippines contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), particularly UNSDG #3 which stands for good health and well-being.
The top five winners of The Time Capsule Project will each receive PHP 10,000 worth of connectivity from PLDT and Smart and a three-month premium subscription from Canva Philippines. They also have an opportunity to donate to their chosen mental health advocacy groups.
