Meet the Team
The #MentalHealthPH core team is composed of graduates and students of Health Informatics, Public Health, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, Medicine, Broadcast Communication, and Nursing. Our ranks also include volunteers with backgrounds in various fields coming from different regions all over the Philippines.
Roy O. Dahildahil
Roy finished his master’s in science in Health Informatics in the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) in 2020 and his bachelor’s degree in Public Health in UP Visayas. He’s a theater enthusiast, an apprentice in PETA, and an HIV and LGBTQIA+ advocate.
He dreams of creating a world of acceptance by embracing vulnerabilities.
Yves Miel Zuñiga
Yves is one of the co-founders of #MentalHealthPH, Inc – a youth-led advocacy organization that aims to promote and protect mental health in the Philippines through social media and digital technology. He currently serves as the organization’s Deputy Director for Policy and Partnership. A graduate of Bachelor of Science in Public Health at the University of the Philippines Manila, Yves’ work is centered in championing for better health outcomes and some of his accomplishments include leading advocacy works for the passage of the Philippine Mental Health Act of 2018, working on the creation of the 2017-2022 National Strategic Plan of the Philippine Council for Mental Health, Click to Brick Project which highlights partnerships with school-based and other youth organizations, and technical assistance to different stakeholders on policy development, among others. He is currently one of the 77 global community leaders under the Facebook Community Accelerators Program and is one of the 300 chosen young leaders of Women Deliver Program.
Aside from advocacy works, Yves renders public service as a Senior Health Program Officer at the Philippine Department of Health. As public servant, he extends support in generating knowledge products and policy briefs to drive evidence-informed decisions for COVID-19 planning and response.
Lawrence Joy dela Fuente
Lawrence is a Broadcast Communication graduate from UP Diliman. She has been working in the development sector hoping to move the country forward. She has six cats whose loving and playful personalities have helped her through the ups and downs of life.
She dreams of a world where lining at the PWD line to buy her antidepressants will no longer give her disapproving or judgmental looks from the people around her.
Jerome Gilbert Mina
Gibo is a development professional who has worked on health projects with various international NGOs. On a regular day at work, he facilitates knowledge exchange and collaborative learning within and beyond the organization. He extends the same capacity as the current Deputy Director for Learning and Development of MentalHealthPH. A certified coffeeholic, he loves grinding coffee beans in the morning and brews coffee three times a day.
As one of the co-founders, Gibo dreams of a community where people can sit down and drink coffee together any time while understanding and learning each other’s mental health.
Anica Veronica Mendoza
Anica is a Registered Pharmacist who began her immersive journey in the public health arena one fateful day of 2015. She resonates her cause together with the #MentalHealthPH team in light of her experiences caring for her lola.
She is currently supporting ongoing work alongside innovative teams in paving the way to create healthy built environments for patients. Her fascination in distilling new perspectives for the future of healthcare continually drives her to pursue her graduate studies in health (medical) informatics.
Riyan Portuguez
Riyan is a graduate of Polytechnic University of the Philippines. She has a Master’s degree in Psychology in the same institution. She is a registered psychologist, psychometrician, freelance national lecturer, and psychology blogger/vlogger. She is known as Your Millennial Psychologist.
She is a lecturer at the Graduate School of Polytechnic University of the Philippines and a consultant psychologist at Childfam-Possibilities Psychosocial Services Co. and Wellbridge Health, Inc. She is an active member of the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino and the Psychological Association of the Philippine’s LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group and currently the co-chairperson of the said special interest group that promotes the rights, well-being, and gender equality.
She is also one of the core members of #MentalHealthPH, a nonprofit organization that promotes mental health and well-being using social media platforms.
Furthermore, she was featured in TV documentaries, news, promotional videos, and radio programs related to her advocacies. Riyan describes herself as staunch mental health and LGBTQ+ advocate.
Dhanika Austine Garcia
Dhanika is a mental health advocate by heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit. She earned her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Santo Tomas in 2020 and her bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in 2012. She now aspires to be a registered psychologist soon who aims to specialize in clinical psychology not so long after.
It has been her desire to help those who feel helpless, one step at a time.
Danica Mae Mangampat
Nica is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in De La Salle University – Manila and is finishing her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology in the same university. She aims to be a psychologist that specializes in family, teens and young adults. She also dreams to explore and advocate positive psychology. Nica is also an instructor at Enderun Colleges and is one of the consultants of Childfam Possibilities Psychological Services. She is currently the Finance Unit Head of #MentalHealthPH.
She is a certified #PlantMom who loves to listen and sing to Taylor Swift songs in the shower, well, everywhere actually.
Nykko Bautista
Nykko is a graduate of Doctor of Medicine and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas and is currently taking his Master’s Degree in Public Administration in the University of the Philippines – Diliman. He loves both MEDicine and the MEDia and is an advocate for fair, honest, and accessible healthcare for all Filipinos. He is a TV host, future physician, and a self proclaimed professional bathroom performer.
Rochelle Leonor
Rochelle is a seasoned digital marketing and communications professional, with work experience in media, pharma, beverage and chemical industries. She has an MBA from Ateneo, a BA Journalism degree from UP Diliman, and a few units short of a Master’s degree in Communication from Ateneo. She owns more than 2,000 Archie comics and is an essential oils advocate.
She dreams of a world where everyone has free access to mental health services.
Nikki Lizarondo
Nikki is the Business Manager of the Happiness & Kindness Behavior Change Lab of AHA! Behavioral Design. She’s in charge of building partnerships with different government organizations, NGOs, and the communities they serve. She’s also a proud Mental Health advocate and is the Chief Communication Officer of #MentalHealthPH.
Her life’s mission is to share her mental health story in the hopes that it inspires other people to speak up and be a voice of hope to those who are facing this invisible battle every day. She dreams of having a world where mental health is so normalized that people will not be scared to ask for help.
Mico Pereira
Jeemon Rey Bacaoco
JB is a registered psychologist who works at Gray Matters Psychological and Consultancy Inc. He is also a faculty member at the University of Santo Tomas Department of Psychology. He is a core member of #MentalHealthPH, an NGO that aims to spread awareness about the importance of mental health through social media.
He is currently taking his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the Ateneo De Manila University. He finished his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at the De La Salle University Manila and his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Psychology at the University of the Philippines Visayas.
JB is also an animal lover and badly wants to be rich so he can build his own stray sanctuary in the future. You can watch his vlogs to learn more about mental health.
Katrina Escolar-Tan
Katrina is a marketing professional with over 10 years of work experience in the retail and banking industries. The type of person who doesn’t understand the word, “chill”—Kat spends her free time doing passion projects from photography, drawing, cooking, song-writing, to singing… to name a few.
She looks forward to a time when each person is accepted, appreciated and cherished.
Mika Salanguit
Mika, also known as Mamika, graduated from the BS Public Health program of the University of the Philippines last 2021. Enjoying her time as a student-leader in the CPH Student Council and as the Founder of The Freshie Initiative, she is determined to lead a life of service.
She hopes to learn more and build her capacities to nurture her passions for leadership, public health, research, and mental health.
RS Mojica
RS started in #UsapTayo as a participant in 2018 and as a volunteer some time in 2019 and is currently its Program Manager. He finished his Bachelor in Broadcast Communication and Master in Communication in PUP Sta. Mesa. He is currently a candidate for Ph.D. in Development Administration at PCU Dasmariñas, Cavite, and earned an honorary Ph.D. from BPU, India. His years in volunteerism and development work can be traced to the early 2000s as he worked focusing on youth leadership and community development in the different provinces in the Philippines. Professionally, RS works as a full-time academic for 14 years in various colleges and universities and enjoys backpacking all over the Philippines on some weekends.
