Although she is regarded as one of the most captivating women in the Philippines, Rocio Olbes, for the most part, lives her life under the radar. Her low-key nature notwithstanding, she is muse to some of our country’s top designers, walking their runways and gracing the covers of our glamorous magazines. She has been photographed by some of the best international and local photographers around.

She has appeared in multiple coffee table books on style and fashion as well as galleries here and abroad. Rocio has mesmerized us for quite some time.
It’s easy to see why she is known to run in the most exclusive circles. She hails from old families, and her life has been printed about in columns for years. Despite all that, Rocio has always been reluctant, at times extremely reluctant. But being elusive has always been part of her charm. 

“I’m probably just in Batangas,” she jokes. “That is home to me.” It’s hard to imagine her spending so much time on the beach. But things start to make sense as she walks over to me barefoot, in jeans and a plain T-shirt, to engage in this one-on-one. It’s a far cry from the ultra glamorous facade beneath which many of us see her. She is funny, yet she is serious. She knows her facts.

Sunlight streams into the room through the picture windows, as she sits snug on her sofa, legs up, hair down. “Are you always like this?” I ask. “Pretty much,” she says. “I’m sorry it’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these and I am really nervous.” It is true, she is nervous. Her eyes don’t lie. “Should I turn down the music?” she asks. From her voice to her mannerisms, I see what all the fuss is about. But I don’t think she gets it. Which makes her even more alluring. Have I mentioned she is whip-smart? 

“So what have you been up to the last half decade?” I dive right in. “I work for my family now. I’ve been doing it for over 10 years. It is a privilege and I feel very honored to be able to do so. I work with my brother in running our family business, holdings, and interests. It has allowed me to be more personal and to also focus on my philanthropic work. Which is why we are here today,” she says. “I chair my grandfather’s foundation, which was founded over 60 years ago. It is small in comparison to many other family foundations out there, but positive impact is still positive impact. I took a serious step back from many things over the past five years, for reasons I am still processing, but it is time to get back to the work that means so much to me. That is the reason I am here. We are tackling the national mental health crisis by finding key ways to make treatments more accessible.” 

Having partnered yet again with Maica Teves, the founder of Spark Philippines and managing director of Mind You Philippines, Rocio is excited to collaborate further. “I’ve known Maica for a while,” she beams. “She is one of the most formidable and incredible women out there. She astounds me with her compassion, grace, and dedication to helping others. I wish I could be more like her. I strive to be like her. Her unwavering belief and determination to better lives inspire me. I’m blessed to be in her company and call her a friend. We did some amazing work together before the pandemic and I’m very excited to work with her again, more closely. We have some amazing things at play.” 

The goal is to bring accessible and proper mental health care to everyone who needs it. Together with Yuri Marshall, CEO of Mind You Philippines, they banded together with a select group of government and diplomatic officials for an open discussion on the crisis. The forum was held early this year to start the ball rolling, and Rocio was one of the key speakers. 

“I am currently working with Yuri to continue the advances we have made since that forum in May,” she says. “He is extremely dedicated and our visions and goals are aligned. He works effortlessly on this matter and that converts to lives saved daily. Our mutual hope is that we continue to move forward in creating accessible mental health care for everyone.” 

The worsening mental health crisis in the Philippines has gone unchecked for far too long. “Recently, mental health became a central concern of both the public and private sector because sadly the statistics have made it impossible to turn the other way. As it stands, between 1984 and 2016, our suicide rates have increased by 1,700 percent, with a spike in 2020. It is no surprise that students in particular hit 404 deaths by suicide in the academic year 2021-2022.” 

Unfortunately the last few years have been traumatic for us all. Many individuals, mostly students and members of the LGTBQIA+ communities, have not had the proper access to help them recover from their mental struggles. It is vital that everyone, our youth in particular, has access to proper treatment for their mental health care. 

“Over the pandemic everything was amplified,” says Rocio. “We lost family members, jobs, friends, and even questioned our very own safety. We suffered. Emotional recovery cannot be only accessible to people with means. The fallout is still taking shape, and how it has impacted us as a nation. We need to look after our youth. They are our future. And our future needs to be stable and strong. Healing is essential. If we can just help one person, that is enough for me. These are the seeds we need to plant to create a better outcome for our future. We share this world, and we need to take care of each other. It is really just that simple.”
 

At the core of the services available at Mind You Philippines is the creation of a mental health program aimed at helping companies and corporations reduce work-related stress among the workforce. A Deloitte study has found that in the Philippines, way higher than the global average of 45 percent, 70 percent of Gen Zs and 63 percent of Millennials are experiencing burnout because of the “demands of their workload.” 

The approach is diagnostic. Drawing from each organization’s qualitative and quantitative mental health data, Mind You Philippines provides insights and recommendations, as well as a mental health solution tailored to the needs and goals, both individual and collective, of the work pool. Included in the menu of services is 24/7 access to mental health resources and scheduling for a more intensive talk therapy.

Mental health support to Rocio has become a basic need, crucial for surviving the challenges of our time. Her new mission is to make employers understand how it can translate to increased productivity in the workplace. In addition to quiet quitting at work, according to the Mind You Philippines website, the country experienced a 176 percent increase in voluntary resignations across all industries during the pandemic.

Rocio is no stranger to grief herself. She lost her mother suddenly during the pandemic. “It is not something I’m ready to discuss,” she says. “I understand why you would bring it up. Really I do, and I appreciate that. But I am not ready. Everything I do is because of her. Let’s leave it at that.” 
To access support online, visit [email protected]. www.mindyou.com.ph