Calendar girl Kylie Verzosa hails improving mental health landscape in the Philippines

Kylile Verzosa. Image from Armin P. Adina

MANILA, Philippines — When 2016 Miss International Kylie Verzosa joined the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, she highlighted an advocacy that very few people were familiar with at that time, which is mental health awareness. Now, many aspirants have adopted the same cause.

“Over the past few years, I believe it has been improving, especially with the youth today. They accept depression and it’s widely spoken about. Anxiety is widely spoken about by the youth,” Verzosa said at the sidelines of her launch program as calendar girl for 2023 of a liquor brand, held at the Cities Events Place in Quezon City on Nov. 10.

She shared that when the pageant’s screening committee members quizzed her about her advocacy, she said, “my daddy told me, ‘I think it’s mental health, what you want to talk about. You want to talk about depression and anxiety.’ I also opened up about my mental health bout, about depression and anxiety awareness.”

Verzosa also said it elates her to see that so many women and beauty queens are speaking up about mental health now. “I’m glad that the youth has the courage to talk about mental health, and more parents are opening up and are more aware of the things that can happen to their sons or daughters, so there is now a deeper understanding of mental health,” she continued.

Image from Armin P. Adina

She also revealed that it was the reason she partly dedicated her recent award to “mental health warriors,” and her advocacy Mental Health Matters, in the speech she delivered when she accepted the “Philippine Actress of the Year” award at the Distinctive International Arab Festival Awards (DIAFA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last week for her movie “The Housemaid.”

The final stretch of 2022 has been explosive for the sultry siren, as two of her big dreams have been fulfilled–getting recognized as an actress and being a calendar girl.

“I’m really grateful for all the blessings coming my way,” Verzosa said. “I’m really thankful for (brand) and my team for making this all happen. Oh my goodness, it feels so good, it feels so great. Seeing the photos, you know, for the first time, is it really me?”

Verzosa is also looking forward to 2023. “They say you reap the fruits of your labor, so I’m hoping for an even better year next year. But for this year, I am so, so grateful,” she said. EDV

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