DadBudPH founder Joey Ong recalls his experience as a dad during the pandemic at the “Connecting, Understanding and Guiding Everyday Parenting” workshop organized by PLDT and Smart’s People Group.

SUPER DADS Mitch Locsin, AJ Morales, and guest speaker Joey Ong share their stories of fatherhood to PLDT and Smart employees.

As part of its commitment to empower employees and make the workplace a happy space, PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) held a hybrid parenting workshop, particularly for dads in the company.

Titled “Connecting, Understanding and Guiding Everyday Parenting” the workshop aimed to highlight the importance of fathers, building a positive relationship, co-parenting, taking care of oneself, and keeping children safe.

The workshop featured a talk by Joey Ong, the founder of DadBudPH, a community platform that has become a space for Filipino dads to connect, find support, and share their experiences of parenting from the perspective of fathers.

Ong shared his experience about being a father at the beginning of the pandemic and creating a face shield for his newborn son from a soda bottle, which became viral on social media at the time. He also advocated for breaking gender roles in the household and supporting their partners in childcare.

Meanwhile, Mitch Locsin, FVP and Head of Enterprise and International Core Business at PLDT and Smart, shared how he set rules and open communication with his children, which sometimes led to topics which are normally difficult to talk about. AJ Morales of People Group shared the excitement, fear, and hopes of someone who just entered fatherhood.