AIA Philippines elevated the conversation on health at its inaugural Rethink Healthy Influencer Summit, convening over 200 creators, media partners, employees, Life Planners, health advocates and experts, each influential in championing and rallying for braver, healthier habits.
The biggest influencer event in the insurance industry challenged all attendees to move beyond conventional thinking, exploring how small, brave choices can make holistic health achievable in everyday life.
AIA’s summit builds on AIA Philippines’ latest study, “Rethink Healthy: Shaping Filipino Health-Seeking Choices, from Thinking to Doing,” which reveals that Filipinos are moving decisively from a passive “bahala na” mindset toward a proactive “handa na” approach, understanding what drives their health choices, why their deep sense of family responsibility fuels action, and how they are now taking more deliberate steps toward holistic well-being.
“Rethink Healthy is about helping people turn intention into action,” said Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer, AIA Philippines. “Filipinos already understand what it means to be healthy. Our focus now is demonstrating that choosing health is genuinely within reach through small, everyday choices that can help them live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.”
Throughout the summit, guests took part in interactive activities that pushed them to rethink long‑held habits and make simple shifts toward better health, transforming intent into real changes that felt personal, doable, and genuinely motivating.
Rethinking Healthcare: Tiis, Delays, and Embracing Prevention
In the session “Rethinking Healthcare,” MediCard Chief Executive Officer Julian Mengual underscored a familiar Filipino habit: delaying care until something feels wrong. He emphasized that seeking care is rarely due to neglect. For many Filipinos, navigating the process isn’t always simple.
“I think the challenge in the market is that many Filipinos don't really know how to access care or understand what the best options are,” said Mengual. “But it is only that trigger—when you or your loved one faces a health scare—that you truly understand what it means,” he said. He pointed to the familiar “tiis muna” (endure first) mindset, where people postpone care until it becomes unavoidable. “That’s why the goal is to make prevention easier to ensure checkups are accessible, and measures toward wellness are not scary and less complicated.”
With these realities, AIA Life Planner Grace Quinto stressed the importance of her role to help Filipinos understand that caring for themselves today and having a plan spare their families from greater worry and regret tomorrow. “Tiis muna creates a snowball of expenses later. Postponed checkups can be a long-term condition. Taking care of ourselves, while having an emergency fund, medical fund, or insurance, can make a difference, giving us more freedom and peace of mind,” Quinto adds.
AIA and MediCard are continuously addressing gaps in healthcare through AIA’s holistic health solutions and MediCard’s wide range of innovative healthcare services, making proactive care simpler and within reach for more Filipinos.
Rethinking Mental Wellness: High Functioning but Still Struggling
To examine how to stay effective amid mental exhaustion, AIA’s “Rethinking Mental Wellness” session brought together content creator and AIA brand ambassador Wil Dasovich, MindNation co-founder and environmentalist Cat Triviño, and psychologist Dr. Francine Bofill for an open dialogue on burnout, pressure, and the realities people rarely show.
“The greatest impact I’ve ever had on people’s lives through social media is when I’m at my most vulnerable moment,” shared Dasovich. In a space defined by highlight reels, he emphasized how showing the in-between, the uncertainty and setbacks, can create deeper, more meaningful connections.
Meanwhile, Triviño highlighted the need to move from awareness to action. “Being high-performing or high-functioning can make people feel that they cannot allow themselves to be seen as someone with well-being concerns. Putting others first also adds another layer of struggle to admit that we need help, and these layers compound,” she said. “Help-seeking does not have to start when you’re already at your lowest. It is something that needs to be a regular thing,” she said.
Triviño’s call to take that next step—moving from simply recognizing your emotions to actively seeking support—sets the tone for a deeper understanding of why intentional, early help-seeking matters, which Dr. Francine Bofill positions as essential. “The first step is being open to conversations, and having awareness. Then identify your feelings, if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Finally, simply ask for help,” Bofill added.
Rethinking Influence: Authenticity and Presence
To center conversations on authenticity and meaningful storytelling that inspire healthier habits, AIA’s “Rethinking Influence” session asked celebrities and AIA ambassadors Nico Bolzico and Solenn Heussaff, along with TikTok’s Charissa Kow, to explore how online content can shape healthier behaviors.
For Solenn, influence is about being honest and creating space for real conversations, both online and offline. “When you're authentic and you don’t try to be a persona, you’re really conveying honesty, and that’s when you create real connection with people,” she shared. Nico Bolzico echoed this, challenging the idea of perfection online. “The idea of perfection is exhausting. No one is perfect, and people who try to portray themselves as perfect are not true,” he said.
Charissa Kow, TikTok’s Market Lead for the Philippines, also shared how communities shape culture every day—and that culture, in turn, shapes how people see themselves. “We know trends can influence identity, confidence, and even how young people think about their well-being, so we’re intentional about building an environment that fuels self-expression without pressure,” she shared. TikTok continues to invest in tools and programs that empower creators to share responsibly and uplift one another.
Beyond Extremes: The Power of Consistent Strength
Capping off the summit was the session “Rethinking Strength,” featuring South Korean cross-fitter Amotti, famous for winning Netflix’s Physical:100 Season 2 and Physical: Asia. Amotti offered a more grounded perspective on what strength looks like beyond performance, one built
not on extremes but on consistency. “The definition of health is different for each person. What I do for myself is create routines. I set times for when I wake up, eat, and work out, so my body naturally follows a rhythm,” Amotti shared.
“At the end of the day, it felt less about getting everything right and more about simply starting. Health isn’t something you suddenly figure out. It’s something you build one choice at a time, often in small, everyday moments that require a bit of courage,” he added.
That’s what AIA Philippines’ Rethink Healthy campaign is about — making choices feel more achievable and giving people the confidence to take brave steps for their health and wellness. Through initiatives such as the Influencer Summit and ongoing conversations with creators and communities through its influencer platform AIA Voices, AIA Philippines continues to move Filipinos from thinking to doing, helping them make everyday choices that lead to Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.
To know more about Rethink Healthy, visit https://www.aia.com.ph/en/health-and-wellness/rethink-healthy
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About AIA Philippines
AIA Philippines (AIA Philippines Life and General Insurance Company Inc.) formerly AIA Philam Life (The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company), is the country’s premier life insurance company. Originally established on 21 June 1947 and became popularly known as Philam Life, AIA Philippines has earned the trust of customers for its financial strength, strong brand name, and ability to deliver on its promises.
AIA Philippines has PHP 257.76 billion in total assets and PHP 57.35 billion in net worth as of 31 December 2024 while serving nearly
1.2 million individual policyholders and nearly 800,000 insured group members. AIA Philippines understands the needs of its customers and provides holistic solutions that include life protection, health insurance, savings, education, retirement, investment, group, and credit life insurance. It also offers bancassurance through its subsidiary, BPI AIA Life Assurance Corporation (formerly BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corporation).
Based on the unaudited reports submitted to the Insurance Commission as of 31 December 2024, the combined total premium income of AIA Philippines and BPI AIA was at PHP 29.77 billion. AIA Philippines is a member of AIA Group Limited, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group.
AIA PH and BPI AIA are regulated by the Insurance Commission.
About AIA
AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR(1), Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Brunei and Macau SAR(2), and a 49 per cent joint venture in India. In addition, AIA has a 24.99 per cent shareholding in China Post Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai more than a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in Asia (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$328 billion as of 30 June 2025.
AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia, AIA serves the holders of more than 43 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.
AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock codes “1299” for HKD counter and “81299” for RMB counter with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market under the ticker symbol “AAGIY”.
Notes:
Hong Kong SAR refers to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Macau SAR refers to the Macau Special Administrative Region
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