STRONG, independent and empowered, these are the attributes of this year's candidates to the Mutya ng Dabaw 2017.
More than beauty, the candidates gamely showed wits in casual interview.
First to talk about her advocacy was Ella Dumanlag wherein she highlighted the importance of women empowerment.
“We need to voice out opinions about issues in the society, particularly about us, women. I believe we have more than enough to show off and prove in the society,” Dumanlag said.
Marjorie Ormido agreed and shared the same advocacy, describing the search as the stage for empowered women to express themselves.
“I believe that Mutya ng Dabaw is just a platform for strong and independent women to help society accomplish their advocacies,” Ormido said.
Carly Jane Chua expressed her sentiments being an advocate for eco-friendly craft.
“My advocacy is in line with proper waste management. I like to deal with the creative sides of the youth of today to have a ‘Do-it-yourselves’ wherein the reusable objects can be of a greater tool in our society. Making a friendly pen holder out of the used bottles or cans can be a good example. Through this initiative, we can mold the youth's creative side towards helping save and protect Mother Earth,” Chua said.
The responsible use of social media, meanwhile, is what Angelique Pasion is batting for.
“Think before you click. Being an active user of social media, I have observed so many images, posts and statuses not worth sharing. With this, I want to educate the youth to be more careful towards what they post,” she said.
Promoting the tourism in Davao City to counter poverty is Benz Mickaela Pasion Cajes' dream project.
“It is high time for us to promote the tourism in Davao City more. Staging events in certain attractions is one way of alleviating the impoverished places in Davao. It's more like hitting two birds in one stone. We can help tourism and Dabawenyos, as well,” she said.
Awareness and taking action against those who abuse the environment is Vanessa Nacario's advocacy.
“The way I see it, people should understand that quality of life relies upon the condition of our environment and that we have to create concrete plans and take initiative actions to protect and sustainably use our natural resources. Through this awareness, both nature and people are served. It is now high time to make great things happen for the environment,” she said.
When asked how they would promote Davao City, Veronica Balaya's answer stood out.
“Davao City is the center of industrialization in Mindanao. We are equipped with the right resources. It’s by word of mouth most of the time. Tourists come and see the bounty and beauty of Davao, they can't help but just keep coming back. We as Dabawenyos, sell Davao City to other places through our actions and hospitability,” she said.
These advocacies, they said, are some of the reasons why they joined the Mutya ng Dabaw 2017 beauty pageant which will happen on March 15.
With only a day left before the coronation night, the gorgeous ladies are more than ready to tackle the bigger issues confronting our society. With the crown or not, they will continue to push through with their efforts in making their advocacies part of their life.
