Mrs. Grandma Universe: ‘We should continue on taking care of our young’

DAPITAN CITY, Philippines – While the Philippines was engrossed with the holding of Miss Universe, a Dapitanon grandmother – Agnes Padao-Jakosalem – was crowned Mrs. Grandma Universe 2017 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Beyond the glitter and glamor of beauty pageants, Jakosalem said, lies the far greater responsibility to humanity.

“Even before joining the pageant I already saw the need for us, grandparents, to continue on taking care of the young, our grandchildren,” Jakosalem told Rappler.

“Filipinos traditionally focus on taking care of the old, but we grandparents should also fill in on the little but important things that modern-day parents, who in their daily struggles to earn a living, may have missed imparting to their kids, like values and how to deal with the realities of life.”

Jakosalem said she is lucky to be living with her 7-year-old granddaughter, Kesaira, who inspired her to push on joining the Mrs. Grandma Universe.

“She calls me wassy because she was not able to pronounce grandsie, and when there was a time that I almost backed out, I heard this little sweet voice telling me, wassy go for it, I already have drawn a crown for you, you’re the champion,” Jakosalem recalled.

Jakosalem said she had big problems in joining the pageant, like raising funds for her trip to Bulgaria, securing visa that she had to get in Vietnam, putting on her make up, “ug unsaon pag-rampa (and how to do the catwalk)”, which she said she practiced at the car park of her hotel in Sofia.

The Mrs. Grandma Universe contest was different. There was no swimsuit competition or question and answer portion.

“We only have the evening gown, talent and national costume. But before the main event, we were told to write something about grand parenting,” she said.

Jakosalem stressed that grandparents should bridge the gap between the past and the present, teaching the young how to enjoy drawing with paper and pencil instead of electronic gadgets, how to play tumba-lata or getting the pleasure of playing on the sand with friends.

“In effect we teach them values, the value of true joys, that puto with milk is good for them and not drugs, of coping with the good and not so good realities in life, and most of all the value of friendship,” she said.

“And when they go out to the world on their own, we will be assured that they will survive, and hopefully they will also teach their children and grandchildren what we passed on to them,” Jakosalem added.

The world’s premier grandmother said that teaching values to the young may be viewed as small, but these are important things, which our schools tend to ignore because our education system is always about competition.

Jakosalem said she thought she did good in teaching values to her granddaughter when there was a time when Kesaira came home and said, “I did something good today wassy, I saw my classmate fell over, I helped her get up.”

Asked how she felt doing it, Jakosalem said her granddaughter replied: “I’m very happy wassy, much happier than receiving Christmas gifts.”

Jakosalem plans of organizing grandparents, which part of its function is to exchange experiences that may teach each other how to be of help to their grandchildren in learning values.

“We already have that kind of organization in Cebu, I hope to replicate it here in Dapitan and in other parts of the country,” she said.

The Mrs. Grandma Universe was at first a beauty contest in Bulgaria with its neighboring countries. Ten years ago, it went worldwide.

Fifteen countries participated in this year’s pageant, held in Sofia last January 22.

Organizers of the contest are looking towards the Philippines as a potential venue for Mrs. Grandma Universe 2018. – Rappler.com