TRANSCRIPT: Miss World Philippines 2022 Top 11 Q and A

MANILA, Philippines – The top 11 candidates of Miss World Philippines 2022 participated in the final question and answer portion on coronation night Sunday, June 5.

Each candidate weighed in on a different question from each of the judges.

Here’s what they had to say:

Paula Ortega

How would you console the Filipino commuting public especially those in Metro Manila, that there’s a silver lining to traffic problems?

I think we should address our traffic problems by using more sustainable transportation. I think it’s about time that Filipinos are aware of how the climate change is really present right now. COVID-19 really happened because of climate change and we should start working all together to embrace our home, because if we don’t build things by using public transportation, by using alternative energy, we are making a better place for our future, thank you so much.

Erika Kristensen

Do you think that we should decriminalize libel?

Yes, I definitely think that we should decriminalize libel because especially in our day and age, we don’t know if that person is actually saying something true or not. And I think that, you know, we should start embracing press freedom, and that of course includes libel because a threat to our press is of course a threat to our deomocracy, and how can we move forward if we do not embrace this? So yes, definitely, I think everybody should have the right and the freedom to say what ever they want, but I think that it should be with responsibility, and that I think we should decriminalize libel.

Gwendolyne Fourniol

How do we cope [with] an education deficit accumulated due to the pandemic?

As an advocate of education, I do agree that during the pandemic we have suffered the most, but the children who have a lack of access to education have suffered the greatest. And working hand in hand with ERDA Foundation who empowered the marginalized Filipino, I believe by uniting benefactors and encouraging children and allowing them to go back to school especially during this pandemic will make this world a better place because education is the greatest weapon against poverty.

Alison Black

If you were to be appointed as secretary of DOT what innovation will you implement to boost cultural tourism?

It would definitely be sustainable tourism. The Philippines is such a melting pot for different cultures, and we are the best tourist spot in the whole world, but because we are so popular, we are degrading the environment and we are losing touch of our culture. So if we can promote sustainable tourism by avoiding over-tourism and making sure that each Filipino gets to explore each and every corner of the Philippines then we can celebrate the Philippines while protecting it.

Ashley Subijano Montenegro

Should bloggers and vloggers be accredited as members of the mainstream media?

I do believe so because they are voices for the things that they care about, for other people, as well as those that they represent. Bloggers and vloggers do their best to provide people with information in all shapes, sizes, forms, and platforms. My mother personally herself is a blogger, and I know that she proudly advocates and shares all the things she’s passionate about. Anyone can be well-educated on a subject if they are passionate and dedicated, and if people use credible sources, then absolutely.

Justine Beatrice Felizarta

What can we learn from celebrity breakups that expose their private lives to the public?

We all have choices in this life and to be a celebrity is someone to be of power and to have power is someone who has authority, but it doesn’t mean that they are not human. We should always respect people regardless of what they’re going through because you never know what they are going through, their private lives, and I think that if we do this, we’ll definitely become more collected together and respected for one another.

Kayla Arriadne Tiongson

What do you think is the most inconvenient truth about climate change?

I believe the most inconvenient truth about climate change is that we continue to neglect it. We continue to deny that it is happening and that is why scientists nowadays are continuously trying to voice out the problems about climate change. That is why we must continue to educate the public on what actually is happening around the world, and then we agitate those in power, those who are taking the lead, so that we may continue to solve and create solutions for these problems so that we may transform our nation and finally solve this lifelong problem.

Cassandra Bermeo Chan

Should the people within the LGBTQ+ community have the need to come out of the closet? Why or why not?

With someone who has many friends in the LGBTQI+ community, I know their struggles because I’ve heard their stories. I respect that when they want to come out, it is their choice. I believe that as a straight ciswoman I should respect them and give them love and kindness. That is what the LGBTQI+ community needs, especially in this age. I want to empower them and embrace them with my love, and that is why I am an exceptionally powerful Filipina.

Beatriz McLelland

Do you agree that we should tax the rich even more to help the country rebound from the pandemic?

Definitely. I think these are people who are on businesses, who have successful ones, and I think they should be taxed as high as they can to help the people who are in need, especially through the pandemic. I think it’s really concerning for them, it should be concerning for them, that they should contribute to the economy, to the people around them instead of just focusing on their own business, on their own pleasure and interests, and so that I think they should be taxed higher so that they could help their fellow citizens.

Maria Gigante

How is a bill seeking to grant a five-day mental wellness leave to workers essential to their employees and their employers?

A mental health illness is just the same as any illness, as you mentioned in our mental health talk a few days ago. I think it’s very important that as ambassadors of goodwill, as beauty queens, and perhaps as the next Miss World Philippines, we have to help spread awareness for the fact that mental illness is just like any illness and should be treated with just as much urgency. So yes, it is completely valid for us to now accept the fact that one can have a mental health leave. In fact, places all over the world have made room for more open and honest conversations for what it means to be more human. Like in Spain for example, we now have a leave for women who are on their periods. It is high time that we recognize that we are only human, and only then can we make a better world.

Ingrid Santamaria

How do you think can we unite as a people under one flag after a very divisive elections?

To be able to unite as a people, we need to remember that we are working toward one common goal and that common goal is to make our nation a better place, it’s to develop our nation, it’s to support our communities, and it’s to grow our culture and our heritage. No matter what our political beliefs are, no matter what our religion is, we should all remember to start with respect. We should respect each individual whether or not we agree with their sentiments, and then we can be able to learn how to be united, how to work towards a common goal, and how to create a better world. – Rappler.com