MANILA, Philippines — Days after winning the Binibining Pilipinas International 2019 crown, Bea Patricia “Patch” Magtanong joined her fellow bar passers in taking their oaths as lawyers at the Philippine International Convention Center on Thursday, June 13.

Patch, a UP Law graduate, was one of 1,800 who passed the 2018 bar. The results were released last May 3. 

Speaking to the media after the oath taking, Patch said that she’s grateful for the blessings she’s been getting. “I feel super blessed because not everyone has the chance to be a lawyer. And then I’m also Bb Pilipinas International. And I just feel like when you’re this blessed, you have to give back, you have to do something about it,” she said.

“That’s why in my Q and A, I also highlighted Angelina Jolie because I really appreciated that she maximized the platform that she was given to be able of service to other people. That’s what I think when I was given the platform and being an attorney.”

In previous interviews, Patch discussed the importance of fighting for the rights of prisoners.

“Now that I am a lawyer, I want to widen it to social justice, which I said previously. I want to be a voice for the voiceless and I want to speak out for the marginalized sectors as well.”

When asked if the crown or passing the bar gave her more fulfillment, Patch said that both accomplishments made her happy.

“They are two of my biggest dreams. And I worked for years and years to be a lawyer and I trained very hard to join the pageant. And I’m so lucky that this year dalawa yung blessings na binigay sa akin ni God (that God gave me two blessings already). So hopefully, we will go for one more, the 7th crown for Miss International.”

LOOK: Patch is joined by her family and friends at the oath-taking of new lawyers. | via @alexavillano pic.twitter.com/2ng6llGFlu

— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 13, 2019

Specialty

Patch said she has yet to decided on which field of law she’ll concentrate on. 

“For lawyers, you kind of just try a lot of different fields. That’s what my batchmates are doing in law firms, they kind of rotate them to see what field they want. But since I don’t have the chance to be exposed in all fields of law… honestly I don’t know. But my plan now is to work in the NGO that I was involved with — Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation,” she said.

EARLIER: Patch and her friends smile for a photo during the oath-taking of new lawyers. | via @alexavillanopic.twitter.com/Jtv60TLcHZ

— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) June 13, 2019

For now, Patch will concentrate on training for the Miss International pageant and the activities and projects that the Bb Pilipinas has prepared for her and the other queens.

“For the time being, the legal profession will have to be put on hold because I want to concentrate on this dream of mine, which is to become a beauty queen.” — Rappler.com