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MANILA, Philippines – It has been almost 6 months since she was crowned as Miss Universe in Las Vegas last December, but Pia Wurtzbach continues to receive negative and hurtful words especially from the Latin American community. (READ: Pia Wurtzbach recalls ‘awkward phase,’ being bullied in the past)
On Sunday, May 15, Pia wrote on Instagram about her relationship with her mentor, Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc chairperson Stella Marquez Araneta as a way to urge her critics to stop the cyberbullying and to appeal for respect.
Stella is the first Miss International title holder in 1960 and originates from Colombia. She is married to Filipino businessman Jorge Araneta, and is also the Charge d’Affaires of the Consulate of Colombia in Manila.
“I’ve known Madam for years,” Pia fondly wrote about Stella. We’ve been through a lot, happiness and tears, and she has been a witness to my determination.”
“See, I live alone in Manila. They are family to me, she is family to me. People may have said a lot of things about her, about me, but at the end of the day, I am her daughter. Madam, thank you for trusting me. I promised to not ever lie to you or let you down.”
Pia also shared how Stella had told her to take a rest after her father died a few years ago.
She said, “I will never forget the day I found out that my biological father passed away and I was in the office of Binibini already ready to leave for an event. She immediately went to me to comfort me. She insisted that I go skip work and go home and rest but I said ‘No, Madam. I don’t want to be alone in my apartment. Nobody there at the event has to know. I can still go.’
She also recounted how she talked to Stella about wearing a Filipino-designed gown for the Miss Universe pageant: “I requested to talk to her privately and vowed that I would not go behind her back and asked her to just please trust me to wear a Filipino made gown in blue which was my color of choice.”
“Even little moments where I would Google translate and say ‘Voy a ser Miss Universo! (I’ll be Miss Universe)’ just to see her smile,” Pia also recounted.
“I worked years to gain her trust, even when I lost. […] There were many ups and downs, not just with me but also the other queens as well. But after all that, this was and is the end result,” she continued.
“So you see, the person that trusted me to compete is from Colombia. So why the hate? In fact, we are bonded by years of partnership and a sense of family. I hope the hateful messages and cyberbullying can stop soon. Let’s show respect. And I’m not writing this to gain your love, I am writing this to show my respect.”
In December, Miss Universe 2015 host Steve Harvey made a mistake when he announced that Colombia’s Ariadna Gutierrez was Miss Universe. He later went back on stage and backtracked that it was Pia who had actually won the crown. (WATCH: Pia Wurtzbach discusses Miss Universe mix-up with Steve Harvey)
In an interview last December on TV Patrol, Stella said that her loyalty to the Philippines is not an issue since she’s based in the country.
“I’ve been running Binibining for so many years, so don’t you think my heart should be here in that respect? I’ve poured my heart and soul in this. They will ask me what would you choose and I’ll say, ‘I’m Colombian but I would choose Philippines.’
“No, that’s the way it is. I am in Binibini and I run it and she’s a product of my contest. Why would I go for Colombia?” she said.
Pia at AIDS Walk
Pia is a well-known advocate for HIV awareness, and was recently tasked to become as the Madrina of the Latino Commission on AIDS. She was also named as #HIV Prevention Ambassador for Aid for AIDS in February.
She also recently graced the AIDS Walk in New York City on Sunday, May 15 and posted photos from the event.
– Rappler.com
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