Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez talks about the personal connection she shares with her advocacy on youth empowerment. Read an excerpt about it below.
Related: Beatrice Luigi Gomez Gets Honest About Miss Universe Training
When she’s not strutting in six-inch heels and wearing trailing beaded gowns, Gomez has no trouble trading it in with a uniform to work in the frontlines of battle. A community development worker and a navy marines’ reservist, her main advocacy surrounds youth empowerment towards children in conflict with the law and victims of armed conflict.
Her genuine connection towards it roots from her experience as a child who grew up in a broken family. “I was lucky enough that my mom guided me properly and provided me with everything that I needed to become the person that I am now, but these children, they weren’t able to have this,” she shares. With her privilege, she takes on the responsibility to pay it forward and bring awareness to how children are used as instruments of war should be everyone’s concern.
“These children, they’re considered a nuisance to the community because they’re juvenile delinquents. And some people don’t understand that these children are also just victims, that they also need to be guided.”
“If we are able to give them the opportunity that they need to improve themselves, then we will be able to give a better future for them. Just because they made a mistake, it doesn’t mean that we already deprive them of opportunities.”
Beatrice Luigi Gomez
It’s safe to say at this point, that our Miss Universe Philippines is an empowered woman and while the term is now casually thrown around, Gomez is aware of the substance it holds to be one. “People have to understand that women in the past, we are considered second-class citizens and we continuously fought for equality and to break the norm of being mahinhin or to remain the typical traditional Filipino women na nasa bahay lang nagaalaga ng bata.
In other communities where there aren’t that many opportunities, small little girls are told ‘magasawa ka na lang ng mayaman’. That’s something I want to change, to inspire little girls that there’s so much more for them if they only dream bigger and they can be whoever they want to be.”
From her advocacy to becoming the first openly queer Miss Universe Philippines, read about why Beatrice Luigi Gomez is our new age queen in MEGA’s November 2021 issue now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio
Photography JERICK SANCHEZ
Creative direction JANN PASCUA
Art direction NICOLE ALMERO
Fashion direction and styling JEB FRONDA assisted by MJ Almero
Makeup MICKEY SEE
Hair JAN EDROSOLAN
Nails EXTRAORDINAIL
Shoot coordination ERICA LUNA and MAE TALAID
Shot on location at BALARA CONTENT STUDIO, Quezon City
All Jewelry and watches by MAISON CARTIER
