Aurora is one of the provinces in the Philippines which have not reported any confirmed case of COVID19 all throughout the lockdown in the Philippines. And the local government is all out in maintaining the status till the end of the pandemic. The preparations of their Miss Universe Philippines 2020 candidate Princess Marquez Laureano may have been temporarily stalled. But all for the good welfare of the majority. Let us get to know her a little more in this entry.
Princess is a graduate of Tourism Management who now works as a Civil Registry Associate with the Philippine Statistics Authority in Baler.
“I grew up in a broken family where I stood as the second parent of my siblings. At the age of 12, I have experienced working as a Chicharon repacker while selling cooked food. I was domesticated so to speak. During college, I used to sell Graham Balls in class every morning for my allowance. And on summer vacations, I would assist my grandmother in selling ukay-ukay (used clothes) in the public market.”
“Being the eldest daughter is hard. I have taken it upon my own to fulfill the responsibilities I have never experienced from my parents growing up. For many years now, I have neither seen nor spoken to my mother who left the family. Fortunately, I was able to reconnect with my father and have established a good relationship with him since”
“I enjoy my life as a giver. I am a rider with a heart. I am a member of a motorcycle club in my Province where we gather charities to support the less fortunate, especially the children who live in the nearby mountains.”
“I use my experience in life to motivate and inspire other people that – through hardships – we should stand up and never give up until we reach our dreams.”
Princess believes that anyone can be an inspiration to everyone. This is the reason why she pursued her advocacy “The Universe” – “uni” means one and there is a “verse” that says “LET’S HELP EACH OTHER TO REACH OUT, LET’S MOVE ON AND BE AN INSPIRATION TO EVERYONE AS WE TELL OUR DIFFERENT STORIES IN LIFE.”
Miss Universe Philippines 2020 candidate Jo-Ann D. Flores of Laguna used to be part of regional pageantry several years back. And she is back with a bang with the national pageant – more mature, more confident and with a clearer direction in life,
In general, Jo-Ann is passionate about education and equal opportunities. Growing up with a family with on-and-off means for livelihood, she experienced having less to none of the material privileges others enjoyed . At any rate, her parents instilled the value of education on top of everything. The rest is history in becoming an academic achiever. Right after graduation, she worked in a hotel (Green Sun Hotel). Even at a young age and a woman at that, she was given the opportunity to excel and become a leader – from manager to director. Learning and education is continuous and it did not stop after college. She has been to different workshops and training to improve herself professionally and as an individual. As a result, she was transformed from being a trainer to a mentor and adviser to her subordinates and colleagues. 
One time, I prepared also food for 170 police officers and prisoners (who were also affected by the crisis) before. Nothing too big but I’m doing simple acts within my capacities. My parents and sister are frontliners so I have to spend more time at home to take care of my siblings and run errands for us.”
This beautiful morena of a Miss Universe Philippines 2020 candidate has already had the experience of representing the country in an international competition in China. Still, nothing beats vying for a major national crown that will bring her pageant career to greater heights. And Bea Theresa Maynigo of Baguio City is keeping her eyes on the prize.
When the travel ban and the community quarantine was announced, Bea was actually staying in Pampanga because of work. She did not travel back to Manila anymore to get her stuff or take the bus to Pangasinan to stay with her family because she didn’t want to take the risk of being exposed to the virus. She was of the thinking that things will normalize after two weeks, only to realize that extensions were inevitable. And so, she used the time to focus, take care of her mental health and prepare for the pageant. She would do home workouts and review her notes. Days turned into weeks and months. Watching the news and reading articles online about what was happening around the country us frightened her. She needed to do something about it nonetheless.
But being stuck in Pampanga where she did not know a lot of people or organizations that could help her conduct community services aside from being house-restricted, she decided to support donation drives instead. She was neither born rich nor living an easy life to have all the resources to help the people in need. But with her influence as a beauty queen, she knew that she can still do something in her own little way. She was able to encourage other individuals to donate as well and was able to raise an amount that was enough to provide PPEs to more than 10 hospitals in Pangasinan as well as also food for frontliners in the checkpoints. Being a candidate of Miss Universe Philippines helped a lot in this project. That’s when she truly realized that beauty pageants are platforms that empower women to become voices and inspirations to the community. 
Miss Universe Philippines 2020 candidate Joecel Marie Robenta of Antique could have been one of the heroic frontliners during this time of crisis, had it not been for the national pageant she committed to focus on. Her nursing profession was at its highest level of demand these past couple of months.
Giving up her job as a Nurse was one of the most difficult decisions in her young life. But then, she realized that a bigger platform can enable her to do more in terms of strengthening her advocacy to help and be a voice to her fellow medical professionals. She needs to speak on behalf of every Filipino nurse who needs to be valued more.
Joece is pushing for Quality Health to all Filipinos. Being a Nurse is never an easy job. Having earned actual hospital experience for a year and a half now, she went through a lot of challenges and sacrifices. But at the end of the day, her will to serve people always prevails. This is the biggest reason why her cause is provide quality health care. Efficiency, Safety, Effective and Affordable – these are the core points of the healthcare system that every filipino deserves to have.
During ECQ, she started a project of DIY face masks using old fabrics and clothes. It reached almost 100 pcs and she donated all to the people who need them the most. She has also been doing a funding project for the frontliners and called it Connect. Collect. Protect. It is her way of helping since she could not be physically stationed in the hospital. She provided boxes of gloves, gallons of alcohol, masks, face shields and also gave funds for Hazmat Suits. Despite staying at home, she did her best to be a beacon of hope to the people and to spread positivity and kindness. As a nurse, she also gives importance to health education so she started by teaching people here in her hometown, especially on how to properly wash their hands using the World Health Organization Technique.
Miss Universe Philippines 2020 candidate Carissa Rozil Quiza of Surigao del Norte is mighty proud of Siargao – the tear drop-shaped island that has been a rich source of Tourism for the Province. But more than this popular destination, she is even more proud of the Mamanwas – one of the oldest and still extant tribes in the Philippines – and of the Mamanwa children in particular.
The Mamanwa children may belong to an indigenous minority in the community. But Carissa is always pleased that she does not see a bit of reticence or insecurity in their faces, of being different, of being inferior and of being who they are. They simply radiate sincerity and innocence. Hence, her advocacy is rooted from them – the inclusive and alternative education for the Indigenous People to eliminate cultural fragmentation caused by modernization. She aims to bring education to their doorsteps without giving up their cultures and traditions. Part of this is to provide a classroom environment that is conducive for learning and where they can freely express themselves more openly. She plans to make special modules for them – something that will cater to their specific needs. 
What motivates Carissa to pursue this advocacy is her inner most desire to help them embrace their uniqueness and promote unity in diversity. Thus, the goal of this advocacy is to help them in realizing their dreams and full potentials. As the title of this entry states, no Mamanwa children will be left behind.
As far as the ECQ is concerned, she has spent most of the time at home with her family. Additionally, there is a protocol of not allowing high-risk people (0-20 and senior citizens) to go outside. At 19, she dutifully followed the order. She continued to make productive use of the time while improving herself for the national pageant.
