The delegates of the 2025 Miss Asia Pacific International pageant did not just stop at packing relief goods in their effort to help those affected by the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that rocked the province on Sept. 30.
After volunteering to help pack goods at the Cebu Province Warehouse for two consecutive days, the ladies went to three towns in the northernmost tip of the island to deliver not just aid, but to provide cheer to the people.
Loaded in two buses, and accompanied by trucks carrying relief goods, including water and uncooked rice, 32 of the 43 delegates to this year’s competition rolled out their mission to Daanbantayan, Medellin, and San Remigio.
Miss Asia Pacific International Executive Director Jacqueline Tan-Sainz told Inquirer Entertainment in an interview at the covered court of Barangay Poblacion in San Remigio that the three towns were strategically chosen.
‘We did a research, and Bogo is really popular in terms of media, in places hit by the earthquake. But all the northern parts of Cebu were hit equally. So these are the areas not reached by help, so we really prioritized these areas,’ she explained.
At the chapel of a small community in Daanbantayan where several families are taking shelter after the earthquake, the ladies met a large group of residents.
There, they played with the children, comforted their parents and grandparents, and handed out aid. Little boys and girls flashed huge smiles as they approached the delegates for hugs.
The ladies then proceeded to the municipal hall of Medellin to deliver a truckload of goods, which still included gallons of potable water and sacks of uncooked rice.
In San Remigio, they personally handed out bags of relief goods and gallon-bottles of drinking water to the residents, most of whom still do not have access to potable water.
Belgian beauty Selena Ali, second runner-up in last year’s competition, joined the ladies, and offered assistance to her compatriot Jana Janssens, who was in crutches after sustaining a minor injury during a commotion when the earthquake struck.
‘I believe it’s the right thing to do, to start giving to the people back and helping. Pageants are not about only beauty and about competing on stage. But it is about our hearts, and showing that we care about people. So it’s great that we can do this instead of our normal activities. And it feels amazing to be helping all of the victims of the earthquake,’ she told Inquirer Entertainment.
Ali said she became emotional when she saw the devastation caused by the earthquake on the houses and other structures, and the people on the streets begging for food and water.
‘It’s something that we only see in movies. And normally I don’t go through this myself. It’s heartbreaking to know that people lost their homes. But still that’s something the Filipino mindset is all about. The people are still smiling when they see us. And it’s so amazing that there’s so much love even in these hard times,’ she shared.
The Miss Asia Pacific International organizers opted to ditch all the planned activities prior to the final competition, and realigned the pageant to serve as a vehicle for relief missions.
The earthquake halted the pageant’s benefit gala night on Sept. 30 just as the ceremonies were about to close. It happened on the delegates’ first day in the province. The coronation night will still push through at the Cebu Coliseum on Oct. 8. /ra