Binibining Pilipinas International 2022 Nicole Borromeo. Josiah Antonio, ABS-CBN.
MANILA — Beauty queen Nicole Borromeo hopes to highlight the importance of well-being and providing homes for people as her advocacy for the upcoming Miss International 2023 pageant.
"I really saw the importance of well-being both physically and mentally. When I joined Binibining Pilipinas, I wanted to highlight how important it is for everybody to have a place to call home because how can you have the mental fortitude to face the adversaries, to enjoy life when you don't even have the basic necessity of a safe and decent roof over your head," Borromeo told reporters during her send-off held Wednesday.
"This year, I'd like to not only highlight that but as well as my art therapy, showcasing to the world that it is possible for us to live in a safe and decent environment that is crucial for us. It's a no brainer, everybody deserves this and nobody should be getting left behind," she added.
Borromeo explained that having a supportive community would help create a safe space for people.
"The biggest thing when it comes to well-being is a reason to get up in the morning. You need a sense of purpose, you need to feel needed and that usually comes when you're with a community, when you have people who believe in you," the beauty queen said.
"That can be done by hosting activities, events, or even providing jobs. We can do these things, when they meet other people like them it's gonna help a more purposeful, make their life more meaningful. I'm not about to say that I can completely do everything on my own, this is a vision and this is a possibility," she added.
She added that the platforms of Binibining Pilipinas and Miss International would help in pushing for the advocacies she raises when she represent the country in Japan.
"There are so many aspects that come to mind when you think of home. It's more than just the physical space, you're thinking about your livelihood, you're thinking about your well-being, and I know it sounds like it's a lot to chew, it sounds like a big, big vision but I'm confident that especially with platforms like Binibining Pilipinas, Miss International, it is possible. We can achieve a world where there is no poverty and everyone has a home," she said.
Miss International 2023 will be held on October 26 at Yoyogi Gymnasium No. 2 in Tokyo, Japan.
The upcoming pageant will no longer have a swimsuit parade segment, as announced by organizers last July. This part of the competition will instead be held during the closed-door preliminary evaluation.
Borromeo will aim for the Philippines' seventh Miss International crown. Her predecessor, Hannah Arnold, finished in the Top 15 last year.