Rachelle Cruz, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

<figure class="op-social"><iframe frameBorder="0" height="383" src="~//www.youtube.com/embed/pwKUWiAn6Q4" width="510"></iframe></figure><p>TORONTO, Ontario - Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach made her first visit to Canada this week where she shared her personal experiences as a victim of bullies.</p><p>Wurtzbach talked to students of the International Language Academy of Canada about how she was bullied as a young actress growing up in the Philippines, and while she worked in England.</p><p>&quot;I experience bullying in different forms. I experienced it in school. I felt like I was the odd one out growing up in the province because I was half-Filipino and half-German, so I wasn&#x27;t full blooded Filipina and of course I was the tallest in my class and I felt kind of awkward. I went through an awkward phase and even when I was an actress, there was a lot of scrutiny there as well,&quot; Wurtzbach said.</p><p>Even now, she said winning the Miss Universe crown doesn&#x27;t safeguard her from cyber bullying and harsh criticisms.</p><p>&quot;What we need here and the rest of the world is a change of values…to accept our differences. That is a fact of life. And the more we become accepting, the more we become tolerant. And the more we care,&quot; she said.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50.0% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BCWsaYKgxp4/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (@piawurtzbach)</a> on <time dateTime="2016-02-29T03:10:24+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Feb 28, 2016 at 7:10pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>Her message drew an applause, even inspiring some of the audience.</p><p>&quot;She was the person who started working at the age of 11, and she was the breadwinner as she said, and someone who worked so hard to get her success, so she&#x27;s a great inspiration,&quot; said City Councilman Tom Rakocevic.</p><p>A fan of the beauty queen, Eva Reyes added, &quot;Telling her story about all her hardships, all of the trials she has gone through in order to be where she is, it&#x27;s very inspiring.&quot;</p><p>The anti-bullying talk was followed by a fundraiser dinner that raised about US$7,000 to benefit the Sick Kids Foundation.</p><p>While her trip to Toronto was very short, she said it was a worthwhile stop on the year-long journey she has ahead of her as Miss Universe.</p><p>&quot;I definitely matured over the last two months and I can&#x27;t believe it&#x27;s only been two months - just because so many things have happened already,&quot; she said.</p><p>Wurtzbach said her best motivation is failure. It took her three attempts at Binibining Pilipinas to win the third Miss Universe crown for the Philippines, learning valuable lessons to propel her toward success each time.</p><p>Read more on <strong><a href="http://www.balitangamerica.tv/">Balitang America</a>.</strong></p>

TORONTO, Ontario - Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach made her first visit to Canada this week where she shared her personal experiences as a victim of bullies.

Pia Wurtzbach: 'I experience bullying in different forms'

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Global Filipino

Pia Wurtzbach: 'I experience bullying in different forms'

Rachelle Cruz,

ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

Published Mar 02, 2016 02:02 PM PHT

|

Updated Mar 03, 2016 01:51 PM PHT

Read More:

Pia Wurtzbach

Miss Universe 2016

beauty queen

bullying

Canada

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.