For Pia Wurtzbach, being a breadwinner is a choice, not an obligation.

The former Miss Universe made the statement as she answered questions from readers of the local women's magazine Cosmopolitan Philippines, as seen in a video released over the weekend.

One of the questions was from a breadwinner who was "tired of providing for my family because I want to start a family, or even have a life of my own."

"How do I open up this topic to my parents and siblings? And until when ba talaga dapat magbigay?"

Wurtzbach began her response by acknowledging the reality of being a breadwinner in the Philippines. "Oh my goodness, this is tough. A lot of Filipinos are breadwinners of their families and mahirap kapag sinanay mo na rin in a certain way," she said.

"Expect mo na lang that there's going to be a reaction. Expect it, especially when they're used to a certain lifestyle and you enabled it, kasalanan natin 'yan as breadwinners," added the Miss Universe 2015 titleholder, who previously opened up about becoming the breadwinner of her family at a young age.

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Wurtzbach went on to stress the need for breadwinners to have "that conversation" with family members and other people who depend on them for financial support.

She said it will not be a fast and easy process, but it has to be done. "You need to be honest and upfront. Puwede mo rin namang unti-untiin, na instead of completely cutting off financial support puwedeng babawasan mo muna or maybe suggesting the idea that your siblings find a job of their own. Or opening up the idea to your parents na, 'Ma or Pa, parang gusto ko nang mag-ipon kasi siyempre gusto ko ring magkaroon ng sarili kong pamilya. Tingin mo?' Tapos pakinggan mo lang," she advised.

The former beauty queen continued: "Start the conversation, you don't have to shock them. I don't think something like this will have a good reaction if you just rip it off, like it has to be done slowly, parang you taper off the support paunti-unti."

Wurtzbach ended by assuring breadwinners that thinking of their own needs and wants is not bad or selfish, and that they do not have to feel guilty about it.

"Girl, like sa totoong buhay it's not our job to take care of everybody around us. You just do it because mabait ka, di ba? At mahal mo sila, di ba? But if you stop, that doesn't mean you're bad," she emphasized.

"And until when nga ba talaga dapat magbigay? Hangga't buo sa puso mo. When you start feeling trapped or start feeling bad, or if it starts feeling like a transaction, then you know it's time to stop, or slowly stop," she added. "Kaya mo 'yan, it's gonna take a while but you can do it. And it's for you, for your life, for your future."

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