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MANILA — Finalists in the Miss World Philippines pageant went through two sets of question and answer portions before Gwendolyne Fourniol of Negros Occidental emerged as the winner.

Fourniol will represent the Philippines in the Miss World 2022 pageant on Sunday night.

So how did the Miss World Philippines 2022 winners fare in the Q&A portion?

#25 Gwendolyne Fourniol of Negros Occidental (Miss World Philippines 2022)

QUESTION: Your mother actually chose to leave the Philippines for a life in France but you did the opposite. You left France for life here in the Philippines. How has this paradox of life shaped your BWAP project with ERDA Foundation?

ANSWER: I moved to the Philippines at the age of 18. I was all alone but my mother is my strength. Growing up in Europe, I was very open-minded. Moving to the Philippines, I could see the generous hearts of the Filipinos and I told myself this is my home and I want to stay here. That is why I dedicated my life to helping ERDA Foundation. I am pretty sure we have around 30 volunteers from ERDA Foundation in the audience. I am so happy that you guys are here today because I am doing this for you. You are my strength. Education is a right and not a privilege.

QUESTION: How do we cope with an education deficit accumulated due to the pandemic?

ANSWER: As an advocate of education, I do agree that during the pandemic, we have suffered the most, but the children who have the lack access to education have suffered the greatest. Working hand in hand with ERDA Foundation to empower the marginalized Filipinos, I believe by uniting benefactors and encouraging our children, and allowing them to go back to school, especially during this pandemic, will make this world a better place because education is the greatest weapon against poverty.

#24 Alison Black of Las Pinas City (Miss Supranational Philippines 2022)

QUESTION: Everybody describes you as a girl boss because your project is very innovative. Why do you think entrepreneurship is still an uphill climb for women in the Philippines today?

ANSWER: Entrepreneurship is not something we teach our women when they are young. That’s something I want to address with my Girl Boss project. I am a business graduate and I’ve seen how women are not treated the same in business and how women are treated in a sense that they have to get married to earn money. They do not have control over their own lives. They don’t have autonomy. With Girl Boss, I want the youth to realize that this is possible. There is a life where they can pilot their future, and their destinies, and people strive for what they think is possible. Let’s make our girls believe.

QUESTION: If you were to be appointed as Department of Tourism secretary, what innovation will you implement to boost cultural tourism?

ANSWER: It would definitely be sustainable tourism. The Philippines is such a melting pot of different cultures and we are the best tourist spot in the whole world but because we are so popular, we are degrading the environment and we are losing the touch with our culture. So, if we can promote sustainable tourism by avoiding over-tourism and making sure that each Filipino gets to explore each and every corner of the Philippines then we can celebrate the Philippines while protecting it.

#20 Ashley Subijano Montenegro of Makati City (Miss Eco Philippines 2022)

QUESTION: You have a passion for embracing challenges whether on a personal level or a social level. How can you relate to the everyday challenge of an ordinary Filipino and how can you help alleviate their state?

ANSWER: The COVID pandemic has highlighted the many hardships we all had to go through to all kinds of degrees. Personally, my income was affected, my education was affected as well as the relationships with those I love dearly. But through this, we persevere through those challenges. Through our passion for the things we care most about, through our hope for that light at the end of the tunnel, we move forward. I encourage people to find that passion and let it burn the fire within you and let that fire become your light at the end of the tunnel. Because when we self-empower ourselves, we are capable of overcoming any calamity, embracing any challenge, and entertaining anything in this beautiful world.

QUESTION: Should bloggers and vloggers be accredited as members of mainstream media?

ANSWER: I do believe so because they are voices for the things that they care about, for other people as well as those that they represent. Bloggers and vloggers do their best to provide people with information in all shapes, size, forms, and platforms. My mother personally is a vlogger and I know that she proudly advocates and shares all the things she’s passionate about. Anyone can be well educated on a subject if they’re passionate and dedicated and if people use credible sources, then absolutely.

#17 Ingrid Santamaria of Parañaque (Miss Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas)

QUESTION: Your Beauty with a Purpose narrative is taken from a place of privilege to a place of charity. How do you intend to influence more people to give more to those who have less especially the 4 million out-of-school youth displaced by the pandemic?

ANSWER: I’m somebody who was privileged enough to garner an education because I didn’t have to worry about the circumstances around me, there are 4 million out of school youth because they can’t control their circumstances, and those circumstances they don’t have the resources, they don’t have the ways to provide for online learning and once you have an education it sets you free. You are able to be free to pursue your personal goals and with that freedom, you were able to help others because I have an education, I want to be inspired, I want to be educated and I want to help others to be educated as well. I call on everybody to be able to use that love, use that power that you have, and use that knowledge you have to be able to uplift others so that as a society, we will all be able to grow.

QUESTION: How do you think can we unite as a people under one flag after a very divisive election?

ANSWER: To be able to unite as a people, we need to remember that we are working toward one common goal and that one common goal is to make our nation a better place develop our nation, support our communities, to grow our cultures and our heritage. No matter what our political beliefs are, no matter what our religion is, we should all remember to start with respect. We should respect each and every individual whether or not we agree with their sentiments and then we can be able to learn how to be united, how to work towards a common goal, and how to create a better world.

#34 Beatriz McLelland of Aklan (Miss Eco Teen Philippines 2022)

QUESTION: Cervical cancer is said to be the second most deadly cancer that women all over the world have to fight against. In facing this women’s health issue, how can we get more men involved with your advocacy for cervical cancer prevention?

ANSWER: Actually, I would like to say that it’s really detrimental that this issue in our country is really overlooked and not much talked about. One of the reasons I joined a beauty pageant like Miss World Philippines is because my audience is not only women but also men and all genders. Not only would I like to target men, but all genders, all the people all over the world to listen to this issue… I think that’s one of the most important things that I can do as a Miss World candidate and off stage.

QUESTION: Do you agree that we should tax the rich even more to help the country rebound from the pandemic?

ANSWER: Definitely, I think. Am I right about the rich? I think these are the people who are in businesses, who have successful ones, and I think they should be taxed as high as they can to help the people who are in need, especially through the pandemic. I think it’s really concerning for them, it should be concerning for them that they should contribute to the economy, to the people around them instead of just focusing on their own businesses and their own pleasure and interest and so that I think that they should be taxed higher so that they could help their fellow citizens.

#18 Justine Beatrice Felizarta of Marikina City (1st Princess)

QUESTION: Your Center for Migrant Advocacy is inspiring as it focuses on the many facets of the plight of our OFWs. Do you envision a future where no family will ever need to be separated because of the necessary search for greener pastures outside of the Philippines?

ANSWER: I consider myself very lucky because I have hardworking OFW parents but I wasn’t left behind. When I started volunteering for the Center for Migrant Advocacy which promotes rights for our OFWs abroad and here, one of their problems was homesickness and also being away from their families. But they do this because they want to put a roof over their head, quality education, and make sure they have a brighter opportunity and future for them. I do hope that we would have more opportunities for them in the Philippines, through capacity-building workshops and also helping them with their mental health. That would help them stay with their families more.

QUESTION: What can we learn from celebrity breakups that expose their private lives to the public?

ANSWER: We all have choices in this life and to be a celebrity is someone to be of power and to have power as someone who has authority but it doesn’t mean that they are not human. We should always respect people regardless of what they’re going through because you never know what they are going through with their private lives, and I think if we do this we’ll definitely become more collected together and respected for one another.

#22 Cassandra Chan of San Juan City (2nd Princess)

QUESTION: How can we make the community more understanding and more inclusive of our differently-abled children with cerebral palsy and epilepsy?

ANSWER: I think the best thing we can do is talk about it. I feel like we as beauty queens have a platform and a voice and that is something to use for cerebral palsy and epilepsy family awareness group or the CEFASGPH. I actually met them 2 years ago and it’s something great because as you know I am a ballerina and a ballet teacher. I love and enjoy myself on stage and to have the CEFASGPH, just to meet the families, and the children is a very heartwarming thing. I hope to bring awareness to that and to bring light and shed awareness on 1.6 million children with cerebral palsy in the Philippines. I think that is something that I can do here at the Miss World Philippines stage.

QUESTION: Should the people within the LGBTQ+ community have the need to come out of the closet, why or why not?

ANSWER: As someone who has many friends in the LGBTQIA+ community, I know their struggles because I’ve heard their stories. I respect that when they want to come out, it is their choice. I believe that as a straight cis woman, I should respect them, and give them love and kindness. That is what the LGBTQIA+ needs especially at this age. I want to empower them and embrace them with my love and that’s why I’m an exceptionally empowered Filipina.