Team Cebu of Mister International PH 2023  share their advocacies

CEBU, Philippines —  With the June 28 finals of Mister International Philippines 2023 fast approaching, a send-off ceremony for the Cebu delegates was held June 10 at the City Wing of SM Seaside City where John Nelson Duallo (Lapu-Lapu City), Michael Jhaye Jordan (Mandaue City), Ashley Judd Reyes (Bantayan Island) and Nathaniel Tiu (Cebu City) walked the runway in designs by Mister International Philippines Regional Director of Visayas Lemuel Rosos.

During the program’s Q&A segment, the quartet talked about their advocacies and how they plan to enforce them should they win any of the eight titles at stake.

As a Mining Engineering professor at St. Paul University in Surigao City, Tiu wants to see improvement in education rights for students and teachers. He uses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as the foundation of his cause.

“As an educator and an ambassador for Seed4Com which shares the same values as I do, we visited some schools in Cordova and I witnessed the problems and challenges that our teachers and students are facing which are caused by the lack of government support,” explained Tiu.

“We need to provide our teachers with quality instructional materials and better learning resources for students. If we do this, we can improve the quality of education in our country, which will give every child a fair shot at success in this economy.”

Seed4Com promotes renewable energy solutions to marginalized communities and quality education as part of sustainable development.

“If I were to win, I would use my influence to gain funds [for Seed4Com] so that we can help more,” he added. “I can also widen my scope beyond Cebu.”

For Jordan, being an Entrepreneurship student, as well as owner of Plant Corner 88 and Steer&Stir Café made him an advocate for employment sustainability.

“I have first-hand experience in knowing how hard it is to boost your career in the Philippines even with the privileges I have. Employment sustainability is focused on giving equal opportunities for all. We should at least trim the gap between the poor and the rich because that’s one of the underlying problems in the country,” he said.

“My focus is to give job opportunities to financially struggling students. I had four employees who are senior high school graduates who can’t afford to go to college and I can see the potential in them.”

If he wins, he will propose business gatherings and creating content such as podcasts and partnerships with social media influencers that teaches the underprivileged to increase their worth for employment.

Citing his experience when he hospitalized for pneumonia, Duallo is pushing for health and wellness. “MIPH is a platform for me to encourage children, the youth, and everybody to engage in different activities that can help their health physically, emotionally and mentally. If I were to win, I will use my reign to put up sports clinics for the youth and mental health centers.”

As a Bantayan Island native, Reyes is pushing for sustainable tourism. “We should go to destinations in the Philippines as responsible tourists. I want to share the beauty of the different islands so that more tourists would come, which means more job opportunities for the locals,” the aspiring lawyer said.

“I would implement my advocacy by putting up signs reminding people that we need to be responsible for our trash, be clean, and be respectful when we go to tourist spots. It ultimately starts with yourself so being disciplined will not just help you, it will also help others.”