EU lauds Catriona Gray for HIV/AIDS awareness advocacy

MANILA, Philippines — The European Union (EU) delegation to the Philippines praised newly crowned Miss Universe Catriona Gray for advocating children’s welfare and HIV/AIDS awareness.

“The delegation also commends Catriona Gray’s advocacy in providing access to education for underprivileged children,” it said in a Facebook post #EmpowerChange #MissUniverse #EUPhilippines. “Children deserve the chance to be children. Let’s help give them a brighter beginning.”

The delegation congratulated Gray for winning the Miss Universe crown on Monday. She is the Philippines’ fourth Miss Universe.

“The EU delegation wishes to congratulate Catriona Gray and all proud Filipinos for having won the Miss Universe 2018 crown,” the delegation said.

The Bicolana beauty’s personal advocacy, “Paraiso: The Bright Beginnings” project, aims to help build a preschool for poor children in Tondo, Manila.

Gray also works with Young Focus, a non-governmental organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

An alliance of children’s organizations in the Philippines urged Gray to continue to fight for childrens’ rights.

“We commend her effort in giving the world a glimpse of the heart-wrenching condition of Filipino children who, together with their families, suffer daily from the social realities of poverty, hunger, homelessness, abuses and violence,” Eule Rico Bonganay, secretary general of Salinlahi, said.

Bonganay was referring to Gray’s answer to the final question during the competition on Monday in Bangkok, Thailand, where she cited her experience working in the slums of Tondo. 

The Filipino-Australian model and singer said her experience in Tondo has taught her to “look in the beauty of the children” and be grateful.

Bonganay also agreed with Gray’s opening statement that it was a lack of child support, not poverty, that killed their dreams. 

“This situation has been further aggravated by the lack of child support primarily from the government, which fails to do its mandate in upholding and protecting the rights of children and implementing programs that place them in a vulnerable situation and incomparable misery,” he said.

“We cannot but agree that despite this, there’s still a silver lining. We see hope in the eyes of children and it gives us so much strength and courage to aspire and work for a better world where every child is respected and cared for,” he added.

Bonganay said they are willing to provide the 24-year-old beauty queen children’s work orientation, which would allow her to have a deeper understanding on the situation of Filipino children and their marginalized families and help her in formulating programs for them.  – With Helen Flores, Janvic Mateo, Rhodina Villanueva