What’s the secret to being grounded? Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach said it’s all about looking back at her journey as a beauty queen.
“Well, it’s nice to be back home. It reminds me of everything that I had to go through to win Miss Universe,” she told reporters after her courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang on Tuesday.
“Seeing where I used to live, seeing my trainers, seeing Binibining Pilipinas, seeing the Philippines, it just reminds me of the journey, the steps I took towards getting here. And I think that in itself is very humbling already,” she said.
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Wurtzbach, who will be in the Philippines for a week, said she did her best to focus on other people.
“And I talked to everybody, I asked them how they are doing,” she said.
“I tried not to make it all about me, just about me but I want to get involved with other people as well and talked to them and communicate with them because information keeps going out but no information is coming in. So that’s how I do it,” Wurtzbach explained.
Filipinos welcomed the new Miss Universe with a homecoming parade on Monday. There will be a homecoming special for her at the Araneta Coliseum on Thursday.
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HIV/AIDS awareness
Asked about how the youth should avoid being infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), the beauty queen said, “Educate yourself about it.”
“I think a lot of people think or most of the youth think that you can only acquire this disease if you are in sexual contact – with sexual contact – but you can also get this from drug use, from sharing needles, things like these. And I don’t think a lot of people know this. So, rampant drug use is also one cause,” she explained.
Wurtzbach chose HIV/AIDS awareness as one of her personal advocacies. She volunteered to have herself tested to promote the cause.
“The youth should be aware that it’s very easy to have yourself tested. It’s just a cotton swab actually,” she said.
“I myself, [am] going to be tested in New York when I go back; and hopefully when I do this, other people will follow suit when they see how easy it is to do and then right away you will find out the result; and there you go, you have your peace of mind or if you find out that you actually have the disease then you can take the proper steps into taking care of yourself,” she added.
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During the pageant, Wurtzbach said she would use her position as Miss Universe to promote certain causes including HIV/AIDS awareness. CDG
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