"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."
This is the belief of beauty queen-actress Winwyn Marquez after she has proven that no pandemic could stop her from giving back during the holidays.
Despite the difficulties, Marquez was among those who realized that 2020 was not only a period of "uncertainties" but also a season for "creativity and new possibilities."
Marquez shared that even though travel is restricted and her schedule is filled with locked-in taping duties, her opportunities to help as a reservist were not hampered by those limitations.
Through the Marine Battalion Landing Team-6 (MBLT-6), she was able to impart to her brothers and sisters in Tawi-Tawi the spirit of Christmas by giving them food, slippers, toys, and a brand new playground.
"Cupcakes, sopas, slippers, toys, and candies may only be small things that we usually take for granted in our daily lives but for the children in Tawi-Tawi, who barely receive assistance and attention during this Christmas season, such treats are already godsend," she said.
Marquez thanked MBLT-6 Sgt. Sarmiento, Sgt. Portillo, MSgt. Sotto, other co-donors and co-reservists from the 73rd Marine Battalion (73MBn) for allowing her to contribute to the welfare and happiness of the children of Brgy. Parang Pantay, Languyan, Tawi-Tawi. "Before the year ends, try to be someone's sunshine (heart emoji)."
In August, the daughter of showbiz veterans Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno traded high heels for boots as she took Basic Citizen Military Training (BCMT) to become a Philippine Navy reservist. Last month, the licensed teacher became a top cadet as she graduated in BCMT.
Winwyn made history when she won the Reina Hispanoamericana competition in 2017. She's the first Filipino and first Asian to the pageant that's usually reserved for Latinas.