Our Miss PLDT Home reveals her ultimate source of inspiration
Soon to strut across the 70th Miss Universe stage in Eliat, Israel, Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez carries with her the usual pressure that comes with representing a pageant-crazy nation like ours.
“The duty of being a beauty queen — especially as Miss Universe — holds a depth of responsibility that involves not only my own well-being and how I utilize my platform to establish an image. It’s also about using the influence to foster change and improve the lives of others,” Bea told Manila Bulletin in an exclusive interview, right before she flew to join 79 other young beauties at the international pageant.
While Miss Universe alone already overwhelms any young beauty queen, our 26-year- old bet from Cebu vows to stay cool and collected as she takes on the biggest competition of her life. Her unconventional upbringing only toughened her up to be the strong queen the country needs her to be in this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Beauty in brokenness
Bea was only five years old when her parents separated, with her mom pulling out all the stops to raise her and her older sister.
“My Mama is my biggest inspiration growing up. She raised me and my sister by herself. I’ve seen her struggle so many times, but she never gave up and continued to strive harder to give us the support that we needed to get us where we are today,” she opened up.
In her teens, Bea, then an aspiring athlete, writer, and lawyer, modeled to help support herself. It came to a point, however, when she stopped school to pursue a career in government work. Entwined with her work, Bea tried her luck in pageants — winning Miss Mandaue second runner-up in 2015 and then Binibining Cebu in 2019.
Call it fate, but her experience in pageantry and local politics led her to a new passion: Social work. Bea, someone who’s worked hard for her dreams throughout her youth, would find child empowerment as her core advocacy. She knew she had to lend her voice to the voiceless, a role now felt more than ever as she’s also an openly queer beauty queen passionately representing the Filipino LGBTQIA+ community on the international stage.
“I am the youngest member of the family, but whenever we encounter problems at home, I am the one who makes sure that we resolve the challenges that we go through. Being raised by a single mother taught me how to take responsibility for every action and decision that I make. My mom taught me and my sister to be independent and self-sufficient at a very young age,” she said.
“I learned early on that nothing comes easy in life, every dream has a price tag in terms of effort. If you’re willing to do the hard work, you shall have your reward. But more than just coming prepared, life is also about believing in what you’re fighting for and believing that you’ll find the strength you need each time you meet your challenges head on.”
Paying it forward
Bea revealed having never felt more empowered and alive than when she’s doing social work. As a community development worker and a Navy Marines’ reservist, her main advocacy especially concerns kids who are victims of armed conflict and those who fell in conflict with the law. In support of children affected by armed conflict in Negros, for example, she participated in a 42km fun run.
“My participation in the Philippine Navy Marines Reserve taught me a lot of lessons especially what it means to truly love and be loyal to your country and that is to be of service to the people around you, especially the most vulnerable ones. To realize my purpose in joining the reserve force made every challenging training worthwhile,” she said.
Inspired by her mother who has supported her passions including sports growing up, Bea co-founded BEyouthfulPH — a non-government organization that aims to raise funds for the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents through sports clinics.
“I was inspired to start Project BeYOUTHful when I began working with the vulnerable children from different provinces in my hometown. I began advocating to help children in conflict with the law because I realized that I can share the knowledge and skills that I’ve learned at a young age, such as engaging in sports that gave me the chance to be a student-athlete in a prestigious university and learning how to manage my finances to be independent,” she shared.
“These kids can do so much more to improve their lives and get themselves out of their circumstance if only they are given the proper guidance and the right opportunities.”
The strong queen within
Since becoming both Miss Universe Philippines and Miss PLDT Home, Bea has seen her platform grow as she further fights for her advocacies.
“In the digital age, PLDT Home has helped me in so many ways, especially in connecting to people from the comfort of my own home. It has allowed me to fulfill my daily tasks and push through with my advocacies more conveniently through its fast, strong, and reliable internet connection,” she said.
After Miss Universe, Bea plans to further step up her advocacies through online means and meet with like-minded advocates who could help her conduct bigger community projects. Backed by PLDT Home's ultra-fast connectivity, she beams with giddiness for what’s to come as she pushes through with her causes.
“My wish this Christmas is for the children in conflict with the law to get to celebrate the holidays with their families and for them to be better and empowered members of the society. Even if I won’t be around to do something for them for the duration of the competition, I would love to continue involving myself in activities that would benefit them,” she said.
“With strong and reliable connections courtesy of the country's leading internet service provider in PLDT Home, it has become easier for social workers like me to get through to more people. I look forward to coming back home and reaching out to more people who are willing to help me further my community development work. Nothing feels like winning than working together to help!”
A beauty queen on a mission to open more doors for the less fortunate — that’s our Bea Gomez, making proud Pinoys of us all.