Maxine Medina talks about her advocacy. She says that she also wants to inspire little girls everywhere to dream big.
Posted by YES! Magazine on Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Hours after the video was posted on Yes Magazine’s Facebook page, netizens proposed that Medina should use the local Filipino (Tagalog) language for the Question and Answer portion of the pageant.
Through this, people believe that she can express herself better and hopefully, will be able to get a back-to-back win for the Philippines.
Medina seemed to have carefully listened while Gumatay was getting to her question.
“So, how would you want to take advantage of the popularity that you are having right now in order to promote something that can positively impact the society,” she asked.
Wearing a big, elegant smile, Medina started answering with confidence.
Maxine Medina's verbatim response:
“Ahmm, I want… cause my advocay is about the youth who has HIV, specifically the youth. Cause nowadays, I would… I would like to feel them the help, the hope to, you know, give them access to education, give them the life that they should, you know. Uhm, there’s this something in me that I really wanted to do also is to.. I’m sure that there, there’s out there.. There out there little chil–child, a girl, who is just like me. A simple girl who, who don’t know that she can be, she can be a beauty queen. And that is one of my advocacy is that I can empower people, especially the women.”
On her send-off party for the Miss Universe pageant, Maxine Medina’s Q&A skills have been tested.
Joy Gumatay from PTV had a chance to ask Maxine Medina, Philippines’ representative to the 65th Miss Universe, a question about her advocacy and how she would use her popularity to promote it.
Gumatay introduced herself and started asking by referring to the current Miss Universe crown holder, Pia Wurtzbach’s advocacy and said, “So we know that Ms. Pia Wurtzbachis advocating about HIV awareness and she is using that kind of popularity in order to make a lasting impact to the community, especially of those who have HIV infection.”
Meanwhile, Medina’s language coach, Mark Abalos, defended her on an Instagram post.
“Please stop comparing her communication skills to previous representatives and candidates. We are second language speakers of English. Errors are normal. Even first language speakers of English commit mistakes, too,” said Abalos.