Beatrice Luigi Gomez with her mother and sister (Image: Instagram/@beatriceluigigmz)
Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez has shared how her family in Cebu celebrated the Christmas holidays after super typhoon Odette hit the area last Dec. 16.
Gomez recounted a “valuable lesson” she gained amid the recent calamity, as she tells how her mother and sister welcomed Christmas with fastfood takeout meals, as seen on her Instagram page today, Dec. 25.
“In a phone call last night Mama and ate shared to me that they chose to settle for a simple meal, having only fast food takeouts for dinner since there’s still no water supply and electricity back home,” she said.
“Yet Mama reminded me of a valuable lesson as we celebrate a unique Christmas this year, that surviving the typhoon with my sister, our dogs Chabie and Choco, including all her beloved colony of stray cats was reason enough to be grateful,” Gomez added.
The Cebuano beauty queen, who will be back to her hometown in a few days, then expressed her gratitude to those who extended their help to super typhoon Odette victims. She also stressed how being with one’s family overcomes adversities.
“When adversities arise and you lose all the material things you have, being healthy and being with your family is all that truly matters. The only way to overcome each of life’s challenge is to thank God and to never stop counting your blessings,” she said. “Thank you to everyone who shared their blessings to the victims of typhoon Odette. Merry Christmas!”
Gomez’s family was among the victims of super typhoon Odette, which hit Cebu after its first landfall on Siargao island last Dec. 16. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the death toll has risen to 367, while 659 people were injured and 51 are still missing as of this writing. /ra
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