Bb. Pilipinas queens remind Filipinos: ‘Look back on our past’

Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Gabrielle Camille Basiano, Bb. Pilipinas Globe Chelsea Fernandez and Bb. Pilipinas second runner-up Stacey Daniela Gabriel. Image: Philippine Daily Inquirer/Armin P. Adina

ANGELES CITY, Pampanga — As the country marks National Heroes Day today, some of the “trending” beauties of the 2022 Binibining Pilipinas pageant weighed in on the significance of celebrating the occasion.

Bb. Pilipinas second runner-up Stacey Daniela Gabriel cited how “immensely important” it is for the Philippines to celebrate National Heroes Day in an interview with the Inquirer.

“It informs us of our identity, and what it took, and who it took to get us exactly where we are today. Just like Jose Rizal, the namesake of my province, who fought [for] and championed human rights, we must follow suit, and do what we can and use our voices to create a ripple effect of change throughout the country,” said the delegate from Cainta, Rizal, who trended online with her impressive retort to an interesting question thrown at her during the pageant’s final round.

Actor Joshua Garcia asked his fellow thespian how she personally distinguishes a historian from a “Marites” (rumormonger).

“A historian is one who recognizes our painful past with factual evidence, looking back at our rich, vibrant history, as well as the times when our humanity was trampled on and our heritage was almost erased,” responded Gabriel.

“If we look at our past, we can surely move onward and upward and rebuild, rise from this pandemic, and dream [of] a safer, healthier, and happier Philippines,” she continued.

For her part, Bb. Pilipinas Globe Chelsea Fernandez said, “our current independence is a legacy from our past. And for me, celebrating National Heroes Day is still significant as we honor and remember our unsung heroes who fought for our country.”

She, too, got a question related to history from one of the pageant’s judges.

CNN Philippines senior anchor Rico Hizon asked her about the importance of looking back at history and learning more about the personalities [and] about the past, which stemmed from an incident at a reality show where a quiz segment revealed that many young Filipinos are not familiar with our own national heroes.

The mass communication graduate from Tacloban City responded: “I believe that it is really important and we should not disregard our history. It is part of our culture, it is part of our past, and it is part of who we are today as Filipinos.”

For Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Garbielle Camille Basiano, celebrating National Heroes Day is still important “to show to people that there is still kindness, and in order for us to know ourselves more, to know more about our history, and the sacrifices of the people that made a huge impact in our society today.”

The returning candidate from Borongan, Eastern Samar, also made the rounds on social media with her impressive response to reelected Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ question about fake news and dealing with negative comments and criticisms online.

“I am not complaining because people are entitled [to] their own opinion. I will always remind women that we are strong, independent and courageous because these are the traits that are very critical to the complicated roles that us women play in today’s society,” responded Basiano.

Gabriel, meanwhile, appealed to Filipinos to “inspire, as well us educate each other on the significance of celebrating our past and everybody who paved the way for us to have a loving and free and compassionate Philippines.”

She added: “We still have a long way to go. But if we recognize our past and those who gave up their lives for our country, we can then be informed on how to better move onward and upward in our future.”

For her part, Fernandez reminded Filipinos not to overlook the heroes’ sacrifices, “because the past taught us to face any adversity that comes our way. Celebrating National Heroes Day reminds us of the qualities of Filipinos that we embody always—to be committed, dedicated and strong.” JB

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