Mrs. Asia Pacific Global Avon Morales/ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino queen Avon Morales captured the Mrs. Asia Pacific Global crown in 2019. And after more than three years since her coronation, with her title already relinquished to a new queen, she still continues to serve the people.
“During the time when my mom was waging a brave fight against [colon cancer], I experienced the feeling of being in great need of help and empowerment. I was worried about my mom’s condition and the treatment expenses. Even though I had a good career, cancer treatment would really scratch one’s pocket. So when my mom completed the treatment and got well, it intensified my passion to help the poor communities and to uplift the needy people, as my way of giving back to God,” Morales told the Inquirer after conducting her charity event at the Social Development Center (SDC) in Pasay City on March 4.
It was not her first time celebrating her birthday in the said institution, and the beauty queen said the COVID-19 pandemic brought her there. “I was celebrating my birthdays in my second adopted community, the indigenous people community in Culao, Claveria, Cagayan. The lockdown prevented me from visiting in 2020. That’s when I started to celebrate my succeeding birthdays at [SDC] because it was unsafe to travel far at that time,” she shared.
Aside from the community in Culao, Morales has also adopted Barangay San Martin de Porres in Quezon City, she said. The beauty queen said her work with the SDC is something special because it allowed her to channel her resources to a particular sector—orphans and abandoned children.
Mrs. Asia Pacific Global Avon Morales/ARMIN P. ADINA
She said experiencing joy with her own children made her choose to help the orphans under the center’s care. “I feel bad for children who are abandoned by their parents. And imagining it happen to my children makes me cry and weak,” Morales said.
Before throwing her birthday celebration, the beauty queen contacted SDC to ask what the orphans needed. “The only preparations that I did were buying the things that the orphans need and designing and coordinating the program for that day,” she shared.
Morales hoped she was able to help ease the children’s “loneliness for being away from the love and care of their real parents and families” with her visit. “I wanted them to feel the smiles on their faces and the beats of their hearts, vividly,” she said.
But Morales said she will not wait for her next birthday to embark on another charity mission. “I have been into community service even before joining a pageant and Rotary International, so I will just continue with my advocacy of empowering underprivileged communities, and my passion for ‘information power to empower.’” EDV