As promised, Michelle Dee shares Miss Universe prize with autism NGO

Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee (second from right) and Miss Universe Philippines President Jonas Gaffud (second from left) wave to the cameras together with the wards of Autism Society Philippines. /ARMIN P. ADINA

When Michelle Dee emerged as one of the three “gold finalists” in the “Voice for Change” initiative in last year’s Miss Universe pageant, she stood to collect $12,000 (or roughly P664,000 in current exchange) as prize. After almost a year of waiting, she was finally able to share the amount with Autism Society Philippines (ASP), the group she has lent her support to even before she embarked on her Miss Universe Philippines journey.

To mark the momentous occasion, Dee graced a painting activity among those in the autism spectrum hosted by ASP at Alta Roca in Antipolo City on Saturday, Sept. 21. There, she proudly showed a mock check representing her “Voice for Change” prize amounting to P684,000 (the prize already converted to Philippine Peso).

“I’m just happy that, because we won the award, I was really, really excited to be able to present this. I know how many projects that this can help. I know how many kids and lives and families this can also assist in whatever they need,” she told INQUIRER.net at the sidelines of the event.

For Dee, seeing the actual amount credited was fulfilling. “It was definitely the part of the competition that I work the hardest for. Of course, I had to prepare the full 360, but my advocacy has been my core, my purpose, since my first pageant. And for us to receive a tangible amount, to be able to just set things in motion and to help over 100 chapters around the Philippines, that can go a long way,” she shared.

“We do have a lot of projects. We have a lot of chapters around the Philippines. We’re the biggest in Southeast Asia. So any help goes a long way. But for me, it’s something I’ve been championing for all my life. So to be able to give something back other than my platform, it’s very tangible. We can start the work ASAP, and that’s just very fulfilling,” Dee continued.

The amount will be distributed to ASP’s different projects, which “do not come cheap,” she shared. Dee emphasized that ASP solely relies on grants and donations to be able to provide support to Filipinos in the spectrum. “A lot of the things that I want changed is in the laws. I want proper healthcare for individuals with disabilities or on the spectrum. I want proper educational systems. I want more awareness. That is something that the government is still working on. But the more people that ask the right questions, the more solutions we can have. So it’s one correct step forward to getting that progress and that objective,” she declared.

Mona Magno-Veluz, ASP’s national spokesperson, and the country manager of ASP Autism Works, imparted how Dee’s participation affected the cause.

“This interest in autism advocacy has, in fact, made an impact with Congress. We just sat with Congress in a Technical Working Committee to put forward the National Autism Care Plan Bill, and it may have been not directly by Michelle, but Michelle has helped push awareness of autism into the mainstream. And that, I think, is a major part of why we are having those conversations in Congress,” said Veluz, who is also known in social media as “Mighty Magulang.”

Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee (right) is joined by Mona Magno-Veluz, ASP national spokesperson and ASP Autism Works country manager./ARMIN P. ADINA

“I feel that the graciousness, the generosity, that Michelle has shown us has really ignited the fire with the community. So, myself and the entire community wish her well in whatever she does, whether it is within the confines of this advocacy, and beyond your career, wherever it takes you, we hope you are going to be as successful as we want you be,” Veluz continued.

For Dee, what made the recognition even more special was that they were up against other countries. “We can all admit that the advocacy around autism isn’t one of the mainstream advocacies that you see every day. So the fact that we were able to win, and to bring home the prize, says a lot also about the willingness of the rest of the world to accept, and to understand. So, I think it’s just making sure that we make the right steps forward towards progress. And that’s all we can really hope to do, do our part, walk the talk, and hope that the rest follow our example,” she said.

ASP is such a valuable organization for Dee, that she chose to drop by the event to share her prize hours before she was set to fly to France for the Paris Fashion Week, that she is set to cover as a correspondent for Vogue Philippines. She is also scheduled for a trip to Los Angeles, California, in the United States to explore possible work opportunities after she walked for the recent New York Fashion Week.