Ronnie Liang and Jasmine Omay—PHOTOS BY EUGENE ARANETA/INQUIRER
At least, I became part of this change in their lives,” said singer-actor Ronnie Liang, who created Project Ngiti Foundation in 2022 with the aim of providing medical assistance to children with cleft lip and palate.
The foundation’s name is inspired by Ronnie’s hit song, “Ngiti.”
“In 2021, I celebrated my birthday by shouldering the surgery of one child. Nabitin ako. Before this, I didn’t know that there were still a lot of kids with this condition. When we called for registration, over 1,000 patients signed up. That’s when I decided to form the Ronnie Liang Project Ngiti Foundation Inc.,” the singer told Inquirer Entertainment in an interview after he participated in a recent Inquirer Read-Along session.
READ: Ronnie Liang’s advocacy brings smiles to kids with cleft lip, palate
Ronnie said the foundation is currently under probationary status and that they are simply awaiting the go-signal from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to be able to issue certificates to would-be donors. “This way, we can help more patients,” he added. Only recently, the foundation funded surgeries performed at the Marikina General Hospital and the San Fernandino Hospital in Pampanga.
From all over the country
“We also have patients all the way from Pangasinan, Tarlac, and some municipalities of Rizal. Some were from Visayas and Mindanao, too. In the future, they won’t need to travel all the way to Luzon. We could just contact a hospital close to them and pay for their expenses, or we could gather 10 patients, for example, and bring a surgeon to them.”
Ronnie explained that an operation costs an average of P80,000 per child. “Recently, we tied up with the NGO Smile Train Philippines so that we could accommodate more patients,” he said.
He said “Ngiti” made things possible for him, and so he wanted to pay it forward. “I achieved so much because of this song. I was able to do a world tour, a concert, and a lot of shows. I intend to use my talent and this achievement—people still recognize me because of the song—to be able to help others.
“I know I will not be an artista for a long time. I also imagine that it’s hard for these babies to eat properly with their condition, that they would get bullied in school when they grow up. It’s enough for me to know that, at least, I became part of this change in their lives,” he pointed out.
Ronnie is also a licensed private pilot, something he said he was also able to achieve because of the song. “This has always been my dream, and I was able to save up for it. I’m only around 60 hours away from getting my commercial license. In God’s perfect time, I will be part of this industry, too,” he declared.
Education advocacy
Like Ronnie, 2024 Miss World Philippines First Princess Jasmine Omay is also actively involved in a foundation called Bahay na Papel, an education advocacy project that helps indigenous communities in her home province of Tarlac.
“Sadly, there are areas that still need organizations like ours to help them build schools, secure teachers, and help them, at least, with their means of traveling. We’ve been giving them books to help them realize that they can’t just be farmers forever … that they can also dream of doing other things. Some of them don’t know what dreams are,” she began.
“I also feel like with everything that I have in life, and all that I’ve experienced, I definitely need to give back. I want these kids to know that, like me, they still have so much that they can do,” she said.
More than acting, Jasmine said she hopes to improve as an events host. “I enjoy speaking to people so much, even though I graduated with a business management degree in college. Wanting to become a host was only something that I figured out during pageantry. Now, I’m hosting private, corporate and even political events. I’m also a draw host of the PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office),” she said.
Her advice to young girls wanting to join the pageant industry? “The beauty standards now are super high compared to when I first joined in 2018. You just have to find the time and resources if you really want to do pageantry.
Just be prepared and make sure that you really want it.” INQ