Miss World PHL 2017 candidates answer tough questions on national issues

It takes more than confidence to win the Miss World crown — the major international pageant combines beauty with purpose and the women aspiring to win the crown are expected to be knowledgeable about the issues of today.

This Friday on GMA News' News to Go, five candidates from the Miss World Philippines pageant hoping to represent the country on the international stage happily took on the challenge to answer tough questions thrown by Kara David and Howie Severino.

Candidate number 9 Winwyn Marquez went up first and shared her thoughts on trolls and fake news.

The beauty queen has to deal with her fair share of bashers and, as an actress, has to deal with malicious rumors online. For her, the best way to combat trolls is to make sure that the information you are receiving and sharing is verified.

"I think it's better if you really do your own research before you actually believe what you read on social media. You don't really know who handles the account, you don't really know what they say. So the best thing [to do] is you have to be responsible [for] what you read and you just research on your own," Marquez explained.

She added, "Before we tweet it or retweet it, we have to [make sure] that it's correct to avoid creating another fake news."

Candidate number 15 Laura Lehmann, who has a background on sports as a courtside reporter, was asked to give suggestions to help improve the ranking or performance of Filipino athletes in international competitions like the recently concluded SEA Games.

"I think a part of it also has to be preparation because from what I know a lot of the other countries start preparing years before, years prior and I think that's one of the issues with the Philippines," Lehmann said.

"Like for example, with basketball we already got a gold medal, but the team was formed maybe just a month before the SEA Games competition whereas I know for example, the Malaysian team, they've been together for a few years."

Lehmann added that despite the poor performance on the medal tally, the athletes still brought home glory.

"I think [what's important] is that we made the Philippines proud and from what I know the Philippines always has the most fans in every event so nand'on ang lahat ng Pinoy cheering for the teams," the beauty queen asserted.

Meanwhile, candidate number 32 Cynthia Thomalla was asked to use her background on tourism and promote the Philippines despite the alarming headlines that reach foreign shores.

"I think social media is a very powerful tool, so we should promote that the Philippines right now is still safe and it's still clean and I encourage the tourists to come here and enjoy the Philippines, because it's not just the tourist destinations, but the Filipinos [themselves]," Thomalla shared.

Candidate number 33 Noelle Uy-Tuazon, a forensic anthropologist, was also asked for her opinion on the grave topics that make the headlines, specifically the war on drugs and extrajudicial killings.

The beauty queen placed an emphasis on respecting the law to help authorities perform their duties and avoid untoward incidents.

"I really am saddened to hear 'yong news about these killings and the drugs and for me, I think the best thing to do right now is we have to be law abiding citizens and respects the rules and laws so we can avoid na lang these instances, you know?" Uy-Tuazon said.

She added, "We can't control everything and the administration and our political leaders...they're trying to do their best and it's up to us na lang to follow the rules and be law-abiding citizens."

Concluding the session was Candidate number 14 Christina Coloma, who was asked for her opinion on the 4-day work week proposal from her perspective as a marketing and entertainment manager.

The beauty queen was in favor of the implementation of the compressed work week as it affords employees more personal time.

"I think it's actually nice because people also need work-life balance, so if they compress the 48 hours into 4 [days], I think it encourages productivity and at the same time they can still enjoy their personal time, because their weekends will get longer, they get to spend more time with their family and friends, and to do more personal things that make them happy as well aside from working and working and nabuburnout sila," Coloma said.

Aside from the Miss World Philippines title, three more titles will be awarded on coronation night: Miss ECO Philippines, Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas, and Miss Multinational.

The Miss World Philippines 2017 coronation night will be held on September 3 at the Mall of Asia Arena and will be telecast on GMA Network on the same night. — AT/KVD, GMA News