Mrs. Asia Pacific Global Avon Morales/ARMIN P. ADINA
NOON pang 2019 nasungkit ni Avon Morales ang korona bilang Mrs. Asia Pacific Global, ang una para sa Pilipinas. At mahigit tatlong taon mula nang makoronahan, at maisalin na ang titulo sa tagapagmana niya, ipinagpapatuloy pa rin niya ang paglilingkod sa tao.
“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,” sinabi ni Morales sa Inquirer pagkatapos ng charity event niya sa Social Development Center (SDC) sa Pasay City noong Marso 4.
Hindi ito ang unang pagkakataon na nagdiwang siya ng kaarawan sa naturang institusyon, at sinabi ng beauty queen na ang COVID-19 pandemic ang nagdala sa kanya doon. “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,” ibinahagi niya.
Maliban sa pamayanan sa Culao, sinabi ni Morales na tinutulungan din niya ang Barangay San Martin de Porres sa Quezon City. Sinabi naman ng beauty queen na natatangi ang pakikipag-ugnayan niya sa SDC sapagkat nabigyan siya ng pagkakataong maituon ang kakayahan niya sa isang partikular na sektor—ang mga batang ulila at iniwanan.
Sinabi niyang napili niyang tulungan ang mga ulila sa pangangalaga ng SDC dahil nakararanas siya ng galak sa piling ng sariling mga anak. “I feel bad for children who are abandoned by their parents. And imagining it happen to my children makes me cry and weak,” ani Morales.
Bago magdiwang ng kaarawan doon, tinawagan muna niya ang SDC upang alamin kung ano ang kailangan ng mga bata. “The only preparations that I did were buying the things that the orphans need and designing and coordinating the program for that day,” ibinahagi niya.
Umaasa si Morales na napagaan niya ang nararamdamang panlulumbay ng mga bata “for being away from the love and care of their real parents and families” sa pamamagitan ng pagdalaw niya. “I wanted them to feel the smiles on their faces and the beats of their hearts, vividly,” aniya.
Ngunti hindi na hihintayin pa ni Morales ang susunod niyang kaarawan bago muling makatulong. “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,’” aniya.