Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 8) — Miss International 2023 3rd runner-up Nicole Borromeo said she will “absolutely” continue her volunteer work at the Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization focused on giving Filipino families a decent home.
The 22-year-old interior design student from Cebu told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word on Tuesday that the children she met during her community work inspired her final answer at the global pageant held last month in Tokyo, Japan.
During the question and answer round, she was asked: \”What have you done so far in terms of The Sustainable Development Goals initiatives?\”
\”As someone who experienced the wrath of natural disasters, home is everything. I’ve worked tirelessly with Habitat for Humanity under the SDG goals of number 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities,\” the Cebuana beauty queen answered.
\”It is through this volunteer work that I could see in the faces of the children how much they wanted to help, how much they wanted to be a part of the future. Because when it comes to sustainability, we must keep in mind that it’s not only for the next generation but to include them in the process,\” she added.
This was the first time that the Miss International held a question and answer portion, instead of the usual prepared speech from the candidates. Borromeo said they were only advised about the Q&A a few days before the pageant kicked off.
\”It is so great because after that Q&A, I got messages from people asking where they can volunteer or help out,\” she said. \”It is so heartwarming to see the people are listening and they want to make a difference.\”
Borromeo added that she’s currently designing one of the schools for the organization’s upcoming project.
