SHE stands 5’9” barefoot and exudes a certain aura from within her that commands people to look her way. If she happens to look back, her smile could be arresting - all undeniable traits of a true beauty queen.
But the only difference, and also perhaps an advantage, that she has from the beauty queens we commonly know of is that she is a mother of two young girls age eight and two years old.
Many might find it strange for someone already a wife and a mother to still aspire for a beauty title and a crown. Julie Anne A. Arroyo, a professional dentist here in Davao City, has never in her life been in a real beauty pageant before Mrs. Philippines Asia Pacific 2019. She is the sole candidate of Davao City for this pageant.
But this lack of beauty pageant experience does not, in any way, put her on the losing end compared to her 21 other competitors from different parts of the Philippines. As the others might be busy joining pageants when they were younger, Julie Anne's edge is definitely on her active involvement in organizations with significant advocacy such as JCI Philippines Kadayawan where she was the vice president for Internationalism in 2017-2018 and the elected auditor for 2019.
But more than anything, her active volunteer efforts at SFX TRABMOC Disaster and Rescue Group made her even more inspired to win the crown with her utmost advocacy tucked in her sleeves.
Julie Anne advocates not only of general women empowerment but more specifically so to make aware the mothers and all the other women in the household of the safety precautions and first aid procedures that should be done should a calamity strike.
“I am a humble safety awareness practitioner and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) advocate who believes that being aware and knowledgeable in EMS can save more lives and prevent more problems and suffering in the future. Because as they say, knowledge is power and prevention is always better than cure,” she said.
She added it is the mothers and the women who are most of the times left in the houses at the time of calamities. Because of this, they should be fully aware of what to do while waiting for the rescuers or medical assistance to come.
“Calamities, whether man-made or forces of nature, tend to arrive when we least expect it. So many lives of women and children are lost because of lack of safety awareness and preparedness when these forms of calamities strike.
Our stay at home mothers often lose track of what needs to be done at home during these trying and stressful times. Thus, husbands come home to the loss, sometimes of their entire families, during times of calamities,” she said.
With this advocacy, she would have wanted for these mothers and wives to be trained of first aid procedures and other precautionary measures that they should be doing and be aware of. She further said that training should not only be for men.
She first taught this advocacy in her own house particularly to her 8-year old daughter Alyana who, she said, is now very calm and very knowledgeable of what needs to be done in their classroom during an earthquake. She taught her daughter to memorize their home address, her parents' phone number, and to not talk to strangers or to accept food or anything offered by a stranger.
As the only Dabawenya vying for the crown, Julie Anne wishes for support for her fellow Dabawenyos this coming February 3. The coronation night of Mrs. Philippines Asia Pacific will be at International Event Center, Bonifacio Global Center, Taguig. The winners will compete in their respective global counterparts in Singapore.
She has already made it to the Top 7 of the Long Gown competition and Top 3 for the Queen of the Hearts Foundation title. Aside from winning as Mrs. Philippines Asia Pacific, she is also hoping to bring home these two minor awards as well.