MANILA, Philippines — In the hopes of “improving” their race, many Filipinos seek to marry an “afam” or a foreigner.
But for Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, being half-Filipino and half-German is not all sunshine and roses.
When Pia ventured into pageantry, she encountered “sayang” statements because she was a half-breed.
“Nu’ng pageant naman, ang sabi nila, ‘Sayang, maganda sana kaso tisay! Tapos Wurtzbach pa ‘yung apelyido, Pilipino ba talaga ‘yan?” she shared at her manifesto for the recent “Sayang? No, I’m worth it” campaign launch of international beauty brand L’Oreal Paris in Intramuros, Manila.
“Sumali, natalo. Sumali na naman. Natalo na naman. Nu’ng pangatlong sali, sabi, ‘Naku, ayan na naman s’ya, ‘di pa ba s’ya napapagod? Maganda sana kaya lang, tumaba na s’ya ngayon. Tsaka ‘di naman talaga s’ya pure Pinay. Ikaw ba talaga ang ipapadala natin sa Miss Universe?”
While Pia was found to be “too tall” when she joined Binibining Pilipinas, she was found to be “short” when she was about to compete for Miss Universe.
“Sabi nila sayang kasi maliit daw ako. Tapos, laki daw nito (pointing at her bosoms), ‘di raw ako bagay maging beauty queen. Pang-artista lang daw ako,” she shared, earning some laughs from the audience.
When Pia married Scottish-Colombian travel and social media entrepreneur Jeremy Jauncey and they decided not to have a baby right away, the actress-beauty queen encountered a new set of “sayang” comments.
“Nu’ng kinasal naman ako, ‘Naku, kailan ka ba magkakaanak? Sayang ang lahi! Your biological clock is ticking,” Pia shared one comment.
Jeremy is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Instagram and Snapchat travel and lifestyle community Beautiful Destinations and as such, he and Pia are always on the go.
“Lagi kaming nag-tra-travel ni Jeremy so obviously, lagi kaming magkahiwalay, hindi kami magkasama,” Pia hinted at why she and Jeremy have not found time yet to have a child.
“Sa mga mata ng mga tao, ang mga babaeng nag-aasawa na, dapat nasa bahay na lang, lay low na sa career, slow down ka na. Tsaka asikasuhin mo ‘yung asawa mo. Sayang,” she narrated.
In a sit-down interview with Philstar.com and other select press after the program, Pia revealed that after her immediate goals such as her advocacies and her new venture as an international fashion influencer, she and Jeremy would start growing their family, but she would still see herself shuttling between Manila and Dubai, where Jeremy’s business is based.
“When you're young, you care too much about what other people think,” said Pia at her speech.
“If there's anything people should probably know about me by now, is that the more you tell me ‘No,’ the more I'm going to try to prove you wrong. Don't tell me I can't do something because that is the sure way for me to try to make it happen. Nothing fuels me more than negativity - bashers, naysayers, people who diminish my efforts and my worth, people who diminish my worth,” she said to critics, including those who bash her for not having a child yet.
Pia, together with fellow actress and brand ambassador Iza Calzado-Wintle, are part of L’Oreal Paris’ new Philippine campaign “Sayang? No, I’m worth it,” which aims to serve as a wake-up call for anyone who still refuses to recognize that all types of women are worth it, no matter their choices and aspirations in life — turning every “Sayang ka..” into “Sayang? No, I’m worth it.” — Videos by Deni Bernardo; additional video editing by Martin Ramos, Anjilica Andaya