Cebu City, Philippines — Promising Cebuana beauty queen Leigh Chanelle Ong wants to highlight the importance of Alternative Learning System (ALS) in the country.
Ong, from Alcoy town, southern Cebu, wants to emphasize this cause in the national stage as she represents Central Visayas in the Miss Teen Philippines 2019 on May 8, 2019, in Manila.
“This (ALS) enables out of school youth and even the adults who want to complete their basic education,” she told Cebu Daily News Digital.
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The 16-year-old beauty queen will start her advocacy in her hometown in Alcoy.
“So I will be going with the ALS mobile teacher, who is a co-teacher of my mother, and join him in conducting home visitations,” she told Cebu Daily News Digital.
The home visitations will identify how many school dropouts and possible enrollees of the program will be.
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“Since I hold no power, I will start in my community and slowly let others know how ALS can help them,” she added.
The program is close to her heart since her grandmother completed that program seven years ago.
A role model to others
Ong is a student from St. Mary’s School of Dalaguete.
Before Miss Teen Philippines 2019, she joined several competitions and bagged
Miss Cebu Province Technolympic 2016 first runner-up and Miss Interhigh Dalaguete 2018.
She likes to become a beauty queen since she wants to become a role model even at a young age.
“I want to show to them that young ladies from the province have a shot at achieving her dreams, in becoming a beauty queen,” Ong said.
How does she define a beauty queen?
For her, a beauty queen does not mean that one should have a pretty face, great body, and a bright mind but also has a good attitude.
“A beauty queen’s true self is seen on how she treats the people around her. A beauty queen inspires others, and encourages them to make a move for good,” she said. /bmjo