(Eagle News) – Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray paid separate courtesy calls to the Office of the Vice President, the Senate office, and the Department of Tourism on Tuesday, February 26, as she vowed to continue to represent and promote the Philippines to the world to the best of her abilities.
Gray first visited Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday morning. Robredo thanked the Filipina-Australian beauty for making the Philippines proud with her achievements.
“We want to thank you for giving us this honor. And we want to thank you for giving us this opportunity to thank you in person, for making us proud to be Filipinos. For giving us a reason to be united again,” Robredo said.
-Giving back to the PHL-
Gray said that she was happy to always give back to the Philippine community in any way she could.
“For me, I use the facet of fashion and my advocacy. And if you just look at your life and your community and assess and see a place that you can—‘Yeah, I can give back in this small way,’ it matters,” she said.
“Sometimes we look at things and say: ‘That’s such a small thing that I could do, and it may not make much of a change.’ But enough small changes, enough small acts of goodwill and good things can make a big difference when put all together,” she explained.
“I would dedicate this year to a purposeful service and giving back to our country,” Gray stressed.
Robredo, a Bicolana like Gray, presented to her a “Catriona robot,” which was created to look like Gray wearing her famous lava gown during the Miss Universe pageant. The robot was created by students of the Dr. Yanga Colleges Foundation, who recently won a robotics Olympiad.
– Senate resolution for Gray-
At the Senate, Gray was presented with a resolution honoring and recognizing her achievement in representing the Philippines at the Miss Universe pageant. The resolution said that Gray brought honor and glory to all Filipinos.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III read the resolution which he presented to Catriona, together with Senators Nancy Binay and Sen. Gringo Honasan.
“It gives me great joy to see the joy that I brought to our nation,” Gray said.
“I ask for your continued support in empowering young Filipinos just like me to be able to give back to their community in their own facets, in their own ways,” she added.
After her visit to the Senate, Gray also visited the Department of Tourism where she was likewise honored for bringing glory to the country.
