2014 l MISTERS OF THE PHILIPPINES l Final 07/09

Interview with Nicko Dela Cruz

Why did you join Misters of the Philippines?
When I was a kid I remember that my mom told me if there’s an opportunity “Don’t hesitate and grab it”. Misters of the Philippines serves as a once in a lifetime opportunity. Just like my mom told me, no doubts and no hesitation. I entered this competition completely willing and dedicated. One more thing in joining this competition is to give honor and pride to the Filipino community. Misters of the Philippines is a way for me to proudly represent what and who the true Filipinos are. I want to show that I am grateful that I have been given the chance to represent and to give honor and pride to our country. Bringing the Filipino traits, I will do my best to win this pageant.

What is the importance of pageants like Misters of the Philippines in our country today?
Simple! Pageants are way to boost self-esteem, to develop ones personality and to proudly promote Philippines to the world.

What is your advocacy? Tell us something about it.
My advocacy is to simply love our Mother Nature. I believe that the Philippines is blessed to have amazing places; however, it is abused by humanity for their own good. Our Mother Nature is a gift from God that we have to treasure most. It is God’s creation and property, what we need is to take care of it; give attention; promote and love it.

What is the best thing about being a Filipino?
We Filipinos value relationships. We care and love one another. We are naturally compassionate and positive in all aspects of lives. We smile in the middle of trials instead of being affected. We Filipinos are fighters; we keep on fighting and striving hard whatever problem we have in our lives. Whenever we fall we keep on standing on our own feet fearless, strong and dedicated. We Filipinos are hospitable, respectful, generous and has a strong family ties. We are artistic in different ways. Excellence is our key factor for our success in life.

What is your ambition in life? 
Inheriting the true Filipino traits, my ambition is to excel in my own ways. Artistically inclined and soon to have my own advertising agency where I can apply my strengths in design. Generally, I want to live successfully, accomplish a lot of things in life, excel in my chosen field, and grab every opportunity that comes into my life.

Courtesy of mistersofthephilippines.com

Why did you join Misters of the Philippines?
I was encouraged by my friends to join our school pageant. At first I hesitated to join because of stage fright and it was my first pageant. I did not have enough confidence in me. Then I thought to myself, why not give it a try and see how far I go? Luckily, I won and I felt pretty good about it. After that, joining pageants became my hobby, and I did good in the other pageants I competed. I joined Misters of the Philippines because I want to compete in a more competitive and prestigious pageant that can give the possibility of competing in International pageants so that I can bring pride and honor to our country.

What is the importance of pageants like Misters of the Philippines in our country today?
The importance of pageants like Misters of the Philippines in our country today is that many people are now becoming aware that not only females can join pageants but males as well. This shows that aside from sports, males can also be competitive in the pageant industry to bring pride and honor for the Philippines. If given the chance to compete internationally, I can prove that there is a living proof of Filipino who could excel in a competition like this.

What is your advocacy? Tell us something about it.

 For my advocacy, I support equal opportunity and equal rights for persons with mental and physical disability. 

I have a brother who had sciliosis. He is now 22. But because of the medication prescribed to him to control his seizures when he was a kid, his mental development was delayed. I admire him because what he lacks in the head more than compensates with what he has in his heart. A big heart. He is my idol, my role model and i will always be proud of him. He is the most loving and most gentle person i ever met. He is so diligent with his tasks at hand and he does this with enthusiasm. He has this ability to make everybody smile when he is around. He loves going to church more than going anywhere else. He is someone I could really call a good person.

My goal for my advocacy is to help families cope with the challenges of having a family member who is physically or mentally disabled or challenged. Growing up with a brother who has delayed mental development was first very challenging not only to me but to the whole family as well. The most difficult thing is acceptance. Although it was very hard for me, I learned to accept, and now I want to share my experience with other people to cope with the same problem. As of now, I only have limited contact with other families who have this kind of problem. Winning Misters of the Philippines will give me a chance to reach out to other siblings so that I can give support and find resources for those needing guidance in situations like what I have encountered.

What is the best thing about being a Filipino?

The best thing about being a Filipino is that we are being appreciated not only by our family but other foreign countries as well. They see us as a polite, hospitable and hardworking people.

What is your ambition in life?

My ambition in life is to bring pride and honor for my family and for our country.

Why did you join Misters of the Philippines?
I believe that it is the biggest male pageant here in Philippines and that’s why it will be a big break for me to achieve my dreams in this industry.

What is the importance of pageants like Misters of the Philippines in our country today?
Well, it helps discover talented Filipinos to compete in international pageants, which was proven lately by our title holders. It also proves that male and female beauty pageants are not far different and that it could sooner be appreciated in same level. 

What is your advocacy? Tell us something about it.
My advocacy in life is to help those people whom we can consider "down" in terms of financial aspects. I want to inspire the youth to keep on dreaming and keep finding their goals in life.

What is the best thing about being a Filipino?
Filipinos are known for being hard-working and talented. That’s why I'm very proud being a Filipino because it takes hard work to develop our talents.

What is your ambition in life?
I want to become a businessman someday which in turn provides to work to people who are out of work.

Why did you join Misters of the Philippines?
As a boy growing up in our town, one of my aspirations is joining a prestigious pageant that would enable me to compete in the international level. I want to represent our province since I don't think there has ever been a candidate who has represented Aklan in the past.  I have high hopes that this pageant would  make me a better person and would make me persevere and give me the proper discipline that would make me successful in life.

What is the importance of pageants like Misters of the Philippines in our country today?Beauty pageants such as Misters of the Philippines help a lot of young men discover their own strengths. It also motivates them become better persons. This in return helps boost self confidence.

What is your advocacy? Tell us something about it.
Education is my primary advocacy. If we are all educated, we are aware of what we are doing. We could get good careers in the future. With a good education  one have a bright future.

What is the best thing about being a Filipino?
The best thing in being a Filipino is that we can easily adapt to different kinds of environment. We are very hardworking, hospitable, lovable and easy to be with.

What is your ambition in life?
Aside from being a Filipino seafarer, its would be an honor and privilege to represent our country in an international pageant. It would be a dream come true for me if I would be able to achieve this and bring home the title.