HANNA Maj Piccio, the newly crowned Mutya ng Dabaw 2024, intends to promote Davao City’s ecotourism and further strengthen body positivity among the youth.
Piccio eyes promoting ecotourism by giving Davaoeño vloggers and other local content creators a space in the community to boost the city’s tourism landscape and development.
“I planned to promote and empower vloggers, filmmakers, and social media influencers that we have in the city to promote our natural wonders,” Piccio said.
Also, as an advocate for inclusivity, Piccio pushed to educate the younger generation on body positivity.
“For a big girl like me to get a crown like this is unheard of in the pageant industry. I also have a project involving school caravans, that will focus on promoting body positivity in teachers, parents, and students,” she added.
Piccio believes in the importance of empowering the youth, especially women of today when it comes to the stigma of how they are viewed in the industry of pageants, workplaces, or the entire community.
“To all women, I am like you. I had a lot of bashers, nag-ingon sila na dili jud mudaog ang tambok, bisan bright or gwapa dili jud na mudaog, and that’s really what the force behind my joining Mutya ng Dabaw again. I wanted to envision a Davao where women are walking freely from body discrimination,” she said.
Piccio nailed the Q&A portion with her winning response when she was asked how would she use her platform to encourage young Davaoeñas to be part of initiatives that promote love for Davao City, during the coronation night at USEP Gymnasium on Mar. 15.
“I have always believed that Mutya ng Davao is not just a title or a crown, it is a job. And therefore, it is my job to invest in our people. I advocate for body positivity. That is why I’ve always believed that it starts at the grassroots, it starts with our women. We have to make sure that their self-confidence and self-acceptance are intact, and I will do that by focusing on schools. In information settings, they will grow to be functioning individuals that would love Davao City like I do. Because I have always believed that a Mutya ng Dabaw is more than beauty, brains, and heart, she is a woman of action,” she said.
She also encouraged aspiring women like her to be confident and beautiful no matter what their shapes and sizes would be.
Piccio was also awarded Best in Talent and Miss Ecotourism. She is studying as a law student at Ateneo de Davao University, and a project leader of Ceball, a youth-led advocacy group that aims to protect Davao Gulf and promote ecotourism in the city.
