Power couple Pia Wurtzbach and Jeremy Jauncey are on a mission to help local fisherfolk
Pia Wurtzbach and Jeremy Jauncey aren't just couple goals because of their non-stop traveling, they also make sure to always learn a thing or two from every place they visit.
Serving as World Wide Fund (WWF) Philippines ambassadors, the couple shared how they started to put sustainability at the forefront well into their late twenties.
The Miss Universe 2015 titleholder said that when she was younger, having to toil for food and earn a living as a breadwinner once made her dismiss the planet's environmental problems.
"[The environment] becomes the last thing on your mind," she shared during a virtual press conference with WWF. "But soon you learn that this isn't the matter of 'problema ng mayaman 'yan'. These are things you only start to realize as you get more education on the matter."
After winning Miss Universe and becoming a globe-trotter, Jeremy then introduced Pia to the world of WWF, where she soon fell in love and found her place as an ambassador. But the road to being the face of an environmental group wasn't easy.
"I'm still a student. But it just feels so nice to just be asking questions," the queen said. "There are no stupid questions when it comes to sustainability. I need to absorb as much as I can as an ambassador and to share with as many people as possible."
She and Jeremy also joked about doing their best to "double-time" the efforts in helping the environment, as the two know that their audience is comprised of people younger than them.
The couple, always fiercely passionate about their advocacies, are aiming to support local fisherfolk by supporting the WWF's Build Back Better campaign.
The initiative is set to replace wooden fishing boats lost or damaged during the typhoons, all while establishing the country’s first sustainable Marine Stewardship Council-certified tuna fishery.
“It’s high time that our local fishers have more access to stronger boats to make their living," Pia said. "The stories of our fishers represent the challenges faced by thousands of Filipinos."
The pair also recently paid a visit to the Lagonoy Gulf fishermen in Albay to get to know them as WWF ambassadors.
Meanwhile, the celebrity couple is helping the organization raise over P21M million to deliver 27 units of Build Back Better boats. The WWF boats are equivalent in capacity to three traditional fishing boats, and could support more than 200 families in 15 municipalities in the Lagonoy area.
If you have the cash to spare, you can support the project via Pia Wurtzbach and Jeremy Jauncey’s fundraising page here.
