'I believe that if you want to change the system, you have to be the system,' MissUniverse2021 Harnaaz Sandhu says. PHVote WeDecide
, who finished as part of the Top 5 in the December 2021 competition, is set to crown her successor.In an interview with Rappler on Tuesday, April 26 at Okada Manila, Harnaaz shared her thoughts on the pageant world, her current studies in public administration, the upcoming Philippine elections, and the advocacy closest to her heart – women empowerment through women’s health. RAPPLER: You started competing in pageants very young, when you were a teenager.
HARNAAZ: It’s like history repeating itself, and it’s just so beautiful to see how Filipinos have been sharing so much love and support.RAPPLER: How would you compare the pageant culture in India to that of the Philippines? HARNAAZ: I’m not interested in being a politician, to be honest, but I’ve always been very keen to learn more about administration and how [the youth] can have our own viewpoints, because I believe that if you want to change the system, you have to be the system, you need to educate yourselves.The Philippine elections are coming up in a few weeks. What advice would you give to Filipino voters?
HARNAAZ: We are people of all colors, we are people of different communities and different cultures. We have our own perspectives and that’s totally okay, because that’s the beauty of living in a democratic country, when you have freedom of speech and expression. And I think it depends on us as well, how we approach things, because we need to break the barriers, we need to be responsible citizens. RAPPLER: You’re a huge advocate of women empowerment, especially women’s health.