North Korea is not something usually mentioned during beauty pageants. When I met Filipino debater and beauty queen Sophia Senoron, 17, I asked her thoughts about the controversial country.
Senoron is a varsity debater at San Beda University, a private Roman Catholic university run by the Benedictine monks in Mendiola, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in financial management.
On October 18, 2017, Senoron attended the send-off party for Miss World Philippines 2017 Laura Lehmann and Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2017 Teresita Marquez, who eventually became and Reina Hispanoamericana 2017. During the event at Annabel’s restaurant in Quezon City, Metro Manila, I asked Senoron five random questions, one of which was about how the world should deal with North Korea.
“Well, in my opinion, I think North Korea, the state of North Korea, it’s not just because of what they want anymore but because nasanay na sila (they are accustomed to it),” Senoron answered. “It’s become tradition because it’s been for how many years, North Korea has been existing of not really anymore communism but it’s switching, I mean, it’s already is dictatorship actually. So it’s no longer the fact that they want more power, or they want to be in some place in the universal government. But it’s how they understand what their country should be like.”
“Nakasanayan na nila (They have become accustomed to it),” the 17-year-old explained. “So I think the best way we can deal with it is only and purely only through diplomatic talks because North Korea wants to be dealt with as a supreme power. Then only way to not feed into their ego is to not give in to the power striking, to the power play but to stand your ground as a diplomatic person, or diplomatic country, especially the U.S., a democratic western state, to be able to talk diplomatically with them and through those peace talks, you can achieve peace or at least come to an understanding that both can survive, they both can live.”
“It’s not always having equality because equality is different on both sides,” Miss Multinational Philippines 2017 added. “You look at it differently. It’s about how to be able to live with each other at peace.”
Currently, Senoron is in India to represent the Philippines at Miss Multinational 2017. The winner will be crowned at the Kingdom of Dreams in Gurugram, Haryana, India on February 26, 2018.
CONAN Daily 