MERRYJOY DAYRIT

Age: 24
Height: 5 feet 4 inches
Measurements: 33 inches - 29 inches - 36 inches
Occupation/Education: Job Captain

Describe your childhood/growing up years (8-13 years old):
As a child, I was very cheerful and mischievous. I love arts and painting, growing up on both sides of my family, I was immersed in a wide variety of games and activities. Because our house was located on a farm setting, my siblings and I took pleasure in gardening, having fun with the trunks and leaves that fell from our trees, climbing up trees to get fruits, making scare crows for the rice plants, and flying kites during the summer. I definitely grew up with free access to a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables. Outdoor activities are always enjoyable for me; hide and seek, Chinese garter, jackstones, and many other games are my favorites during those days. I was bullied at school because of my curly, thick hair, and big eyes.

Because of my weird personality, I rarely made friends in elementary. At the age of 12, I had a traumatic experience with one of my teachers, who would shame me in front of my classmates on occasion. The most memorable was when I was accused of breaking his umbrella; he was furious and cried in front of the entire class. I was scared and nervous because it had already been broken when someone handed it to me to hold for a while. Such an experience causes me anxiety and hyperventilation throughout the day and night, making it difficult for me to sleep and leaving me crying and scared. I used to love playing outside, but since then, I'm always inside our house, anxious and having hard time to breathe from time to time. She is constantly battling with her own mind. At the age of 13, I was transferred to a friendly public school, where I was able to heal, make friends, and begin to develop my newly discovered confidence and courage. And that’s when I start to appreciate and love myself, That was also the beginning of me to explore different school competitions and opportunities.

What lessons did you learn from your childhood/growing years?
My upbringing on a farm helped me develop a stronger connection with nature. It has taught me to lead a humble but meaningful life. Value everything that provides us food and necessities. The simple life I've lived has taught me to appreciate the simple things. The fresh air I breathe, the morning fog, the birds chirping, and all that nature has to offer. Not only was it enjoyable, but it also taught me how to survive without money for food; all we had to do was pick some vegetables or sweet potatoes from our own backyard.

I've had both good and bad experiences. My growing years have motivated me to be more resilient and faithful to God's promises. I love and value my family, and I especially respect and love nature. It made me realise that what we truly need in life is balance and connection to the food we eat, the shelter we live in, the clothes we wear, and the water we drink. Everything that only our mother earth can provide has taught me that they deserve our gratitude, attention, and care.

In this continually evolving society, over the years. I've learned that we should not allow growth to left nature suffer. I understand that the importance of innovating and building a rich community is to create a positive relationship between structure and nature.

Most memorable moment:
My most memorable moment was the time that we don’t have much money to spend our summer on beaches or resort. So our dad drove our tricycle to a riverside we call “pugpog”, we had barbeque and few snacks there. That was the best moment, we might lack something but no amount of money can pay a hapy and complete family enjoying and appreciating the free getaway offered by nature.

Why do you want to be Miss Philippines Earth?
Yllana inspired me to be here. From then, I’ve witnessed how words can influence someone and how someone can influence one another to make a change. Growing up in a farm setting helped me drew a closer relationship with nature. And it was really sad to witness every farm lot turn into industrial or commercial structure every year without proper environmental impact considerations. I am here to be Miss Philippines Earth 2024, because I want to be one of our natures voice. I want to extend my advocacy in a wider range, I want the earth to hear me. Because I still believe in the minds of the people, I still believe that if we could innovate and grow, then we can also build an advance community where nature never has to be left out. As much as I can, I will never stop on planting a seed of hope in the minds of everyone, just like how someone planted to mine.

What is your environmental advocacy and why did you choose this?
D.E.S.I.G.N and Build Green, which stands for Develop & Ensure Sustainable Ideas for Growth & Nature. Nature pays off every harmful impact of structures, contributing 42 percent to the global carbon emissions. As a future architect I choose this advocacy to promote a healthier, less polluted, and clean built environment. Because development alone is destruction. To meet most of the Sustainable Development Goals, and to prevent the irreversible deadlines, let us DESIGN an environment where nature never has to be left out.

What tip can you share to promote eco-tourism in your City or Municipality?
With the use of Social Media, I can easily share the rich culture, nature, and heritage of my province. We are a home to so many farm dining restaurants and camping sites along rivers Creating an eco-tourism content can showcase tourists preservation responsibility and activities. We can also engage to a lot of nature driven task that people could enjoy and learn.