Miss Earth Philippines 2025, Joy Barcoma, has become as well-known for her outspokenness as she is for her pageant journey. But she's also quick to extend grace to those who aren't ready to use their voice yet.
Appearing on YSpeak 2.0, Joy sat down with hosts Aya Fernandez, Elijah Canlas, KD Estrada, Ralph de Leon, and River Joseph for the show's "You Talk" segment — a roundtable format where guests unpack pressing social and political issues.
Despite being vocal on matters that often invite criticism, Joy said she has made peace with the reality that bashing comes with the territory.
Rather than directing anger at her detractors, she spoke with composure, emphasizing the importance of self-love and surrounding oneself with the right people.
“I feel like it’s the balance of the world. You cannot really be loved by everyone. But what’s important is you love what you do, you love the people who love you, and you love yourself for who you are,” she said.
“I think the power that we have as humans — we control what goes into our minds and what we actually take from that. And I think that’s one of the powers that I’m exercising,” she added.
She was equally clear that no one else gets to dictate how she lives her life. For Joy, staying true to herself is non-negotiable.
“If I’m gonna let these people dictate how I will live my life. If I’m gonna let these people get into my head, I’m not gonna be able to be who I am,” she remarked.
“And so long as I have people who believe in me, who know me for who I am, I have my family, I have my friends, I have my circle, I have my core, I am indestructible,” she added.
She acknowledged that speaking up is not a choice equally available to everyone. Not everyone has a safety net, she noted.
For Joy, that is exactly why people should not pressure others to use their voice before they are ready. In some cases, silence is not apathy but self-preservation.
“Yes, speaking up is a privilege. At kaya hindi natin dapat pini-pressure ‘yung iba to speak up whenever they’re not yet ready, ‘cause not everyone has a safety net,’ she said.
“Sometimes, speaking up means losing jobs, losing their families, losing their support, or losing opportunities. So hindi lahat may gano’ng safety net,” she added.
At the same time, Joy recognized that silence carries its own cost, particularly when it comes to national issues.
“So sana naiitindihan natin that there is a cost when it comes to speaking up. Of course, meron ding cost when it comes to silence,” she said.
“So, we just need to find the perfect balance on when to use our voices collectively as a nation,” she added.
When asked when the right time to speak up is, her answer was straightforward: now.
“I think the perfect answer is really now, ‘di ba? ‘Yung ‘now’ naman na sinasabi natin ‘di ba is if you are ready. If you are not yet ready, it’s okay. Because there are people who are ready now,” she remarked.
“If you are ready now, you should take that chance. Kasi, if you take that chance now, a lot of people would follow you,” she added.
She also identified two key reasons people hold back. The first is the fear of being the one to initiate change or even a conversation.
The second — and perhaps more pervasive — is the fear of making mistakes in an era defined by cancel culture, where a single misstep can follow a person indefinitely.
“Minsan kasi natatakot ‘yung mga tao na magsimula ng change, magsimula ng conversation,” she said.
She went on: “Then again, may cancel culture tayong tinatawag. And that is what’s subtly wrong in our society. Young people are very afraid to do wrong, more so, to do wrong in public. So that’s what we should correct,” she said.
“Kasi, no being naman is made perfect. Kasi, if everything is perfect, then we’re going nowhere. There is nothing to change anymore. Wala na tayong babaguhin,” she continued.
Speaking about letting people make mistakes, she said: “I think we should give people grace to make mistakes and space to learn from those mistakes.”
—By Paolo Lim