Bettina, a niece of former Miss International Aurora Pijuan, finds politics interesting and amusing at the same time because, "it’s all about the use of power and influence to affect people’s lives and make difference in them."
With that, Bettina, the daughter of Manuel Luis and the former Ma. Victoria Pijuan, believes that a politician should possess the following characteristics: "He should be intelligent and smart. The person should know good governance. He can decide without depending much on his advisers. He must have enough experiences or training to bank on. Educational background is important and a must."
Slim-trim Bettina was a Student Council Legislative Assembly representative of her school last year. Her stay in the council, Bettina says, was challenging because she was given the chance to make rules and amend existing laws for the welfare of DLSU’s students.
In her spare time, Bettina reads the works of Latin American writers like her favorite, Paulo Coelho. Bettina likes these contemporary writers for their inspirational stories, which readers can easily relate to.
Bettina, who describes herself as "out-going but shy at times, especially in a crowd," plans to work for a politician as a researcher or an analyst after college. Another option is for her to try her hand in politics.
Does she think the elections will make life better for most Filipinos? "Realistically, I don’t really know. But if everybody does good deeds everyday, and works together, then, that’s the promise and the difference they can make. As of the moment, what we can do best is to vote wisely." – Jerry Donato