THE 40 women vying for the Miss World Philippines 2019 title were presented to the media on August 29 at Novotel Hotel at Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. Easily discernible: the excitement, confidence and eagerness; the noses that are impossibly aquiline; the heels that are incredibly, deceptively high; and the eyes that are blazingly gray.
The local Miss World Organization has already produced a winner, Megan Young as Miss World 2013. Its other titles at stake have also been successful. Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas with Teresita Ssen Marquez as Reina Hispanoamericana 2017, Miss Eco Philippines with Cynthia Thomalla as Miss Eco International 2018, and Miss Multinational Philippines with Sophia Señoron as Miss Multinational
2017. Two new titles will be added this year: Miss Eco Teen International and Miss Philippines Tourism.
The Miss World Philippines (MWP) coronation night will be on September 15 at the Araneta Coliseum. It will be telecast live via GMA’s Sunday Night Box Office at 10 pm.
Provenance
THE contestants hail from all parts of the country. Most come from Metro Manila with only one contender from Mindanao: Louise Theunis from Carrascal, Surigao del Sur. There are also several who come from mixed parentage, a trend that’s prevalent at MWP.
Since its new managements under Cory Quirino (2011-2016) and Arnold Vegafria (2017-present), the MWP has had a fondness for mestizas. Gwendoline Ruais (2011) is half-French, Queneerich Rehmann is half-Pakistani (2012), Megan Young (2013) is half-American, Valerie Weigman (2014) is half-German, Hilarie Parungao (2015) is half-Chinese, Catriona Gray (2016) is half-Scottish/Australian, Laura Lehmann (2017) is half-German/Swiss, and Katarina Rodriguez (2018) is half-Spanish.
This year’s strongest contenders also possess that potent, beautiful confection of Malay mixed with foreign DNA, either by blood or upbringing. The Michelles (Arceo, Dee and Thorlund) are standouts.
Half-American Arceo is Miss Body Con 2019 and Wowowin’s Gandang Filipina 2017. She has appeared in GMA’s Bubble Gang and is the girlfriend of ABS-CBN actor Albie Casiño. Thorlund, raised in California, is half-Danish. She was Mutya ng Pilipinas 2016-Overseas Communities.
Half-Chinese Dee, also raised in the US, is a pageant legacy. Her mom is the legendary Melanie Marquez, Miss International 1979, while her first cousin is Reina Hispanoamericana 2017 Teresita Marquez.
When asked about the unfair advantage of being a celebrity joining a pageant, the Kapuso model-actress replied: “It does have its pros and cons but, honestly, we’re in a room full of beautiful and talented people. We have nurses. We have lawyers. And we all go through the same types of training, we all go through different steps for the journey to be Miss World, or to have one of the other crowns. And, yes, it’s kind of hard because you’re put under the spotlight and you have certain expectations that are put on your head, not only in being an artista but on account of my family members, as well. They’re very good and very well-known in the pageant industry and that adds an extreme amount of pressure on my head. Actually, one of the reasons why I was hesitant to join prior to this, I felt like I was not good enough. But what pageantry has taught me is that besides being an artista, besides having all of these expectations, it’s really like what the other girls have mentioned—it’s really about the journey. It’s really about what you can take from everything. Although being an artista has its slight advantage with the publicity and all of that, I really do believe na pantay lang po ’yung laban dito.”
Performers
It’s an added advantage if a contender has had prior pageant experience. Vanessa Mae Walters, a half-Australian Cebuana representing Makati City, was Miss Teen Earth 2014. I unearthed an interview of her by the Cebu Daily News after she won where she was asked: “If you could represent the country, which pageant would you like to compete in, Miss World or Miss Universe?” Her reply: “Miss Universe!” But she was 14 at the time, and her plans have clearly changed. Now, the Katy Perry lookalike is one I’m looking forward to that will perform well on finals night.
Tracy Maureen Perez was University of San Carlos (Cebu) Miss TC 2011, Miss Cebu 2016 first runner-up, and Binibini Cebu Charity 2018.
Katrina Llegado, a Mutya ng Taguig 2018 finalist, has that unmistakable queenly aura.
Ruffa Nava, an elegant Ilongga, was a Miss Makati 2013 finalist, an MWP 2014 contestant, a Binibining Pilipinas 2017 Top 25 and Supermodel International 2018 Top 15.
Sammie Anne Legaspi was also Top 25 at Binibining Pilipinas 2017. She later placed 1st runner-up at the Miss Lumiere International 2017.
Pressure
Dubai-born, half-British Kelley Day is another pretty contender. She was a member of the It’s Showtime all-girl group GirlTrends and was once a girlfriend to Kapamilya
actor Inigo Pascual before starring in GMA’s The One
That Got Away and being linked to StarStruck 6 Ultimate Survivor Migo Adacer.
“We have pressure in the sense that people expect a lot from us because we’re used to being in front of the camera,
or we’re used to memorizing lines, whatever it might be, talking to people, talking to the press. But pageantry for
me is an entirely different thing. You change your mindset. You focus on something completely different. And, I think, that’s where the challenge comes from. On top of that,
we do have the pressure. I think, it has pros and cons,
on being an artista, because, yes, we have experience but also, there is a lot of pressure on us. But I think everyone
has their own pressure. We’re fair game, fair game for everyone,” Day explained.
Another lady feeling the heat is Isabelle de Leon, a Famas Best Child Actress awardee for Magnifico (2003). She rose to fame via GMA’s sitcom Daddy Di Do Du and will soon be seen at the network’s afternoon prime soap, Madrasta.
“Even before joining the pageant, I’ve always been active in certain charities like Child Haus. I’ve worked with them for nine years. Even as a child, I’ve always been active in giving my toys to kids at children’s hospitals, but you can only do so much as an artist. That’s why it’s really, really beautiful that a beauty pageant would have such a positive impact on society—which is beauty with a purpose,” de Leon shared. “So, what I can contribute is encouragement that, No. 1, we shouldn’t let our fears become bigger than our dreams. And we shouldn’t be afraid to strive for perfection—although we’ll never achieve it, it will help us push our limits. And, lastly, we shouldn’t be afraid to love and accept love. We can do great things through love, and love always wins.”