CEBU CITY, Philippines — It is an understatement to say that Filipinos love beauty pageants.
From holding countless streak and title records to having its very own beauty pageant franchise, the Philippines is considered a powerhouse for rising and established beauty queens in all Big 4 pageants: Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth.
In fact, a Cebuana recently won the 2024 Miss Universal Woman last month in the franchise’s second installment.
READ ALSO: Cebuana beauty queen’s big feat as Miss Universal Woman
The question-and-answer segment may be one of the most awaited portions of every pageant, which some claim as a make-it-or-break-it part of the competition. Of course, Filipinos are no strangers to it as even young queer talents from far-reaching communities seem to have memorized some of the most lauded answers word-per-word.
As we celebrate International Pageant Day, it may be fun to look back on Filipina contestants’ most memorable pageant question-and-answer entries, both for good and questionable reasons.
READ ALSO: FACES OF CEBU: Kris Tiffany Janson, Miss Universe Philippines-Cebu 2024
Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015
Let’s start with a classic. Our very own Pia Wurtzback became one of the modern-day standards of a Miss Universe queen with her power walks, gift of gab, and natural beauty. Nonetheless, it was her historic answer, aside from the announcement blunder, that catapulted her to fame as one of the best Miss Universe winners of our time.
When asked why she would be the best Miss Universe, she only has this to say:
“To be a Miss Universe is both an honor and responsibility. If I were to be Miss Universe, I will use my voice to influence the youth, and I would raise awareness to certain causes like HIV awareness that is timely and relevant to my country which is the Philippines. I want to show the world, the universe rather, that I am confidently beautiful with a heart. Thank you.”
READ ALSO: Pia Wurtzbach dismisses pregnancy speculations, asks fans: ‘Please stop assuming’
Jeannie Anderson, Binibining Pilipinas 2001 Top 10
“Quiet, please!”
Who would forget the queen who silenced the crowd when it took her time to answer a question thrown by none other than Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz?
The first Filipina Miss Universe winner asked Jeannie: “If you were given a chance to choose, to become beautiful but not too smart, or very smart but not too beautiful? What would you prefer and why?”
After a long pause and the jeering of the crowd, Jeannie hushed the crowd and gave an obvious answer: “Well, I’d rather choose to be beautiful. Ahm, because to be beautiful, like ahm… it’s natural, but, ahm, being smart, you can learn.”
While her stuttering shattered her confidence, she responded reasonably to the question.
Karen Ibasco, Miss Philippines Earth 2017
Miss Earth 2016 Katherine Espin turned over the crown to Miss Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco of Philippines.
(Photo from Miss Earth FB page)
The famed beauty queen who went on to win the international crown gave one of her best performances in the Q-and-A during the local coronation. When asked who the world’s biggest enemy is, she gave a lengthy response, concluding it with one of the most memorable pageant lines locally.
“What we have to do is to start changing our ways, to start recalibrating our minds and redirecting our steps because together, as a global community, our micro-efforts will have a macro-effect to help save our home, our planet.”
READ ALSO: Miss Philippines Karen Ibasco is Miss Earth 2017
Janina San Miguel, Binibining Pilipinas World 2008
This response is probably one for the books. Janina San Miguel, the icon she is, birthed some of the country’s most popular memes in her short stint in the 2008 installment of Binibining Pilipinas. A judge asked her the most important thing in her life, and she gave a good answer: her family.
However, the beauty queen finds it hard to support her answer, so she rants about how nervous she was, being only 17 in her first pageant and reaching the top 10 of a prestigious pageant. Nonetheless, she concluded her answer by firmly stating her response:
“My family is the most important persons in my life. Thank you.”
Janina tried her luck again, joining pageant queens recently with a newfound confidence and good communication skills lauded by netizens.
Catriona Gray, Miss Universe Philippines 2018
This list would not be complete without your favorite beauty queen’s favorite beauty queen. With her stellar performance in all pageant segments, Catriona Gray became a standard for beauty pageant winners in the Philippines and globally.
Bringing her advocacy to support the dreams of struggling children, she responded to the final question with confidence and passion.
“I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila and the life there is poor and it’s very sad. And I have always taught myself to look for the beauty in it; to look in the beauty in the faces of the children and to be grateful. I will bring this aspect as a Miss Universe, to see situations with a silver lining. And to assess where I could give something; where I could provide something as a spokesperson. Also, if I can teach people to be grateful, we can have an amazing world where negativity cannot grow and prosper, and children will have smiles on their faces.”
READ ALSO: Catriona Gray, Sam Milby say they’re engaged!
From then on, Catriona’s momentous win and Q-and-A performance became a safe haven for Filipino queers and pageant fans every single time another Filipino lost their chance at winning yet another international title.
And as we celebrate International Pageant Day, might as well include a little prayer for the country’s better results in future global competitions.
