The contest of Miss Universe Philippines 2021 ended at Henann Resort in Panglao, Bohol, with the country’s representative being crowned for the coveted international pageant in Israel in December. Beatrice Luigi Gomez of Cebu City took the lead, followed by Katrina Jayne Dimaranan of Taguig, Victoria Vincent of Cavite, Maureen Wroblewitz of Pangasinan, and Steffi Aberasturi of Cebu Province.
The Top 5 contestants answered questions about what they would do if they won, empowering other women, and their journey throughout the pageant during the Q&A section of the competition. Each of them had only 30 seconds to respond with eloquence.
Read on to know more about how each contestant responded to their questions:
CEBU PROVINCE’S STEFFI ABERASTURI
Question From Steffi Aberasturi: What strategies will you use to empower young women and assist them become more socially conscious?
Her Reply: “Now social media, this tool has been a driving force in all of us. But we have to draw a borderline so that this youth will not take advantage of social media.” She also added that, “We have to see social media by the way that it is designed, and that is to unite people and never to divide us in the first place. We have to be responsible users.”
PANGASINAN’S MAUREEN WROBLEWITZ
Question From Maureen Wroblewitz: How will you inspire other women to step outside of their comfort zones if you win tonight?
Her Reply: “Just me being here. I am getting out of my comfort zone; I am conquering my fear because I am afraid to talk in front of a lot of people. But I hope that through me, I get to inspire so many to do the same to, to achieve their dreams, but to also reach for the universe.”
CAVITE’S VICTORIA VELASQUEZ VINCENT
Question From Velasquez Vincent: What phase of your journey to become Miss Universe Philippines has inspired you the most and why?
Her Reply: “Especially during the pandemic people have risen to overcome everything that they have gone through, and I am someone, I have been incredibly privileged, and I haven’t had to go through that many issues in my life but meeting so many people who have had so many battles and hearing their stories and hearing how they overcame them, that’s what inspires me.”
She further added, “That’s what inspires me to continue to help the Filipinos in the way that I know how, which is through my advocacy through architecture and heritage conservation.”
TAGUIG’S KATRINA JAYNE DIMARANAN
Question From Katrina Jayne Dimaranan: What do you believe is the most inspiring attribute a Miss Universe Philippines candidate should have, and why?
Her Reply: “It would have to be the ability to have compassion and relate to other people because as we know Miss Universe has to be able to collect from people in all different countries, from all different classes, so I would have to say relatability and compassion because as a Miss Universe, it’s your job to inspire others and to genuinely want to help whether it be the organizations or any companies or groups of people. So, there you go, compassion.”
CEBU CITY’S BEATRICE LUIGI GOMEZ
Question From Beatrice Luigi Gomez (Bea): If there was a time during your rule as Miss Universe Philippines when you felt depressed and uninspired, how would you continue to inspire others?
Her Reply: It is very obvious that all of us went through tough times during this pandemic. But it is also evident that we are able to rise to the opportunity.
She further said, “And if anything happened to me during my reign, I will not give up and inspire others by rising to the problems that I am encountering and by inspiring them that whatever you are going through, you will be able to overcome it.”
So, who is the winner in the end? Well, Bea won the Miss Universe Philippines 2021 title who is a former varsity volleyball player, also participates in scuba diving, boxing, and mixed martial arts. Before that, Bea also finished her first 42km run, and as a real queen, she did it for the welfare of children that were affected by the armed battle in Negros. Bea is also a proud cat lady, which is a plus. She and her girlfriend adopted a pusang pinoy named Twix during the height of the pandemic, and he now makes regular appearances on Bea’s Instagram page.
The main factor that went to her favor was winning the topmost spots in the swimsuit and evening gown preliminaries. You will know a candidate is a favorite entrant in the eyes of the jurors when she wins as Best in Swimsuit or Best in Evening Gown during the preliminary rounds. And if she brings her A-game to the finale, she’ll be a shoo-in. This is what happened in the years when Catriona Gray and Shamcey Supsup-Lee competed in the national finals, as well as a number of other national and international champions who took the crown because of great presentation in all sorts.
Bea might not be the prettiest female in the Top 5 but she was commandeering in her final evening gown walks and swimsuit. While some contenders’ walks were flashy or contained fancy footwork, her style was simple and graceful, and she carried what she wore brilliantly. Her inherent beauty shined through as she walked, drawing attention to her with her hair simply dangling. With her unadorned hair that looked like a wonderful blank canvas for the crown, she walked like a winner.
Even before a contestant gets to the final Q&A, she must be a good walker and do well in the final swimsuit and evening gown competitions. For this reason, no matter how strong a bet is in Q&A, if she does not do well in the swimsuit and evening gown, she will not be able to progress to the Q&A and will have to settle for a finalist, as happened with Rabiya Mateo at last year’s Miss Universe. Also, the permissive air of the host country along with the growing acceptance for transgender candidates such as Spain’s Angela Ponce can speak wonders to Bea’s journey to the Miss Universe crown.
There can be a lot of mudslinging and backlash. However, if the fog clears and supporters get their act together, there will be healthier realizations. After all, triumph is sweeter when it is shared with a common goal. That is, to keep the Philippines’ lucky winning streak going on the international stage.
