Miss Universe Philippines (which I will refer to moving forward as MUPH) delivered a live national pageant in grand fashion after holding limited events due to the (still ongoing) COVID-19 pandemic. Besides featuring a full coterie of musical guests, having three former Miss Universes to host the show counts as a major coup. I do have to note though of the three queens, one carried the heaviest load, as besides announcing the names of the finalists, she was also tasked to conduct both interview rounds. I suppose this is mainly because Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach is Filipina and knows all the nuances in our culture and of course the pronunciation of names of people and places in our country. All this on top of sporting four different wardrobes during the finals–in fashions inspired by the gowns worn by the four Filipina Miss Universe winners and also evoking the colors of the Philippine flag (white, yellow, blue and red). In fact, it could be argued she could host this show singlehandedly, as she did a terrific job.
This is not to denigrate the presence of Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow, as both were glamorous presences during the show. It is just that it’s too obvious they are sticking to a script (especially exhibited in their banter with the outgoing MUPH queen Beatrice Luigi Gomez).
I’m pleased that I got 12 of the Top 16 correct. With the 32 official candidates already screened out of an original screened roster of 50, we do get into a scenario that all 32 candidates are quality contenders worthy of belonging in the Top 16. It would then boil down to a matter of the judges’ tastes. So, for instance, we can attribute the exclusion of LUCENA (Anjeanette Japor) and QUEZON PROVINCE (Gracelle Nicole Distura) to precisely that–the judges had a stronger preference of other candidates over them.
The same argument could be applied to PANGASINAN (Ivylou Corpuz Borbon) and DAVAO DEL NORTE (Jeanne Nicci Orcena), but more fans and pundits are saddened by their exclusion. Many fans seem to have a liking for the former, so I can tag her as the Fans’ Choice for the Ruth Ocumarez Award, but this blogger felt with her pretty mesitza features and sterling communication skills, the latter should be the winner, so she would be the Blogger’s Choice.
Admittedly I pegged ILOCOS SUR (Jewel Alexandra Palacat) at the bottom of my list as even if she’s a solid communicator, she’s the weakest interview compared to the rest of the 32. But I should never have discounted the four advantages going for her: 1) She’s 6′ fall; 2) She is a very pretty mestiza; 3) she made a striking presence when she cut her air short after being announced to the Top 32; and 4) she comes from the province formerly governed by LCS Group head Luis “Chavit” Singson. A lot of fans don’t have NUEVA VIZCAYA (Gillian Katherine De Mesa) on their list but she has a motivated group of supporters who propelled her to the Top 16 via the Lazada Fan Vote.
Based on her pretty mestiza features, it’s not surprising that AKLAN (Jona Sweett) made the cut. But some fans have reservations regarding her size, as she’s on the voluptuous side. Her inclusion could be viewed as a “body diversity” statement, that there is room for all shapes and sizes at this level. I subscribe to this to a certain extent, so I don’t mind seeing her here. Less surprising was the inclusion of LAGUNA (Sonya Jeyn Tanyag), as she always seem to have an inside track to be included in the Top 16–I just simply thought a few others simply had more buzz or edge.
While determining the Top 16 was a bit challenging, admittedly choosing a Top 10 was a little easier for me as there was heavy buzz for a certain group of standouts that it’s easier to peg them as shoo-inss. And so, I got 9 out of 10 correct–my big miss was of course my Ruth Ocumarez winner, DAVAO DEL NORTE. This logically paved the way for CEBU PROVINCE (Lou Dominique Piczon) to make the next round of cuts.
The Top 10 is actually an interview round where Pia asks questions based on their bio or background (which then features a broadcast of the introduction videos these candidates created when it was still the Top 50). All of them communicated well, but I felt based on her response, CEBU CITY (Chantal Elise Legaspi Schmidt) should’ve advanced to the Final Five. But as we soon realize, gift of gab does not hold primary weight in determining the Final Five or winner.
I did include TAGUIG (Ma. Katrina Llegado) in my Final Five forecast, but to be honest, based on the Top 10 interview, I would’ve placed her in 10th place, as she didn’t quite answer the question about her most memorable/favorite mountain peak she climbed but rather simply talked about how she had her boyfriend of eight years climbing those mountains with her–it is a sweet, heartwarming sentiment, I have to hand it to her. She edged the other stronger talkers because of her performance in both swimsuit and evening gown, as her stage chops are top notch. She was clearly out-answered in the final question, so placing fifth (officially 2nd runner-up) is just apt.
Though I didn’t include her in my Final Five forecast, MISAMIS ORIENTAL (Annabelle Mae MacDonnell) is always a possible title usurper with her eloquence and rise-from-adversity life story. Indeed her interview was so compelling that she earned her Final Five slot. If I were to determine the results solely based on the final question, I would’ve put her in second place (which would officially be the MUPH – Tourism title).. But this year, there is significantly more weight placed on stage presence, and although she proved to be strong, she definitely could not beat the biggest title favorites. So, finishing officially as 1st runner-up is the best she can do.
If I had my way, I would’ve given the MUPH crown to BOHOL (Pauline Cucharo Amelinckx). She kept up well with the Top Two stage divas (who each won the Best in Swimsuit and Evening Gown between them), and I thought the two interview rounds would where she would pull away for the win–Pia Wurtzbach had this kind of trajectory during her 2015 Miss Universe stint, so I thought BOHOL will follow the same trajectory. But well, the judges at hand just loved the eventual Top Two so much that the best they could give this lady is MUPH – Charity. Well, at least it’s an improvement over her fourth place finish back in 2020.
We have to hand it that MAKATI (Michelle Marquez Dee) is a consistently top-notch performer. But even if she is that top-notch consistent, it wasn’t enough for her to clinch the big MUPH title and had to content herself with the second-place MUPH – Tourism title. The judges probably found their chosen winner dreamier and prettier and handed that lady the crown instead.
If I were to rank the Top 10 semifinalists based on their interview alone, I would’ve ranked PASAY (Celeste Cortesi) in seventh place, behind the likes of ALBAY (Julia Calleja Subier) and ILOILO PROVINCE (Vanessa Ann Ka’ihilani Caro), but I know a Final Five slot is guaranteed for her because she was undeniably top-notch in both swimsuit and evening gown rounds. She probably also was given credit as her answers are sincere and genuine, so even if she was out-talked, she was given strong credit. And this is how she clinched the MUPH crown.
With Celeste’s win, many Filipino pageant fans are salivating at the prospect that we might be getting our fifth Miss Universe crown. Yes, for many editions, it’s not necessarily the lady who delivered the best final answer who would win, but I have to note that Gloria Diaz (1969), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018) clinched the deal with their gab. I can argue Margie Moran (1973) was the exception as I thought her runner-up, Amanda Jones of the USA gave the strongest answer. So I’m not yet in that bandwagon at this point, but I’m open to the possibility that indeed with the right mix of members in the selection committee, they can prize overall impression instead of being the best in the final question. Perhaps the presence of Margie in the audience may be a portent of the latter secenario being realized. For now, I’d like to extend my congratulations to all the winners and best of luck to Celeste in her Miss Universe stint.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
Joseph Vitug's Views 