The Miss Philippines-Asia Pacific Worldwide Blessa Figueroa. Picture: INQUIRER.web/Armin P. Adina
The Philippines is probably the most profitable Asian nation in world pageantry, reaping titles from numerous contests all through the a long time, and even turning into probably the most profitable nation in a number of competitions together with the Miss Asia Pacific Worldwide pageant.
Bless Figueroa, the Philippines’ consultant within the world tilt’s “comeback version” this yr, shared her ideas on why the nation has collected probably the most crowns within the 56-year-old worldwide competitors, with 5 winners so far.
“I believe we embody the Miss Asia Pacific Worldwide pageant’s core values. They worth magnificence in range. And I believe, being a Filipina, we’re everywhere in the world, and we embody all cultures,” she informed INQUIRER.web on the sidelines of her send-off press convention held at Empire Studios on the Estancia Mall in Pasig Metropolis final month.
“When folks ask you, what’s a Filipino? We’re an embodiment of all cultures, like, we’re from Spain, we’re from Asia, we’re in all places. So I believe that’s one of many essential causes, as a result of we now have the core values that they maintain,” continued the California-based full-blooded Filipino contender.
The Philippines, nevertheless, was a “slow-burner” within the Manila-based world tilt, and didn’t develop into a powerhouse early on. The nation posted its first victory solely within the contest’s sixteenth version held in 1982, via Maria Del Carmen Inez Zaragoza.
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The nation scored a second consecutive win in 1983 with Gloria Dimayacyac, adopted by the Philippines’ third victory in 1989 courtesy of Lorna Legaspi. The fourth Filipino queen is Michelle Aldana, who gained in 1994.
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And some years after the worldwide tilt resumed from a decade-long hiatus in 2016, the Philippines recorded its fifth victory in Sharifa Areef Mohammad Omar Akeel through the pageant’s fiftieth anniversary version in 2018.
The worldwide pageant final held a contest in 2019, and didn’t mount any contest in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The break prolonged in 2022 and 2023, and Figueroa has blended emotions about collaborating within the “comeback version.”
“There may be undoubtedly some strain there, however I’m honored that I’m representing the Philippines after 4 years. And I can’t describe it any greater than pleasure and gratefulness,” she shared.
Figueroa is the Philippines’ first Miss Asia Pacific Worldwide delegate to not come from the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant. She was a finalist within the first staging of The Miss Philippines Tradition and Heritage Celebration in October final yr, and acquired her world project in February.
As a seasoned pageant woman who has competed in each the USA and the Philippines, Figueroa finds that such competitions are nonetheless related in a time the place nations are gripped by wars, famine, calamities and different issues.
“Pageantry performs an enormous position in these points, as a result of we now have a platform to have the ability to converse up on them, like, proper now I’m capable of converse up in regards to the wars, the famine. And I do know that it isn’t in my energy to unravel lots, however I can carry up the subject, educate folks, and unfold consciousness,” she defined.
“I believe that’s one of many essential roles of being a magnificence queen. You’re spreading consciousness and educating folks about these subjects, in order that extra individuals are educated about it, and extra change can occur. I believe massive modifications are made up of small ones. And simply spreading the data is already having an enormous change about that,” Figueroa added.
She and her fellow delegates within the 2024 Miss Asia Pacific Worldwide pageant will face a vital stage of the competition quickly, with the preliminary competitors happening at Lanson Place Mall of Asia in Pasay Metropolis on Thusday afternoon, Oct. 3.
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The 2024 Miss Asia Pacific Worldwide coronation night time might be held on the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay Metropolis on Monday night time, Oct. 7. Thirty-three delegates from world wide are competing for the crown presently held by Cheyenne Huisman from Spain.
