Aiming for 3 wins in a row

JOANNA Cindy Miranda competes tomorrow in the Miss Tourism Queen tilt. GRIG MONTEGRANDE

“I hope the luck of our queens will [rub off on] you. Surprise them; do as well as they did.”

This was the send-off message of Stella Marquez-Araneta, chair of the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI), to Joanna Cindy Miranda, the country’s representative to the Miss Tourism Queen International pageant to be held tomorrow in Xianning, China.

“We are starting to get used to winning every year!” exclaimed the BPCI chair.

Miranda, a 23-year-old tourism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas, will compete less than a week after Megan Young was proclaimed Miss World 2013, and less than a month after Mutya Johanna Datul bagged the 2013 Miss Supranational crown.

Unfazed

But Miranda is unfazed, brimming with confidence despite the burden on her shoulder brought about by the recent victories of Megan and Mutya.

“I must admit there’s pressure,” said Miranda, whom Inquirer interviewed at her recent sendoff party. “I also want to win and make Filipinos smile.”

Miranda, a proud daughter of Nueva Ecija, credits her positive disposition to her affinity with inspirational literature. She explained, “I love going to bookstores to buy inspirational books, even if I don’t get to finish them. I love new ideas, new inspiration.”

“The last book that I read was ‘The Secret’ and I want to be able to use it in the pageant,” Miranda added.