Leren Mae Bautista competes in 2015 Miss Tourism Queen of the Year Int’l

This year, the Philippines has already surpassed its record four-crown haul in international competitions set in 2013. Just this month alone, the Philippines scored big wins via 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach in Las Vegas, and 2015 Miss Earth Angelia Ong in Vienna.

With Ann Lorraine Colis bagging the country’s first Miss Globe win in Canada in October, Trixie Maristella’s triumph in the transgender pageant Miss International Queen in Thailand and Cindy Madduma’s victory in the Miss Scuba International tilt, the Philippines has already amassed five international titles this year.

In 2013, Megan Young became the first Filipino Miss World winner in Indonesia. Bea Rose Santiago bagged the Philippines’ fifth win in the Miss International pageant in Japan.

Mutya Johanna Datul received the country’s first Miss Supranational crown in Belarus. Angeli Dione Gomez recorded the Philippines’ first back-to-back triumph in the Miss Tourism International tilt in Malaysia.

But one lady is poised to make this year’s record even better as she competes for the last global beauty tilt for the year, the 2015-2016 Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International Leren Mae Bautista left the country earlier this month to compete for the pageant, revived by the organizers this year as its flagship beauty competition.

Last held in 2012, the Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International crown is just one of the numerous international titles awarded by Malaysia-based D’Touch International SDN BHD.

In the recent years, the crown has been awarded as a subsidiary title in the annual Miss Tourism International pageant held every 31st of December. This year, D’Touch decided to make the Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International as its flagship international competition to the held on the year’s end.

The Miss Tourism International was slated for an earlier date in Vietnam but floods forced organizers to postpone it for next year. The 23-year-old Bautista has already spent Christmas in Kuala Lumpur with the rest of the delegates.

It was not only her first time to be away from her family for the holidays, it was also her first one out of the country.

Before she set out to compete, Bautista promised to give her best to bring pride and honor to the country by giving the best representation of the Filipino woman and the Philippines.

“The best that I can show the candidates from the other countries is that the Filipino woman is strong and independent,” she told media scribes during her send-off press conference at the Midas Hotel and Casino in Pasay City recently.

With tourism as the contest’s main thrust, Bautista hopes to share with the world that “Filipinos are really positive and fun-loving.”

Bautista is up against 56 other delegates in 2015 Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International coronation night at the Marriot Putrajaya Grand Ballroom in Kuala Lumpur on Dec. 31.

The Philippines has already bagged the title twice, courtesy of Sherylle Santarin in 1996 and Raquel Uy in 1999. TVJ