Zara Carbonell (left) and her dad, Cris Villanueva —ARMIN ADINA
Cris Villanueva said his daughter Zara Carbonell’s people skills may have been one of the aces up her sleeve, which made her win the recent Miss Tourism Worldwide pageant’s inaugural edition in Indonesia.
“She has a way of convincing people. She has her own mind, that’s what I love about her,” the actor shared with the Inquirer at Zara’s victory press conference held at Vikings, SM Jazz in Makati City recently.
The former matinee idol said Zara was the kind of child from whom one could learn so much. “She would not just accept what you’re saying; you have to prove it to her,” he observed.
“I also learned from her that if you want something, and you dream about it, don’t stop at anything. She did not,” Cris added.
The road to Zara’s international crown was long, and not an easy one.
Her first foray into pageants was in 2010 via the Miss CSA (Colegio San Agustin) tilt, where she finished as a finalist. She then moved to the big leagues and joined the 2010 Miss Philippines-Earth pageant.
In 2012, she joined the Bb. Unibersidad contest, where she earned the Miss Teenager Philippines title. She later represented the country in the World Miss University pageant.
Five years later, she joined the Miss World Philippines pageant and was declared “Second Princess,” a runner-up.
Another setback took place earlier this year when she failed to clinch a spot in the Binibining Pilipinas roster of candidates. At that point, Zara said, she thought her pageant journey already ended.
But apparently, it has not.
“It (international crown) has been something I’ve been working so hard for. And to have it finally on my head feels like everything that I have to go through really had to happen, so it makes sense now,” Zara explained.
But for Cris, the timing was just perfect. “I had a hunch that she would get it. I had a strong feeling that now is the time to get a crown. The universe conspired to make it happen,” he said. “She has really bloomed!”
For Zara, every step made her stronger. “I had a lot of hesitation because I was trying to feel my way through. But when you’re sure of who you are, the manifestation of it becomes stronger,” she said.
“When you are confident … and you are not afraid of the steps that you have to take, then it shows. And that’s something I also take pride in when it comes to the journey that I had to go through to get here,” she added.
Zara also cited the kind of parenting she had received as something that helped mold her into becoming the international beauty queen she was today.
“The best thing about … [our family is] the fact that my mom, my dad and I—the three of us—are best friends. And there’s no silly question, no topic that is off-limits,” she explained.
“I’m more proactive than ever to see how I can stretch myself out, because my mom and my dad are always supporting me. They make sure that I am allowed to make my own decisions,” Zara added.