Miss Supranational Philippines Alison Black, Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas Ingrid Santamaria, and Miss Eco Philippines Ashley Subijano Montenegro. Images from ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — A national beauty title may be considered an ultimate achievement, something that a woman may aspire for, and set as a target for the year. But reigning beauty queens still have personal goals for 2023 even if they already have crowns on their heads.
“I feel like after [2022], my New Year’s resolution is to think more highly of myself. I feel like because of the pageant I’ve seen and heard a lot of opinions about me, and sometimes they’re very harsh and it’s hard to not believe them. So now I think I’m working on healing and just learning to love myself more,” reigning Miss Supranational Philippines Alison Black told the Inquirer in a recent interview at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.
The business administration graduate from the University of the Philippines finished in the Top 20 of the 2022 Miss Supranational pageant, and is set to crown her successor in a standalone national pageant this March. She captured her national title at the 2022 Miss World Philippines pageant as one of the multiple winners in the national tilt.
Her fellow 2022 Miss World Philippines pageant winners also shared their goals for this year. Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas Ingrid Santamaria said she has the same one every year, “which is to be bigger, better, stronger than I was last year.”
She added: “For this year, I have a big goal that I want to achieve, and my resolution is to just do everything that I can to get there.”
The Juilliard-educated concert pianist was supposed to fly to Bolivia in October last year for the 2022 Reina Hispanoamericana contest, but the competition was rescheduled to earlier this year because of the unrest in the South American country that erupted close to the original pageant schedule.
The Philippines scored its first, and so far only, victory in the global tilt when Teresita Marquez was proclaimed Reina Hispanoamericana in 2017, and Santamaria hopes to duplicate it in February.
Model Ashley Subijano Montenegro, daughter of beauty queen Cara Subijano and host-model Hans Montenegro, said, “I’m hoping that [in 2023], in honor of celebrating your spirit, I’m also picking myself back up.” She revealed that her family has gone through a lot last year with the passing of her grandmother.
The statuesque beauty will attempt a second straight victory for the Philippines in the Miss Eco International pageant in Egypt in March. Reigning global queen is Kathleen Paton, the second Filipino woman to capture the title. EDV