Mrs. Worldwide pageant finds new Philippine national director in actress-singer Charo Laude
Charo Laude/ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Lumiere International Pageantry head Justina Quek announced on Facebook recently that her Mrs. Worldwide pageant has found a new national director for the Philippines in singer-actress and beauty queen Charo Laude.
The international competition is just one of the numerous global tilts mounted by Quek’s Singapore-based organization, and Laude said it was not easy securing the pageant’s license for the Philippines. “Through my hard work and my dream, I was blessed enough to acquire the franchise. As they say, follow your dreams with hard work [and] you will be blessed,” she told the Inquirer in an online interview.
Laude represented the Philippines in the 2019 Mrs. Universe pageant held in China, where she finished in the semifinals. She currently serves as the national director for the Philippines of the Bulgaria-based Mrs. Universe pageant, holding national competitions to crown delegates for the said international competition.
As the head of another national pageant, Laude finds nothing wrong with getting a new franchise from a different international competition. “Both franchises are for women who are currently married or married before who like to continue a good foundation for charities and good advocacies for a future forged by women with courage to push the limits of what’s possible, who are curious in discovery, and the audacity to do it again,” she said.
Holding the national franchise for the Mrs. Worldwide pageant, for Laude, paves the way for her to “express publicly my love for the country to all citizens,” she said. “I take it to mean that my time, talent, and treasure are used not only for myself and my family, but to contribute to my country as well,” she continued, saying her work in the fashion and entertainment industries have been her service to the nation.
Article continues after this advertisement“Most exciting, too, is my learning from and working with millennials, and offering new ways to approach a brighter future to decision-makers in the Philippines,” added the national pageant organizer, who is poised to mount the 2023 Mrs. Universe pageant in the country later this year, with more than 100 delegates from different parts of the world.
Article continues after this advertisementLaude indeed has put more things on her plate this year. From staging the annual Mrs. Universe Philippines pageant, she has added the responsibility of leading the hosting of the international Mrs. Universe competition in the country, too. And now she has another global pageant franchise to manage.
She said she thanks God for the new responsibility put on her shoulders. “I would do and try more than I can, inspiring the less-fortunate youth and initiating good projects which can help bring unity, love, and peace for a better society,” Laude shared.
No Filipino woman has been crowned Mrs. Worldwide yet. The closest the country has ever been to the title was Llena Tan’s second runner-up finish in 2019, and Laude now also bears the responsibility of recording the Philippines’ first victory in the global tilt. EDV
