(From left) Gloria Diaz, Michelle Dee. Images: Instagram/@gloria.diaz69, Instagram/@themissuniverseph
Pageant veteran Gloria Diaz shared one queenly advice to Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee amid the mixed public reception on the latter’s coronation as representative to the global pageant.
Diaz advised the reigning titleholder to pretend that bashers “don’t exist” during an interview with GMA-7’s 24 Oras last Friday, May 19, saying that Dee should focus on representing the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant instead.
“Nakita ko lang that she was crowned, [it’s] very nice. And [her mother Melanie Marquez] was so proud,” she added. (I saw that she was crowned, it’s very nice. And her mother Melanie Marquez was so proud.)
The former beauty queen also looked back at the time where bashers would claim that the national tilt was rigged, when she was crowned as the country’s representative in 1969.
“When I won Miss Philippines, they said it was ‘lutong Macau,’ and one or two people [deserved the win] etcetera, pero I didn’t even know what ‘lutong Macau’ means,” she said. “And then afterwards, after I won Miss Universe, nag-faint nga sila eh.”
From one queen to another, Diaz urged Dee to not mind her bashers and just “do her best” in the global tilt instead, as the latter dealt with mixed reactions following her win.
Gloria Diaz advised Michelle Dee to just do her best and pretend that bashers “don’t exist” as the latter continues to face backlash over her Miss Universe Philippines 2023 win.
“Ang puno, nagbubunga. Siyempre, babatuhin nila ‘yan. But just do your best, enjoy, and just pretend they don’t exist,” she said, while addressing Dee.
The reigning titleholder’s coronation was marred with mixed reactions from pageant fans on social media, with some pointing out that Bohol’s Pauline Amelinckx should’ve been crowned as MUPh 2023. The latter was named as the country’s representative to the Miss Supranational pageant in July.
Despite this, Amelinckx stressed during a post-coronation event that the “stars aligned” for Dee’s win, saying she’s happy for the latter’s win.
“The stars aligned for Michelle, and she deserved it. She performed greatly. I’m happy also for the team that’s behind me that allowed me to perform so well,” she said.
Dee is set to compete for the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown in El Salvador following Diaz, Margarita Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018). EDV