Miss Grand Philippines Nikki De Moura (third from right) is flanked by (from left) second runner-up Charie Manalo Sergio, Miss Eco Teen Philippines Francine Reyes, Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas Michelle Arceo, Miss Philippines Tourism Herlene Budol, and first runner-up Shanon Tampon. INQUIRER / ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — The quest for the country’s first “golden crown” now rests on the shoulders of Nikki De Moura from Cagayan de Oro City, who was crowned Miss Grand Philippines 2023 at the culmination of a competition held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on July 13.
She edged out 29 other aspirants to inherit the title from Roberta Tamondong, fifth runner-up in the 2022 Miss Grand International pageant. Reigning Miss Grand International Isabella Menin from Brazil also witnessed the new queen’s coronation as the country’s official delegate in the global tilt’s 11th edition later this year.
The national pageant also proclaimed three more titleholders. Michelle Arceo from Bagumbayan, Quezon City, was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas, and will try to score the Philippines’ second victory in the 2023 Reina Hispanoamericana pageant in Bolivia. Herlene Budol from Angono, Rizal, took home the Miss Philippines Tourism title. Francine Reyes from Tarlac, meanwhile, was crowned Miss Eco Teen Philippines.
Arceo is a veteran of national and international competitions who has twice competed in the Miss World Philippines pageant, also mounted by the ALV Pageant Circle that organized the Miss Grand Philippines contest. In 2021, she earned the first Miss Environment Philippines title that sent her to the inaugural edition of the Miss Environment International tilt in India in 2022 where she was proclaimed Miss Ecology International for finishing second. She was also first runner-up in the 2022 Century Superbods contest.
Newly crowned Miss Grand Philippines Nikki De Moura. INQUIRER / ARMIN P. ADINA
De Moura was crowned Miss Teen Philippines in 2019 at the age of 15. In 2021, at the age of 17, she joined the Asia-wide reality modeling competition “Supermodel Me” where she finished second.
Shanon Tampon from Caloocan City, and Charie Manalo Sergio from Caluya, Antique, were proclaimed as 2023 Miss Grand Philippines first and second runners-up, respectively.
Tampon has made the rounds of numerous national competitions before getting hand-picked to be the Philippines’ first delegate to the Miss Elite pageant. She competed in the global tilt’s 2022 edition in Egypt and was proclaimed first runner-up.
Budol is a comedienne who top-bills the afternoon series “Magandang Dilag” on GMA. She joined the 2022 Binibining Pilipinas pageant and finished as first runner-up. When her manager acquired the license for the Miss Planet International pageant, she was appointed to represent the Philippines and flew to Uganda for the global competition. But irregularities in the staging of the pageant prompted her team to pull her out of the contest.
The current Miss Grand Philippines pageant mounted by ALV Pageant Circle is the second standalone national competition that chooses the country’s representative to the Miss Grand International contest. The first one was organized by the late pageant mentor and organizer John Dela Vega in 2014.
No Filipino woman has ever won in the Miss Grand International pageant. The highest placement for the Philippines was first runner-up, courtesy of Bb. Pilipinas queens Nicole Cordoves (2016) and Samantha Bernardo (2020).
Several other Bb. Pilipinas queens finished in the Top 5—Ali Forbes in 2013, Parul Shah in 2015, and Elizabeth Clenci in 2017.
The 2023 Miss Grand International pageant will be held in Vietnam in October. EDV