Herlene Budol and Miss Tourism World 2022 first runner-up Justine Felizarta. Screengrab from Youtube/GrandTV
MANILA, Philippines — Newly-crowned Miss Philippines Tourism Herlene Nicole Budol said her gamble to speak in Filipino for her pageant quest has paid off, if only for the wave of influence it has caused on many young girls.
“Halos kalahati po ng candidates dito sa Miss Grand [Philippines] sinabi po nila sa akin na ako raw po ang naging inspirasyon nila para sumali rito,” she said after her coronation at the culmination of the pageant that was held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on July 13.
(Almost half of the candidates of Miss Grand [Philippines] told me that I inspired them to join here.)
“Una sa lahat pwede na raw po palang mag-Tagalog, na akala nila dati hindi puwede. Kaya napa-proud po ako na bilang ako dahil ito na po ang umpisa na hindi po matakot ang mga Pilipino na mag-Tagalog sa kahit anong patimpalak,” continued the “Magandang Dilag” actress.
(First of all, they said it’s now okay to speak Tagalog, which they thought wasn’t allowed before. That’s why I’m proud of myself because this is the beginning for Filipinos to not be afraid of speaking Tagalog in whatever competition.)
Budol required the aid of an interpreter for the Top 15 speech round, and the Top 10 question-and-answer portion of the national competition. She said she did so because she wanted to break the stereotype of what many believe a beauty queen should be.
READ: Herlene Budol’s hilarious responses in Miss Grand Philippines Q&A draw laughs, sneers
“Walang limit ang maging beauty queen, kung ikaw naman may purpose ka naman, ang adbokasiya mo, o kung anong inspirasyon ang kaya mong ibigay sa kanila. Limitless po iyon,” she shared.
(Being a beaty queen has no limits, if you have a purpose or advocacy, or whatever inspiration you may give to others. It’s limitless.)
And despite appearing glum about missing out on the top prize of the competition when she received her title, Budol said she is grateful for the crown she got. “Last year wala tayong crown. This year binigyan tayo ng crown kaya sobrang saya ko at tumatalon ako, ang puso ko. Pagod lang ako pero sobrang saya ko,” she said.
(Last year we did not get a crown. This year we received a crown, that is why I’m extremely happy, my heart is jumping. I’m just tired, but I’m really very happy.)
Last year she took part in the Binibining Pilipinas pageant where she was proclaimed first runner-up. The national pageant still held the franchise for the Miss Grand International contest at that time, and she was vocal about it being her target. When ALV Pageant Circle, organizer of the Miss World Philippines pageant, acquired the license for this year’s competition, she continued her quest for the elusive “golden crown” from the Thai-organized tilt.
But the 2023 Miss Grand Philippines title went to 19-year-old Brazilian-Filipino model Nikki De Moura from Cagayan de Oro City, who was crowned Miss Teen Philippines in 2019, and finished second in the Asia-wide reality competition “Supermodel Me” in 2021.
The Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas crown, meanwhile, was awarded to another pageant veteran, Michelle Arceo from Bagumbayan, Quezon City, who has twice joined the Miss World Philippines pageant before getting the 2021 Miss Environment Philippines title that sent her to the 2022 Miss Environment International contest where she finished second.
De Moura will try to score the Philippines’ first victory in the Miss Grand International pageant in Vietnam in October, while Arceo will try to become the second Filipino woman to be crowned Reina Hispanoamericana in Bolivia later this year.
And although Budol received her crown from 2022 Miss World Philippines-Tourism Justine Felizarta who was first runner-up in the 2022 Miss Tourism World contest, the new queen will not be representing the country in an international competition, at least for now.
Budol’s title is similar to the one bestowed on Glyssa Perez and Trisha Martinez in their respective Miss World Philippines stints. The two former winners did not compete in any international contest.
The comedienne, meanwhile, said that now that the pageant is over, she will eat as much rice as she can because she was forbidden from doing so in preparation for the contest’s swimsuit competition.
The 2023 Miss Grand Philippines pageant is the second standalone national competition that chooses the country’s representative to the Miss Grand International contest. The first one was mounted by the late pageant mentor and organizer John Dela Vega in 2014. EDV