Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo, Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Beatrice Luigi Gomez and Miss Charm 2023 first runner-up Annabelle McDonnel. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina
MANILA, Philippines—Some of the most well-loved Filipino beauty queens will come together in an evening of glamour as Miss Universe Philippines winners Rabiya Mateo and Beatrice Luigi Gomez share hosting chores with 2023 Miss Charm first runner-up Annabelle McDonell at the final competition of the inaugural staging of The Miss Philippines Culture and Heritage Celebration.
The contest announced on its social media pages that the three ladies will handle the ceremonies at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Oct. 24. “It will be a glittering affair packed with Filipino talent and beauty,” the organizers said.
Mateo captured the title in the inaugural staging of the first standalone national pageant for the Philippines’ official Miss Universe delegate in 2020. She finished in the Top 21 of the international competition, and later found success as an actor and host on television. Her successor, Gomez, finished in the Top 5 of the global tilt’s 70th edition held in Israel.
McDonnell, a student and radio host from Misamis Oriental, was proclaimed first runner-up in the 2022 Miss Universe Philippines pageant, and was belatedly appointed as the country’s official delegate to the inaugural edition of the Miss Charm pageant in Vietnam held in February.
The Miss Philippines had earlier announced that reigning Miss Supranational Andrea Aguilera from Ecuador would also attend the national search’s final competition show. Thai actor Nattawat Jirochtikul will also stage his Philippine comeback during the ceremony, which will be held back-to-back with the Mister Pilipinas Worldwide contest.
Twenty-one delegates from all over the country and from Filipino communities in the United States are competing for the title currently held by Miss Supranational first runner-up Pauline Amelinckx, who earned the distinction of being the first titleholder of The Miss Philippines when Miss Universe Philippines National Director Shamcey Supsup-Lee bestowed the title on her at her homecoming in August. Seventeen lads are participating in the second edition of the Mister Pilipinas Worldwide contest.
Kemans is the presenting partner of both The Miss Philippines and Mister Pilipinas Worldwide, which will serve as the culminating events of the first-ever The Filipino Festival, a month-long celebration of the country’s culture and heritage through “The Filipino Food and Products Fest,” “The Filipino Music Fest,” “The Filipino Fashion Fest” and “The Filipino Film Fest.”
Aside from earning the opportunity to represent the Philippines in some of the most prestigious international competitions for men and women, the winners of the two searches will each receive a Wuling electric mini vehicle and a custom trophy designed by Jef Albea. /ra