Philippines’ Michelle Arceo and Peru’s Maricielo Gamarra. Image from Armin Adina, Reina Hispanoamericana/Instagram
Peru scored a second consecutive win at the 2023 Reina Hispanoamericana pageant held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Jan. 28 (Jan. 29 in the Philippines) when Maricielo Gamarra inherited the title from her compatriot Ariette Rujel who won in last year’s competition.
The new queen bested 26 other aspirants at the 32nd edition of the international competition, including Michelle Arceo from the Philippines who finished as second runner-up. Venezuela’s Fernanda Rojas was proclaimed as “Virreina” (vice queen), while Cinthya Moura from Brazil was first runner-up.
Curacao’s Bianty Gimperts was third runner-up, while Colombia’s Paula Andrea Alarcon rounded up the winners circle as fourth runner-up.
Gamarra’s and Aujel’s fellow Peruvian beauty, reigning Miss Grand International Luciana Fuster, was among the judges who scored the delegates. Stephen Diaz, the Filipino head director of Miss International organizer International Cultural Association, also sat in the panel.
Arceo’s placement was the highest for the Philippines since Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez became the first Filipino contender to be proclaimed Reina Hispanoamericana in 2017. Katrina Llegado was fifth runner-up in 2019, Emmanuelle Vera was third runner-up in 2021, and Ingrid Santamaria was in the Top 14 in 2022.
Since 2017, talent manager Arnold L. Vagafria of ALV Pageant Circle has been sending the Philippines’ representative to the international competition that celebrates Hispanic culture, language, heritage, and traditions to the global community.
Arceo was proclaimed Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas at ALV Pageant Circle’s first staging of its Miss Grand Philippines pageant in July last year. The top title went to Nikki De Moura.
The Reina Hispanoamericana pageant is Arceo’s second international competition. She was proclaimed “Miss Ecosystem” for finishing second in the first-ever Miss Environment International contest held in India in 2022. She earned her ticket to the global competition by being one of the titleholders at the 2021 Miss World Philippines competition, also under ALV Pageant Circle.