Quezon City crowns its Miss Universe PH bet

Ojimba—CONTRIBUTED
PHOTO

The crowning last Monday of the official representative from Quezon City to the Miss Universe Philippines pageant scheduled in May was an intimate affair. Unlike some of the others held in the past few weeks in Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Cebu that were far glitzier and more dynamic, the production for this one was more subdued, even static.

It generated buzz, however, because when the list of 15 contestants for the Quezon City pageant was announced late last year, it included 69-year-old Joyce Cubales. In the past, contestants to the Miss Universe pageant had to be between 18 and 28 years old by the start of the pageant. In September 2023, Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel announced that the upper age limit for joining would be dropped.

Joyce Cubales—RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

Cubales, who has joined and won a couple of other pageants, saw this as a chance to make her point—that beauty knows no age. At the finals held in a function room at Seda Verdis North, she made it to the semifinals with nine other contestants, but was cut when only five finalists were chosen.

No limits

Dusky, statuesque and outspoken beauty Lorraine Ojimba was crowned Miss Universe Philippines Quezon City. In her glittering evening gown, Ojimba was the picture of poise as she answered the question about her stand on the dropping of the age limit and on allowing trans women to compete in beauty pageants. “Hinding-hindi malilimitahan ang kababaihan,” she said. INQ

Miss Universe PH Quezon City Lorraine Ojimba—RAOUL J. CHEE KEE