The 2022 queens of Bb. Pilipinas (from left) Nicole Borromeo, Roberta Tamondong, Gabrielle Basiano, and Chelsea Fernandez/ARMIN P. ADINA
All four queens of the 2022 batch of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant were seen together on the same runway, to the delight of the spectators, for a special fashion show mounted for the 2024 competition.
Walking for different designers and together with several candidates of the 2024 Bb. Pilipinas pageant were 2023 Miss International third runner-up Nicole Borromeo, 2022 Bb. Pilipinas Globe Chelsea Fernandez, 2022 Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Gabrielle Basiano, and 2022 Miss Grand International fifth runner-up Roberta Tamondong.
The fashion show was held at the Quantum Skyview of Gateway Mall 2 at the Araneta City in Quezon City last month. It also featured queens from 2021—The Miss Globe Maureen Montagne, and 2022 Miss International semifinalist Hannah Arnold.
Bb. Pilipinas activities usually feature only the reigning queens with the current batch of candidates, but this year’s fashion show was special with titleholders from three batches.
“God, it feels amazing, if I’m being honest with you. Because the last time we saw each other was how many months back. We were able to hang out back then, but life gets in the way, it’s been tough to keep up,” Borromeo told INQUIRER.net after the fashion show.
Fernandez said she was happy, not only because she got to be with her batch mates, but also because she was able to share the runway with the queens before them, the reigning titleholders, and this year’s candidates.
“You know it feels like we haven’t been separated in a long time,” said Tamondong, who also revealed that it was the first time for many of the queens to congratulate Borromeo in person after placing in the Miss International pageant in October last year.
Borromeo also confessed that she was too giddy when she took the runway. “[It was] pure joy. And I can already hear the crowd get a little excited when I walked out. I couldn’t hide my excitement when I was walking, too. Because the family of Binibini is, like, the fans of Binibini, and they’re something else,” she said.
For Basiano, the experience is different because “it’s been two years since we won, and now we’re walking again for Bb. Pilipinas. And this time we have a designer to represent. I’m overflowing with emotions.”
The Bb. Pilipinas pageant is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and the 2022 queens expressed how proud they are to be part of the most enduring national pageant in the country.
“You know, being part of history is something that I’m really proud of. I have had a lot of experiences that I want to share with others, what we went through, our journey when we joined. It was exhausting, but at the same time all worth it,” Fernandez shared.
For Basiano, it is an honor. “When I was a candidate, I could hear the queens calling each other ‘sis’ or ‘Binibini sister.’ Oh my gosh, I wanted to be in that circle. And now we’re celebrating 60th already.. I’m very happy that we’ll be there, there will be so many of us who will be celebrating, I’m so excited thinking about it,” she said.
For Borromeo, being a Bb. Pilipinas queen meant something greater. “I’m a part of a legacy that empowers other girls to be themselves, put themselves out there to talk about what they wanna talk about, stand for the things they want to, and to keep striving. It’s very uplifting, [this] community,” she declared.
This year’s pageant will crown two more queens, who will represent the Philippines in the 63rd Miss International pageant next year, and in The Miss Globe competition this year. The winners will be proclaimed at the 2024 Bb. Pilipinas Grand Coronation night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta City in Quezon City on July 7.