The Miss Philippines queens discuss heroism, Independence Day

The Miss Philippines queens (from left) Isabelle De Los Santos, Tarah Valencia, Ahtisa Manalo, Cyrille Payumo and Alexie Brooks. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina

As the nation celebrates its 126th Independence Day today, June 12, queens of The Miss Philippines who are the country’s flagbearers in the international pageant arena—Ahtisa Manalo, Alexie Brooks, Cyrille Payumo, Isabelle De Los Santos and Tarah Valencia—shared how one can honor the heroism of the Filipinos who fought for the people.

The five ladies faced pageant scribes and online content creators at a media conference hosted by The Miss Philippines at the Empire Studios at Estancia Mall in Pasig City on June 10, where they discussed being the representatives of Filipinos and the country in the global community.

INQUIRER.net asked the five ladies how they, as Philippine flagbearers, can best honor the Filipinos who fought for the country’s freedom. And the diversity of their responses captured how expansive the essence of the word “heroism” is.

“It’s really important to celebrate with action. It’s one thing to celebrate. But as Filipinos, as we live in this modern era of technology, most of the generation now tend to forget our history. So we are here, as representatives, to remind [them] that it is really important to preserve our culture and history,” said Payumo, Miss Charm Philippines.

Valencia, Miss Supranational Philippines, said, “We can really honor the heroism of our previous national heroes by acknowledging how this has greatly impacted our history, how it has impacted our culture, and what [we are] really experiencing and enjoying right now.”

The Miss Cosmo Philippines titleholder, Manalo, said, “The way I honor the heroism of the people who fought for our freedom is by enjoying that freedom. I make sure I exercise my right to vote every time there is a suffrage.”

Brooks, who holds the Miss Eco International Philippines crown, discussed the value of learning history. “Because without these people and these heroes from our past, we wouldn’t be in the position that we are in right now,” she explained.

For De Los Santos, Miss Aura Philippines titleholder, being a responsible citizen is her way of honoring the Filipinos’ struggles in the past. “It’s really important that we read up on certain issues, and really speak up about it, so that we can really protect our independence, and also our nationality. That simple thing is already protecting our nationalism,” she shared.

Manalo agreed, and said, “I make sure I’m a responsible Filipino, I’m a responsible citizen, so that their fight for the freedom of the Philippines won’t go to waste.”

Brooks, for her part, said, “What we are doing right now will really impact our future. So I really hope that we honor [our heroes], and we celebrate them at the same time. And maybe one day the future generation will also celebrate what we do.”

Payumo further highlighted the importance of celebrating Independence Day. “I’m here to acknowledge and give honor to our national heroes who fought for our country. And as [for] myself, this is part of ‘love for culture.’ We wouldn’t be the person who we are now [if it weren’t] for them,” she said.

Brooks, Manalo, Payumo and Valencia received their respective national titles after competing in the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant, whose competition period ran for two months and three weeks, and culminated on May 22. Delos Santos, on the other hand, competed in the inaugural staging of The Miss Philippines Culture and Heritage Celebration in October last year. Both national competitions are mounted by Empire Philippines.