Newly-crowned Bb. Pilipinas Globe Jasmin Bungay/ARMIN P. ADINA
Newly-crowned Binibining Pilipinas Globe Jasmin Bungay is one lucky lady. Not among the early favorites by observers, and not even at the top of prediction lists released by pageant portals, she defied the odds and has now become a national titleholder.
An insider also shared that during a visit to one of the pageant’s sponsors this year, she had won not just one, but two luxury bags worth hundreds of thousands of pesos. She snagged her first purse in a raffle, and later scored another one when she topped the event’s question-and-answer contest.
Bungay also broke the supposed “curse” on candidates upon being asked by 1969 Miss Universe Gloria Diaz her hard pageant questions and still won, a fate so much different from those suffered by the others before her.
During the final round of the competition at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta City in Quezon City on July 7, the first Filipino Miss Universe titleholder posed her this question: “If you were given 30 minutes to talk to the public, what would you want to talk about?”
She responded: “I would like to talk about the passing of the SOGIESC (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics) Bill. Because in [this] celebration, such as pageants, this community has contributed so much. And in this regard, we could give back to them by supporting this cause, because as an individual, it is our responsibility that we ensure that everyone is treated equally despite their SOGIESC.”
Incidentally, Diaz previously stated her stance that the Miss Universe pageant must cater only to biological women, amid the pageant’s recent direction towards “social inclusivity” to allow transgender women to join, along with married women, single mothers, women of advanced age to join the tilt.
Leaving Dubai
Bungay left her job at a logistics firm in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, and came back to the Philippines in February to join the national pageant. She also did a bit of modeling as a side hustle in the Middle East. “So I’m currently unemployed, because I really wanted to focus on Binibining Pilipinas,” she told INQUIRER.net after her coronation.
“Even when I was contemplating if I would join, I didn’t really expect that it was going to be the 60th year. So when I saw that it was 60th, diamond year, I was just like, ‘Oh, it was a perfect time for me to join Bb. Pilipinas, because I was contemplating about it for a very long time.’ And this year, I finally decided to join it and it’s the 60th year,” Bungay shared.
But before becoming an overseas Filipino worker, she was able to use the Bachelor of Secondary Education degree (major in Mathematics) that she earned in Angeles, Pampanga. She became an educator, and taught for a year.
Aside from pushing for equal and equitable treatment of people regardless of their SOGIESC, Bungay said she is also a staunch advocate of OFW welfare. And she will use her title to push for these causes, she declared.
The new queen will represent the Philippines in the 2024 edition of The Miss Globe pageant in Albania later this year, and try to exceed her predecessor Anna Lakrini’s second runner-up finish in last year’s competition.
Bb. Pilipinas queens Ann Colis and Maureen Montagne were crowned The Miss Globe in 2015 and 2021, respectively. Maricar Balagtas won in an earlier iteration of the international competition in 2001.