The Miss Universe Philippines Canada search is now open./MISS UNIVERSE PHILIPPINES CANADA FACEBOOK IMAGE
The Miss Universe Philippines pageant will have a delegate from the Filipino community in Canada next year, with Filipino-Canadians launching in August their own search for their bet to the 2025 national competition.
Former advertising executive Michiko Unso, who is heading the Miss Universe Philippines Canada as its global director, shared the development with Manila-based journalists and online content creators through a virtual press conference conducted on Aug. 30 (Aug. 31 in Manila). She was joined by the organization’s Business Development Engagement Director Aaron Mariano.
The Miss Universe Philippines Organization (MUPH) is running an accredited partnership (AP) program that taps individuals and groups to conduct their own search for a delegate from their respective town, city, province, or overseas Filipino community.
In the recent edition of the Miss Universe Philippines pageant that culminated in May, nine candidates were fielded by the overseas Filipino communities in Australia and Sydney from the “Land Down Under,” Florida, Hawaii, Miami, Northern California, Southern California, and Virginia in the United States, and the United Kingdom. There was originally a delegate from Washington, but she withdrew from the competition.
Unso said mounting the search started as a dream. “I felt there is a need to have representation from Canada to the Philippines. [There was still no] Miss Universe Philippines [AP] here,” she said during the virtual conference.
“[We can see that] there are women who want to tell their stories, but there was no pageant here. They either go back to the Philippines to represent their cities, or they go to the [United States] to screen. When I learned about the franchise, I applied,” she continued.
Unso served as a CEO of an advertising agency in the Philippines for 14 years before moving to Canada. While in Manila, she has championed women’s causes, promoting women empowerment and providing refuge for abused women. She founded BRAVE Women (Bolder Reaction Against Violence to Empower Women) “to help women cope with abuse and get out of their shells,” she shared.
The Miss Universe Philippines Canada has the tagline “Inclusive. Empowering. Celebrating the Filipina Canadian,” and Unso said her search this year aims to showcase representation, inclusivity, and diversity. “We would like to open Canada to the Philippines, the meeting of East and the West,” she said.
The search is open to women of Filipino descent not younger than 18 years old. There are no maximum age or minimum height requirements. And abiding by the regulations of the Miss Universe Organization, the Canadian search will accept applicants regardless of marital status. Mothers are also invited to apply.
Initial screenings will be conducted online until Oct. 31. Interested applicants may visit the Miss Universe Philippines Canada official social media pages for more details on how to apply and where to access the application form.
Mariano said the successful applicants will be invited to the gala events next year, in Vancouver on Jan. 11, and in Toronto on Jan. 18. “We are hoping to get 30 to 50 to compete. They will compete in question-and -answer, in dresses, just to keep to the standard,” he shared.
The Miss Universe Philippines Canada titleholder will be chosen from those who will participate in the two gala events, and will be sent to the Philippines to commence her participation in the national pageant starting in February.
Aces & Queens, the pageant camp that produced 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe runners-up Janine Tugonon, Ariella Arida, Shamcey Supsup, and Venus Raj, and other iconic Filipino international titleholders, will fly to Canada in November to conduct a boot camp for those who want to embark on pageantry, or develop their personality.
Unso clarified, though, that participating in the boot camp will not be mandatory for the Miss Universe Philippines Canada applicants, and the sessions will be open to all women, whether they want to engage in pageantry or not. The eventual Miss Universe Philippines Canada titleholder will also undergo a rigid pageant regimen under Aces and Queens in Manila.
The 2025 Miss Universe Philippines pageant, Unso said, may hold its coronation show in May next year, where reigning queen Chelsea Manalo will relinquish her national title to her successor.