Chelsea Manalo leads charge in promoting inclusivity in PH pageants

Miss Universe Philippines Chelsea Manalo/ARMIN P. ADINA

Chelsea Manalo‘s victory as Miss Universe Philippines has been monumental because she is the first Filipino woman of black heritage to represent the Philippines in the 73-year history of the Miss Universe pageant.

And while many celebrated her victory, there were still those who raise the race card and asked if she is “Filipino” enough to carry the country’s flag in a global arena.

But for “La Bulakenya,” being of mixed race is an advantage. “We are already representing multicultural aspects that we have, for diversity, for inclusivity in the Philippines. And to bring that to a universal stage, what more the influence that I may bring?” Manalo said at an event marking the partnership between the Miss Universe Philippines Organization (MUPH) and Pina held at House Manila in Taguig City last month.

“It’s not just being the representation of a black woman, there’s a lot of colored women in the universe. But it’s about what you can bring to the table. I want them to understand how beautiful, how strong, how resilient a Filipina is,” continued Manalo.

Miss Supranational 2023 first runner-up Pauline Amelinckx, who hosted the event, also shared with INQUIRER.net her own ordeals in pageantry for being of mixed heritage.

“I do have my own experiences where people said, ‘o she’s mestiza, we’re gonna have another mestiza,’ or ‘it’s another mestiza competing, when are we gonna have a pure Filipina?’ I hear you, I feel you. But in this day and age, in this point in time, with the globalization of so many cultures and the globalization of so many people, it’s so hard to find someone who is really 100 percent pure Filipina, without at least a little halo (mix) of Spanish, or Chinese, or from Western Europe, or from Eastern Europe for example,” she said.

“Being Filipino isn’t just in the skin that I have, it’s in the mindset and the mentality and the character that I bring, and the culture of values that I have that I want to bring. And I think that that is what makes us Filipina, more than just the way we look, but the way we feel. It’s a feeling, more than just a look,” continued Amelinckx, whose father is Belgian.

Miss Universe Philippines Chelsea Manalo (second from left) with MUPH EVP Voltaire Tayag (center), and (from left) Miss Eco Teen International 2024 runner-up Raven Doctor, Miss Supranational Asia & Oceania 2024 Alethea Ambrosio, and Miss Supranational 2023 first runner-up Pauline Amelinckx/ARMIN P. ADINA

Miss Supranational Asia & Oceania 2024 Alethea Ambrosio agreed, and said, “when we talk about our identity as Filipino, it doesn’t limit us to our skin color. We were colonized by the Spaniards, nagkaroon tayo ng mga (we had) mixed-race. There are Filipinos who have different skin types. I would say it really doesn’t matter what your skin type is. What really matters is your Filipino heart.”

Miss Eco Teen International 2024 runner-up Raven Doctor cited Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray’s case. “She was labeled as not Filipina enough. But she was the one who brought so much pride to the Philippines,” she said.

“Regardless really of our skin tone, how we speak, or where we come from, it’s really about your heart. If you think that you are Filipino, if your heart goes to the Philippines, and you understand the painful past and the celebation of the Philippine history, then I think that you are worthy of being labeled as a Filipina,” Doctor added.

MUPH Executive Vice President Voltaire Tayag reflected on a piece he wrote before as a pageant journalist. “A lot of times I felt bad for the mixed-heritage Filipinas being questioned for being half, and it’s realy not their fault,” he said.

“A lot of times, the Filipinos would want to ask them, ‘are you more Filipina or are you more your other nationality or your other heritage?’ And I would always say that’s like asking them to choose between their mother and their father. And that’s not something that you choose, you are both,” he continued.

“Everybody is Filipino enough. For the pageant fans, sometimes even the best is never enough for them, sadly. But that’s never our purpose, it’s never been our measurement for how we operate or how we approach things. What we do is we always look for the best reprentative that year. We always look for the best one with the best qualities,” Tayag added.

He vouched for MUPH’s commitment to embracing diversity and inclusivity: “This year we had seversal black FIlipinas compete, and two of them ended up winning titles. And Chelsea is the first black representation of that amazing Filipina. We have the mestiza, the morena, the chinita, and now we have the black Filipina.”

Manalo also imparted a message to Filipino pageant aspirants who may be affected by conversations on race and skin tone. “I want them to first evaluate how they feel. Is it stronger than what people are saying? Because in your head you think that’s strong. But your spirit, of your dream, to push for and fight for a crown and join a pageant, that is what you should look into more, than who you are on the outside,” she said.

Amelinckx reminded them, “if you let yourself be limited by something as skin, then you will never actually know your true potential when it comes to the growth that you might undergo in joining a pagent.”

She continued: “I hope you muster all the courage that you have to take that step, because that can truly be transformational, and you will view yourself in terms of values that go way beyond the color of your skin, and you will be sending a message to other people who also might be feeling the same, that regardles of the skin tone or the skin color that you have, or even regadless of your ethnicity, you can still make a difference, and you still matter, and you can still have that spot on that stage, so just do it.”

Manalo is currently in Mexico for the 73rd Miss Universe pageant. She is hoping to become the fifth Filipino woman to bring home the crown. The coronation will take place at the Arena CDMX on Nov. 16 (Nov. 17 in Manila).