Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental 2022 Gabrielle Basiano. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina
With a slew of national beauty pageants that the Philippines is seeing, one name that has been floating among the possible aspirants for several crowns is 2022 Binibining Pillipina Intercontinental Gabrielle Basiano.
It has been almost two years since the seasoned beauty queen’s reign as national titlist ended, but fans have been clamoring for her to stage a comeback through other competitions such as the Miss Universe Philippines, Miss World Philippines and Miss Grand Philippines pageants.
“As of the moment, I feel that I do not yet have the energy to join again. If you will recall, I competed for four straight years with no break. It became draining for me after that,” Basiano told an intimate group of media scribes in a recent gathering in Quezon City.
INQUIRER.net also asked the Waray lass how it feels to be the last woman to receive the Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental title, a crown she won in the 2022 national pageant, but never got to relinquish to a successor after a year-long reign.
“For me, it feels great to hold that title. Everytime someone asks for a greeting, I always say I’m the last Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental. I remember the other Binibinis were also remembered for their title. So for me it’s an honor,” Basiano said.
The Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. held the Philippine franchise for the Miss Intercontinental pageant from 2014 to 2022, and was able to produce the first Filipino winner, Karen Gallman (2018), and the last queen from the Philippines Cinderella Faye Obeñita (2021).
READ: Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Gabrielle Basiano makes history without her knowing
The rival Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant regained the license in 2023 after losing it in 2014, and sent its 2022 winner Iona Gibbs to compete in Egypt, becoming Basiano’s de-facto successor.
Aside from being the last to be crowned as Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental, Basiano also holds another distinction in the national pageant by being one of the few to win both Best in Swimsuit and Best in Evening Gown awards. The last woman to do so before her was 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray.
And having joined the pageant twice, first finishing as a runner-up, she also achieved the immensely rare feat of bringing home the Best in Evening Gown for two consecutive years.
She confessed that bagging the Best in Swimsuit award made her cry, because of some observers’ unfavorable remarks about her physique when she came back to compete a second time.
Basiano also said that she shed even more tears of joy after scoring back-to-back Best in Evening Gown, and credited her designers Ken Batino and Jevin Salaysay, who provided her wardrobe “since Day 1.”
And while on a pageant hiatus, Basiano is busy heading the JCI (Junior Chamber Internatonal) Las Piñas Water Lily Chapter, assuming the year-long presidency at the start of 2025. A fellow beauty queen got her on board, 2013 Miss World Philippines Second Princess and 2018 Miss Philippines-Air Zahra Bianca Saldua, the group’s charter president.
“After the coronation of the next queens, I asked myself what’s next for me. I wanted to do something different, something I can enjoy at the same time. And the first reason I joined (JCI) is sisterhood. They also became my family,” she shared.
Basiano said that as the president of the only all-woman JCI chapter in the Philippines, her team focuses on young girls through the “Pinay Power” program, which provides education to the female youth.
She said she aims to increase her chapter’s membership even more as president. “It’s difficult when you’re all women, because us women have a lot of things to do, and things we want to achieve. So we get volunteers. But we’re really aiming for growth so we can amplify our breakthroughs,” Basiano explained.
The Waray beauty queen is also embarking on a career in show business. After a short stint as host in “Wil to Win,” Basiano said she is ready to pursue acting, preferably as a “kontrabida” (antagonist).
Basiano said her fellow Borongan City native Boy Abunda has taken her under his care, and he has already lined her up for acting workshops and even more mentoring sessions for hosting.