PH’s Beatriz Mclelland ‘very happy’ at Reina Hispanoamericana 2026
The Philippines’ Francesca Beatriz Mclelland expressed her profound joy for being in her “dream pageant” Reina Hispanoamericana during the closed-door interview round of the competition in Bolivia.
Held Friday morning, Feb. 20 (Friday evening in Manila), the 2026 Reina Hispanoamericana pageant’s jury session with the 28 delegates was streamed on the global tilt’s official YouTube channel.
Mclelland appeared in a white blouse that exposed her shoulders, and greeted the panel “mabuhay!” and “hola” as she handed out packs of dried mangoes to the jury members. The Filipino delicacy has served as lucky charms for many Filipino pageant contenders in the past.
Asked if she was happy to be in the competition, the seasoned pageant girl responded, “I’m very happy. I’ve been joining pageantry for eight years now, since I was 15. I’m 23 now. And Reina Hispanoamericana has always been my dream pageant because Latinas have a great impact in the Philippines.”
She continued: “It has stepped up our game. It has inspired us to do better in pageantry and make a purposeful reign. And that’s what I wanna do as Reina Hispanoamericana. All reinas, all of you Latinas have that commanding aura that every heads will turn and everybody would listen to you. And I’m really inspired to do that. And I think I would like to call myself the new Asian Latina.”
Mclelland had help from an interpreter who translated her answers for the benefit of the Latin American members of the jury. The Reina Hispanoamericana pageant is primarily conducted in Spanish.
She also shared beng excited for the prospect of posting a second consecutive win for the Philippines. “I’m working hard for it, because I want to make history for the Philippines. Latin America and the Philippines have always valued history. And this year, I want to make history with this back-to-back win,” she said.
Mclelland added that she also wants to follow 2017 queen Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez and reigning titleholder Dia Mate “to continue a legacy where I put more work, more social projects, more work for Philippines and for Latin America advocating for one another, and using our values, our common ground, our [respect], our love for history and culture.”
Fans may help her go straight to the Top 12 by voting on the pageant’s official mobile app. As of the latest tally, Mclelland is ranked fourth behind the delegates from Panama, Venezuela and Guatemala.
The 2026 Reina Hispanoamericana “Gran Final” will be held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on Feb. 21 at 10 P.M. (Feb. 22, 10 a.m. in Manila). The ceremonies will be streamed real-time on the pageant’s official YouTube channel. /ra
