MANILA, Philippines — Candidates of Miss World Philippines 2018 showcased not only beauty but also brains as they answered tough questions at the recently concluded pageant held at Mall of Asia Arena.
With only 30 seconds to answer the questions, the candidates showed grace under pressure in the most awaited round in a beauty pageant.
The top 10 who answered the questions were Alyssa Muhlach Alvarez, Katarina Rodriguez, Kimi Mugford, Maureen Montagne, Kim De Guzman, Kylah Sanchez, Denielle Magno, Marianne Marquez, Chanel Morales, and Pearl Hung.
#27 Katarina Rodriguez, Miss World Philippines 2018
Question: There are people who believe that beauty pageants are a form of women exploitation. What can you do to change their opinion?
“I'd like to think that one should live by example. And I actually would like to admit that I was one of those before, until I learned more about what beauty pageants are about. One thing I can tell you is that you may think it's very competitive but it's not. You understand beauty pageants when you know that it is actually not competitive against other women. It's actually competitive towards yourself. And in a sense, it's all about woman empowerment. And you can feel that in this group of girls… each girl knows that we are all individually beautiful.”
#33 Alyssa Muhlach Alvarez, Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2018
Inclusivity has become a growing trend these days. In Philippine society, who do you feel are discriminated against and how would you help them in their plight?
“I think that when it comes to discrimination, it's not just about race. In the Philippines, one very important social issue we're facing now is discrimination against women in the workplace. A very important issue we're facing now is the gender pay gap. I think, personally, your gender should not determine how much you are paid or you get. I think that feminist isn't about just equality, it's about...”
#16 Maureen Montagne, Miss Eco Philippines 2018
Resilience is defined by how we manage to smile in the (direst) circumstances, like in facing typhoons or tragedies. Do you think the Filipino spirit is just about smiling despite the hardships we encounter?
“I think that Filipinos are so unique that they have these values that I'm very proud of. We are so – not really resilient – but we're very hardworking. No matter where we go, no matter where in the world, you'll see that. Filipinos are top leaders. They're so intelligent, so kind, and they bring the Filipino spirit wherever they go. We should all be very, very proud of being Filipinos. Thank you.”
#35 Kimi-Lei Mugford, Miss Multinational Philippines 2018
“I think this is the perfect question for this specific occasion especially because it's a beauty pageant. We are all woman standing here in behalf of a specific cause and charity and so for me, I'm raising awareness on substance abuse and drug abuse. So my proceeds from my earnings would go towards that and educating the youth in the Philippines is where I want to start.”
#39 Chanel Morales, First Princess
Women and young girls have always been the target of body shaming on social media. How can you be a spokesperson against this trend with your figure and beauty?
“I just want to say that I’m here in this competition – I know that other people have expectations of what beauty queen is but I can say that all the other girls, you are all beautiful if you know that you are strong and powerful and you have your family's support. And you know what you want in your life – then no body shaming or discrimination can bring you down. Me myself, I've undergone a lot of bullying but I managed to stand here in front of all of you and be a candidate of Miss World Philippines.”
#11 Pearl Hung, Second Princess
Who for you is a modern Filipino hero, and why?
“My modern Filipino hero is, for me, each and every one of us. If there's a hero that lives inside of us no matter what other people are saying to you, it's you and you alone who gets to say the final decision of your life. No one can save you, but only you. All of you here are the modern Filipinos. Thank you very much.”
#23 Marianne Marquez
Aside from eliminating the use of plastics, do you have any suggestions with how to address these concerns?
“I think we should reach out to business owners because a lot of the products we consume already comes in packaging, but if they provide an option for consumers to provide their own packaging or containers, then we could minimize the waste in our planet.”
#5 Kim De Guzman
If you could address one message to the world, what would it be?
“If I could address one message to the world, it's that we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves. We should accept and embrace who we are and face the world with beauty, dedication, and being strong. Thank you very much.”
#32 Kylah Sanchez
A decreasing number of students go to libraries nor refer to books as a source of information because of the convenience of internet research. Do you think books are a dying form of reference or would you still encourage reading amongst the youth?
“I firmly believe that books is still a reference for us to learn something. But at the same time, technology on the other hand makes our lives more easier. But for me, if you really love to read books, you can really learn a lot of things from it. And of course, the authors of the books makes a lot of strong… has a lot of things that they have been encountered for them to make the book. On the other hand, when you read electronic books, you can still copy and paste it no matter what. So there is a big difference between them.”
#34 Denielle Magno
The rise of virtual currency, or cryptocurrency, has revolutionized financial services here in the Philippines and in the world. What is your opinion on this?
“I think the Philippines is very open-minded to this kind of idea, however, I think we should improve our technology first to enable the Filipinos to use it properly for the future. We Filipinos are very appreciative and engaging with this kind of new knowledge that is entering this generation. I think we should always have an open mind with this new technology.”