Cinderella Faye “Cindy” Obeñita became the second Filipina to win the Miss Intercontinental 2021 crown. She bested over 70 aspirants during the coronation night on Saturday (Manila time) at the Hotel Sunrise Diamond Beach Resort in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Filipino-Australian Karen Gallman won the first title for the Philippines in 2018.
Cindy, who hails from Cagayan de Oro, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Liceo De Cagayan University.
During the Q&A portion for the Top 6 candidates, the 25-year-old tourism officer was asked if speaking in English was important to win Miss Intercontinental.
“As an ambassador, I don’t think that speaking in a specific language is very important here in Miss Intercontinental or any pageant at all. As long as that woman is a woman of power and grace, commitment and intelligence, no matter what language she speaks, and she is actually a woman of style and substance, then she can win any pageant or any endeavor that she is into,” she answered.
“I have learned actually here in Miss Intercontinental that a woman should possess power of substance. And I believe I am that woman because that is the essence of a modern-day Miss Intercontinental — that we are living in a world that’s very hard to survive,” said Cindy.
She added, “And as a Miss Intercontinental, I would like to be that source of hope, that source of inspiration on the true power of beauty and that is felt on the kindness of our hearts and definitely on the sincerity of our loving actions.”
Miss Intercontinental 2021 runners-up are: Paulina Escorcia of Mexico (first runner-up); Romy Simpkins of England (second runner-up); Kelly-Mary Anette of Seychelles (third runner-up); Kaitlyn Li of Canada (fourth runner-up); and Maria Paula Lopez of Colombia (fifth runner-up).
Cindy donned a beautiful evening gown dubbed as Kislap, which was created by Filipino fashion designer and stylist Odelon Simpao. Her national costume called Diwata, which was also designed by Odelon, was inspired by the mythical goddesses of local folklore. She put on a Filipino superheroine comic-inspired costume, Darna, during the Miss Intercontinental Halloween Party. Jojo Bragais provided all the shoes worn by Cindy.
Cindy was crowned by her successor Miss Intercontinental 2019 Fanni Miko of Hungary.
The Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) posted on their social media accounts their congratulations for Cindy. “From wildcard to Miss Intercontinental 2021! Your Cinderella story is truly inspiring…Thank you for raising our flag, Cindy! The whole country is proud of you!”
Cindy was a wildcard finalist during the national beauty pageant.
“Mrs. Stella Marquez Araneta and BPCI proudly congratulate Cinderella Obeñita for bringing home the second Miss Intercontinental crown to the Philippines. From a Binibini who won the hearts of many Filipino fans, she impressed the whole world with her grace and charm throughout her pageant performance in Egypt. We can’t wait to welcome back our latest international pride here in the country!” said BPCI in a statement.
In a previous interview with The STAR, she was asked, “What makes you a winning representative of Binibining Pilipinas?”
“What I have is that I really know my purpose. Joining Bb. Pilipinas, you really need to know your core, what you can offer to the people. Is it just about the pasarela, is it just about your looks? No, it has to be your inner core and that’s your advocacy,” she replied.
“Because once you have the crown, people will really listen to you, so you really need to make use of that influence. For me, I’m using this platform now to elevate discussions on health and wellbeing. I really would like to partner more with organizations to help me procure vaccines for cervical cancer. So should I win the Miss Intercontinental crown, I feel like it’s not only the Philippines that I’m influencing but all the continents,” she furthered.
Aces & Queens, headed by Gerry Diaz, has also lauded Cindy’s stunning victory as the beauty queen training camp’s first international winner for 2021.
Diaz also noted other Aces & Queens beauties who will soon compete in their respective international pageants, namely, Beatrice Luigi Gomez for Miss Universe, Tracy Maureen Perez for Miss World and Tatyana Austria for Miss Eco Teen International.
Binibining Pilipinas International Hannah Arnold will be competing in the 2022 Miss International in Japan after the 2021 edition was postponed due to the pandemic, he added.