Philippines bet Tracy Perez honors late mom, single mothers at Miss World
Less than a week after Beatrice Luigi Gomez’s Top 5 finish at the 70th Miss Universe last Monday in Eilat, Israel, another Filipina trained under beauty camp Aces & Queens, Tracy Maureen Perez, is making waves in the ongoing 70th Miss World edition in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Originally set yesterday, the global broadcast finale, however, has been “temporarily postponed due to health and safety interest of contestants, staff, crew, and general public,” the Miss World organization announced just hours before the coronation night. The “additional positive cases” have prompted the organization to reschedule the event within the next 90 days.
“Once and only when contestants and staff are cleared by health officials and advisors, will contestants and related staff return to their home countries,” the statement added.
The Miss World Philippines reassured that the country’s official delegate has tested negative for COVID-19 and the team is “taking all precautionary measures to ensure her safety and well-being.”
Nevertheless, Tracy, who also hails from Cebu (same hometown with Bea), is off to a great start. She secured a Top 30 spot following her impressive performances in the Head-to-Head challenge (Top 8) and in the Beauty with a Purpose challenge (Top 5).
She won over Mexico’s Karolina Vidales in the Head-to-Head challenge, where she delivered a heartfelt message about her Beauty with a Purpose entry in the first round.
Tracy’s Para kay Nanay (For my mother: A single mother’s journey to love) project is dedicated to her mom, Chona Perez, a former Binibining Pilipinas contestant (in 1979) who passed on 11 years ago, and all the single mothers out there.
“Being a mother is the most important job. It’s the most important role but oftentimes, they are neglected. We fight so much, we talk so much about women empowerment, so why don’t we start with empowering our mothers, most especially those who go through so much difficulty to raise their families all on their own?” she said.
She furthered, “Here in Miss World, we are given the chance to fight for causes and open up meaningful conversations about problems that are otherwise neglected. Here I am, hoping to bring light and to spark positive changes in the lives of single mothers.”
The 28-year-old beauty queen mentioned that back in her community in Cordova, Cebu, there are 2,000 single mothers and many more in the rest of the world who are not given the support that they need.
Through her advocacy project, she said they (single moms in Cebu) will be given a safe space, a community for them to feel loved, to feel heard and (to feel) understood. “More importantly, we give them continuous BPO and computer training that they can use to equip them(selves) with skills to land better opportunities out there, especially amidst the pandemic.”
“It gives them hope that they can still go out there and learn new things and build a good life for their families because that is what I want for them and what they deserve. That is what I would have wanted for my mom, too, if she were still here. That is my commitment and that is my dream,” she added.
In the second round, she impressed the judges by citing the reasons why she fell in love with Puerto Rico, literally the moment she stepped foot in the Caribbean country. She narrated how a Puerto Rican woman helped her at the airport when she was looking for her missing luggage. “I didn’t know anyone. And then a Puerto Rican approached me and said, ‘Hello! Where are you from? Do you need anything? Do you need Internet because I have some that I can share with you?’”
Tracy was “blown away” by this encounter, “You see, the best places in the world don’t really need the most amazing and the most beautiful sceneries. They just need to have the best people.”
For her National Costume, she wore a moon goddess-inspired ensemble created by Cebuano designer Axel Que, who also designed Bea’s Bakunawa Dragon-inspired costume at the Miss Universe 2021.
So, what are the chances of Tracy winning the second crown for the Philippines after Megan Young?
“The Miss World Organization is known to choose winners who have great personality, very good communication skills and advocacies that are relevant and have the potential to alleviate and improve the welfare of its beneficiaries,” Aces & Queens head Gerry Diaz told The STAR.
With Tracy’s early triumphs in the Miss World challenges ahead of the finals, “hopes are high” that Tracy will advance to the next round. “I think that Tracy fits the mold of the spokesmodel that Miss World is looking for. Good luck, Tracy! You are moving closer to realizing your and every Filipino’s dream of winning the country’s second Miss World crown, eight years after Megan Young became the Philippines’ first Miss World,” stated Gerry.
“Para kay Nanay! Para sa Bayan! This most aptly describes your Miss World journey, Tracy! Bring back home the blue crown!” he added.
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