CEBU, Philippines - When the 26 official candidates of Miss World Philippines 2014 were officially revealed last month, some pageant watchers suggested in jest that the Cory Quirino-led organization might as well do away with a competition, and crown Valerie Weigmann, as she was deemed early on the most prepared, polished and hands-down stand-out of this batch.
At the Sunday night coronation ceremonies held at the SM MOA Arena in Pasay City, not only did the Fil-German representing the Province of Albay, Bicol win the crown previously worn by reigning Miss World Megan Young, she also raked in a record of 12 special and sponsor awards!
The 24-year-old was named Best in Swimsuit, Best in Fashion Runway, Best in Long Gown and Miss Camarines Sur. Pageant sponsors also loved Weigmann, as she was also awarded Miss Solaire, Miss Figlia, Jesi Mendez Salon Ambassador, Miss Reducin, Miss Bluewater Day Spa, Miss Olay, Miss Hana Shampoo and Miss Bench.
Similar to the practice of the Miss World finals which poses the same question each year to the Top 5, asking finalists to articulate on why they should win the crown, Miss World Philippines has done the same since the Philippine franchise was awarded to Quirino in 2011.
Weigmann’s speech went, “I try to live my life in relation to others, by putting myself into other people’s shoes. I believe in the importance of empathy and compassion because I see if all of us can come together and work as one we can all be advocates of change. And I want to inspire and encourage everyone to take up a personal advocacy such as my own – by enabling our indigenous brothers and sisters of Tarlac – because I believe it is truly in giving that makes us beautiful.”
Completing the top five are Lorraine Kendrickson (1st Princess), Nelda Ibe (2nd Princess), Nicole Donesa (3rd Princess), and Rachel Peters (4th Princess).
Before immersing full-on into preparing for Miss World Philippine 2014, Weigmann was a segment host of “Eat Bulaga” in its popular “Juan For All, All For Juan” portion, wherein she joined the trio of Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola and Paolo Ballesteros in visiting different barangays.
She was also part of the second season of ABS-CBN’s reality show “Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition” in 2008. In 2013, she joined the cast of TV5’s fantasy series “Kidlat,” which starred Derek Ramsay.
“I’m speechless, because I was not expecting to win. Ang daming awards! Saka yung title, syempre. Kaya masayang-masaya ako,” Weigmann said of her win in an interview with Philstar.com and other reporters after the coronation.
Weigmann will represent the country in the Miss World pageant this December 14 in London, England. She’s aiming for a back-to-back victory for the country, after Megan was named the first Filipina Miss World last year. “I’m looking forward to the challenge. I want to show my fellow countrymen that I can do it, that I can be the best that I can be. We can do it, a back-to-back win. I will be the best that I can be. I will show them how amazing we are, how hardworking we are, how much we deserve to it,” said Weigmann, described by Quirino as pageant-ready and a natural on stage.
So far, two countries have won the title twice in a row. Sweden bagged the Miss World crowns in 1951 and 1952, while India got the same bragging rights in 1999 and 2000.
The model’s advocacy is Musikaramay, a fundraising movement that builds lives through street music dedicated to indigenous peoples, specifically the Aetas of Tarlac.
Weigmann’s German father died when she was 14 years old. She was raised in Germany and studied at the Werner-von-Siemens Realschule, Wiesbaden.
October of last year, she was an OJT writer at Eat Bulaga’s segment “Juan for All, All for Juan:” segment, later on appearing on-cam for the noontime show. She is currently a co-owner of a German-Turkish restaurant in Makati.
Meanwhile, Cebu City bet Gazini Christiana Ganados, an 18-year-old student of Cebu Normal University, made the Top 13 semifinalists. — VAB with Philstar News Service