Gloria Diaz reacts to her Binibining Pilipinas 2024 questions being 'hard': 'Ang dali-dali na nga'
Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz shared her reaction about her questions being “hard” at the Binibining Pilipinas 2024 coronation night.
In case you missed it, Diaz made rounds online when she delivered her question twice for Bb. 13 Roella Solis of Calumpit, Bulacan.
The actress asked, "What do you think, what physical asset do you have that should make you win Binibining Pilipinas?"
Solis replied with, "As a beauty queen and as a woman of vision, I am here to present you the best version of myself," she said, despite her "pivotal loss" eight days ago when her grandmother died.
"I know that she's in heaven watching me and proud of me," she added, noting her grandmother has the "best seat" there.
Diaz then asked Solis again about her "physical asset," to which she said with all smiles, “What physical asset I have is I am beautiful. Aside from that, I have a mission and vision in life that makes me apart from the other candidate[s].”
The moment has since become one of the unforgettable parts of the pageant, with social media users making memes on X and recalling how she’s “scary” as a judge even in the past pageants.
Responding to how "tough" her questions are, Diaz told ABS-CBN News, “Hard ba yun? Ang dali-dali na nga. Simple nga eh.”
She added, “Sabi ko ang dali-dali, ’Okay, this is an easy question,’ 'di ba that’s what I said? ‘Yun lang.”
Other beauty queens chime in
For her part, Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, who was also a judge at the recent pageant, said, “Minsan kasi 'yung mga tanong na simpleng pakinggan, 'yun ang mas mahirap.”
Other beauty queens also agreed that it is especially hard when Diaz asks the question, saying that she is “intimidating.”
“Totoo, walang makakalagpas kay Gloria Diaz,” Bb. Pilipinas Grand International 2016 Nicole Cordoves told ABS-CBN News. “Parang nakakatakot siya and intimidating. Queen na queen talaga siya e,” she added.
Kylie Verzosa, who brought home the Miss International 2016 crown, echoed the sentiments: “I agree, she is intimidating talaga.”
'Q&A curse'?
Apart from the diamond edition of the pageant, Diaz had other “intimidating” moments in the past as a judge during the A&A round. One of the most iconic yet is her interactions with Jeannie Andersen who went viral for her “quiet please” moment at Binibining Pilipinas 2001.
Diaz asked her, “If you were given a chance to choose to become beautiful but not too smart, or very smart and not too beautiful, what would you prefer to be and why?”
Andersen, who was wearing a nervous smile, took a pause and said, “Um, quiet please.”
She answered, “Well, I’d rather choose to be beautiful, because to be beautiful, it’s natural; But being smart, you can learn a lot of things, you can learn from the experience, you can learn from a lot of things to be smart.”
Before this, Diaz had also asked Andersen in another Q&A when she joined Mutya ng Pilipinas in 1999 if she'd rather be beautiful or smart.
The beauty queen said that the question was "so hard" but she could answer it. "Just give me some time to think," Andersen said as she laughed nervously, stuttering throughout her answer. However, she was able to bounce back and give a response that the audience applauded.
Another time Diaz asked a "tough" question was in Binibining Pilipinas 2013, where she asked Bb. 46 Amanda Navasero about the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill. Host Martin Nievera even joked, "R.H. Really hard."
What's in a Q&A
The Q&A portion is a crucial part of the pageant as it puts the beauty queens' wit to the test and gauges their composure under pressure as well as their public speaking skills.
During the July 7 pageant, MJ Lastimosa, a semifinalist at Miss Universe 2014, was asked by Verzosa about her opinion on memorized answers.
"I believe that as long as ang sagot ay hindi ‘Charot, mare,’ okay lang ‘yan,” Lastimosa said in laughter.
She then turned serious, noting the importance of preparation in prestigious events like beauty pageants.
"But kidding aside... they’re very nerve-wracking," she said of the Q&A segment. "So just like final exams or big presentations, I think there’s nothing wrong [with] coming prepared."
“As long as mag-study ka nang maayos, magbaon ka, di ba?" Lastimosa added. "[If] you don’t sound rehearsed, maitatawid mo ‘yan, queen. Go lang! And I thank you."
