Beauty pageant veterans overjoyed at being a part of Miss Universe Philippines 2023
As the official candidates of the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) 2023 have been announced, there are some faces that are more familiar than others as they have already graced the pageant stage with their beauty and wit in the past.
Among these are current titleholders Michelle Dee and Pauline Amelinckx, who won Miss Universe Philippines Tourism and Miss Universe Philippines Charity, respectively.
Other beauty pageant veterans who have made it on the list include Klyza Castro (Mutya ng Pilipinas 2019), Samantha Panlilio (Miss Grand Philippines 2021), and Emmanuelle Vera (Reinahispanoamericana Filipinas 2021) as well as former UAAP courtside reporter Angelique Manto.
On their social media pages, these aspiring Miss Universe queens gushed about being able to compete once again in the pageantry as candidates of the Miss Universe Philippines 2023.
Pauline took to Instagram to share how "incredibly grateful, humbled, and more driven" she is for the opportunity to vie for the crown for the third and final time.
"I'm honestly still super emotional about everything, but it's mostly feelings of happiness, excitement, and a whole lotta gratitude for all the support I've been receiving. I'm really lost for words," Pauline wrote in an earlier post.
She revealed that she had been pondering about joining the prestigious competition for months through consulting with her nearest and dearest and trusting her "gut feeling." Ultimately, she decided that she still has much to prove to the universe to turn her back on pageantry.
"I feel like I could still step up, bring people together for meaningful causes and be tranformed myself. I also knew and felt I would regret it if I didn't take this leap of faith for my final round with MUPH. So I thought if I still have this passion and ambition in me, and the support is overflowing, what the hell am I waiting for? This is my now," Pauline stressed.
Samantha also gushed about being overjoyed that she was among the 40 names who will be a part of the competition.
"Yesterday’s energy was on another level. I felt nothing but good spirits from everyone at the venue—from the Miss Universe organization to the media, supporters and my fellow aspirants. Thank you for being so encouraging!" she wrote as she posted a video of her name being called and teasing her pageant walk.
"I felt grateful and I felt loved; which are two of the best feelings in the universe," she added before expressing her gratitude towards her fans.
Also thrilled at her participation is Klyza, who shared that her passion for lending a voice on issues that need to be heard had fueled her to keep on fighting for the jeweled crown.
"I grew up in the world of speech. At the age of nine, I started joining public speaking competitions. As I got older, I became a passionate debater, extemporaneous speaker, and host," Klyza wrote.
She went on, "Realizing that my voice is my power as a public speaker, I joined Miss Universe Philippines to speak my cause for indigenous livelihood to a national audience and act upon it. This is the ultimate force that drives me towards the crown."
Angelique meanwhile dedicated her MUPH candidacy to her younger self, who had been a victim of bullying and had been discouraged to reach for greater heights in life.
"This is for that seven-year old girl bullied into believing that she will never amount to the big dreams she has; this is for you silently struggling and battling to be seen, to be heard, to finally be understood; this is for the fulfillment of promises once made that will continue to live on," Angelique wrote.
"An ode to my younger self. an ode to my father. an ode to mental health. an ode to my beloved pampanga. Excited to be carrying and telling our story as we journey on to the universe," she added.
On Twitter, Michelle posted a simple yet powerful message regarding her candidacy in the renowned beauty pageant: "Hard work will always pay off."
Emmanuelle also shared snippets from the day of the announcent on her Instagram. She said: "today’s journey through the universe. [F]rom asking you guys to pray for me (second vid: @heyadamg), to taking a moment to pray myself, to our prayers materializing right before our eyes."
She gave a shout out her supporters who "believed in me & made this happen," while thanking them for their efforts.
"[T]his is a team effort, and a win for us all. endless thanks to the MUPO for giving me a platform to share my story and causes with the philippines. UNIVERSE, HERE WE COME," she wrote.
All of the queens' fans and followers showered them with encouragement in their bid to succeed Celeste Cortesi, who represented the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2022 tilt last January. The winner of the pageant will compete at the 72nd Miss Universe in El Salvador in late 2023.