Hannah Arnold of Masbate wins Binibining Pilipinas 2021 pageant
Hannah Arnold of Masbate bagged the top title at the 2021 Binibining Pilipinas pageant, held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Sunday, July 11.
Arnold was named Binibining Pilipinas International, besting 33 other candidates.
Samantha Alexandra Panlilio of Cavite is Binibining Pilipinas Grand International, Cinderella Faye Obeñita of Cagayan de Oro is Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental, and Maureen Montagne of Batangas is Binibining Pilipinas Globe.
Gabrielle Camille Basiano was named first runner-up, while Meiji Cruz was named second runner-up.
Completing the Top 13 are Patrizia Garcia of Manila, Karen Laurrie Mendoza of Iloilo, Graciella Lehmann of Oriental Mindoro, Maria Francesca Taruc of Angeles, Pampanga, Jashmin Lyn Dimaculangan of Albay, Patricia Denise Babista of Quezon Province, and Honey Cartasano of Rizal.
Meiji Cruz won the best in swimsuit special award, while Gabrielle Basiano was named best in long gown. Ma. Ruth Erika Quin bagged the best in national costume award.
The pageant, tagged as its 2020/2021 edition, was originally set for April 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pageant. For this year, it was initially scheduled for April 17, 2021, and later on to June 2021 before it settled in its July 11 finals night.
But the pageant’s postponement and adjustments due to the pandemic brought in a number of innovations and changes. This year’s Binibining Pilipinas is the first time the pageant was hosted by an all-female tandem: Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and Miss Grand International 2016 first runner Nicole Cordoves.
Six contestants from the original 40 candidates of the 2020 pageant had to drop out due to numerous postponements of the event. Gila Salvador, Ana Thea Cenarosa, and Hazel Ortiz, and Vicki Rushton dropped out of the competition due to personal reasons and age limitations.
Meanwhile, Samantha Bernardo represented the Philippines in the Miss Grand International pageant in Thailand in March, while Rowena Lucero competed in the Miss Globe pageant in Albania last year.
Because the pageant was unable to hold events with a live audience, Binibining Pilipinas 2021 held its traditional national costume show via an online presentation. It also streamed a pre-pageant swimsuit presentation, a first for Binibining Pilipinas.
Another first for the pageant is a fan voting component where pageant fans were given the opportunity to vote for a candidate they want to be included in the competition’s semi-finalists via the Binibining Pilipinas mobile app. Cinderella Faye Obeñita of Cagayan de Oro won the fan vote, making her the 13th contestant to join the pageant’s semi-finalists.
The 57th Binibining Pilipinas is also the first time the pageant is held without the Miss Universe Philippines title after losing its franchise in December 2019.
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