The newly crowned beauty queens touched on topics like women empowerment, being responsible citizens, and the importance of Philippine history.
A new roster of beauty queens was crowned at the Binibining Pilipinas International 2022 ceremony at Araneta Coliseum. Held on July 31, forty women competed for titles to compete at the global stage.
The top four winners include Nicole Yance Borromeo from Cebu (Binibining Pilipinas International), Gabrielle Basiano, from Borongan, Eastern Samar (Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental), Chelsea Fernandez from Tacloban (Binibining Pilipinas Globe), and Roberta Tamondong from San Pablo, Laguna (Binibining Pilipinas Grand International).
Beyond beauty, advocacies, and achievements, the candidates were judged for their responses in the nerve-wracking question and answer portion. With short but precise answers, the four newly crowned beauty queens shared takes on women empowerment, being responsible citizens, and the importance of Philippine history.
Here are the answers that helped the four women bag their titles.
Binibining Pilipinas International 2022: Nicole Yance Borromeo
The night’s top winner was asked, “On a scale of one to 10, how would you rate yourself as a responsible Filipino citizen and why?” In response, the Cebu native rated herself a “good eight.” Although she could have given herself a ten, Borromeo believes there’s always room to improve. “There’s so much I don’t know, but there’s so much I am willing to learn, and I hope to do that with you,” she concluded.
Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental 2022: Gabrielle Basiano
Although pageants celebrate “beauty and goodwill,” it doesn’t remove the toxicity women experience, from in-person encounters to cyberbullying. Basiano was asked: “If you win as our Binibini, how will you deal with fake news and other negative comments criticizing your looks, intelligence, and the way you live your life?”
Basiano responded that although she receives many comments from people, she believes they are entitled to their own opinions. “As for me, I will always remind women that we are strong, independent, and courageous because these are the traits that are very critical to the complicated roles that women play in society,” she stated.
Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2022: Chelsea Fernandez
Many young Filipinos are no longer familiar with the nation’s national heroes. With that, Fernandez was asked how important it is to learn about the county’s past—[to] create a better future. For the Tacloban native, “we should not disregard our history.”
“It is part of our culture, it is part of our past, and it is part of who we are today as Filipinos.”
Binibining Pilipinas Grand International 2022: Roberta Tamondong
The Grand International winner was asked what the missing “essentials” are in her life. For Tamondong, it’s “old telephones.” She relates to historical value, “the reason why I remember my dad and [me] going to a vintage shop and buying a vintage telephone and with that, I can really see the importance of our history and where we came from in the past.”
Banner photo from @bbpilipinasofficial on Instagram.
