The 26 years old queer beauty queen Beatrice Luigi Gomez from Cebu City won the crown of this year’s Miss Universe Philippines.
Bea is the first openly-bisexual candidate who join the prestigious pageantry. She stood out at the beginning of the pageant by giving her winning introductory message. And eventually, slay the stage by winning the special awards such as Best in Evening Gown and Best in Swimsuit. Not to mention, she got the spotlight by answering the given question to her in Q and A:
Q: If, during your reign as Miss Universe Philippines, things happen in your life that make you sad and uninspired, how would you be able to continue inspiring others?
A: "It is very evident that all of us went through difficulties during this pandemic, but it is also proof that we are able to rise to the occasion, and if anything happened to me during my reign, I will not give up and inspire others by rising to the problems that I am encountering and by inspiring them that what you are going through, you will be able to overcome it."
The new MUP queen started her journey to the crown by joining different beauty pageants in 2015. Aside from this field, she is a former volleyball varsity player and a community development worker and a navy reservist.
Other queens who won the special awards are the following:
Katrina Dimaranan (Taguig), Miss Universe Philippines Tourism
Victoria Velasquez Vincent (Cavite), Miss Universe Philippines Charity
Maureen Christa Wroblewitz (Pangasinan), Miss Universe Philippines 1st Runner Up
Steffi Rose Aberasturi (Cebu Province), Miss Universe Philippines 2nd Runner Up
Bea will proceed in Eilat, Israel to compete for Miss Universe 2021 on December 2021.