AS the 73rd Miss Universe pageant begins, many Filipinos might wonder if Chelsea Manalo will return home with the highly coveted crown.
This is not impossible for Manalo, who pageant Q&A coach JV Canta described as an “absolute contender” for the Miss Universe crown. Manalo is the first Filipino-Black American to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant.
On Friday (Manila time), the Gen Z beauty queen, along with other delegates from around the globe, took center stage during the preliminary round of the Miss Universe 2024 competition, held at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. They strutted the catwalk in their dazzling national costumes, swimwear, and evening gowns.
Many Filipinos praised Manalo for exuding beauty, grace, and confidence, as she represented the Pearl of the Orient Seas on the global stage. Canta couldn’t agree more with this, emphasizing Manalo’s over-the-top visuals, expression, and overall aura.
“She is an absolute contender not only because she is Philippines. There is what we call a sash factor; if you are Philippines, that’s already expected, but I think she is also living up to the expectation,” Canta told republicasia.
The Philippines is one of the countries noted for its sash factor, winning in all “Big 4” pageants: Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Earth. Currently, it has four Miss Universe crowns won by Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margarita Moran in 1973, Pia Wurtzbach in 2015, and Catriona Gray in 2018.
Canta said Manalo gave off a “silent yet steady confidence” in the preliminary competition, which she believes sets the Filipina beauty queen apart from other candidates.
“I think Chelsea is very demure, very mindful, and very Miss Universe, and she has that energy. I think that’s what she just needs to deliver: that silent confidence,” she noted.
“In a world full of Latinas in Mexico, there will always be a lot of high-impact girls. But Chelsea is taking a different kind of approach, and I think that will definitely set her apart,” she continued.
Preliminary performances
The preliminary competition is a crucial part of the Miss Universe pageant because this will determine who will advance to the next round until the much-awaited finals night. Thus, every candidate needs to give their all in this round, and Manalo did just that.
For the National Costume show, Manalo channeled her faith in God and the history of Christianity and Islam in the Philippines through her intricate blue and gold gown called “Hiraya.”
Made by fashion designer Manny Halasan, Manalo’s national costume featured an image of the Virgin Mary on its train, the traditional Inaul fabric from the province of Sultan Kudarat, Tongkaling bells from Mindanao, and Puni or the art of leaf fronds folding which is popular in the province of Bulacan where Manalo hails from. Her attire was completed with a headpiece featuring the Galleon trade which introduced trade and religion to Filipinos.
The Bulakenya beauty queen described “Hiraya” as a symbol of the “far and profound history and relationship between the Philippines and Mexico” and a reflection of the countries’ “deep devotion” to religion.
For Canta, Manalo’s “Hiraya” national costume was “absolutely stunning,” admitting that it was one of the “most beautiful national costumes” a Filipina candidate has ever worn in the Miss Universe competition.
“[It] took my breath away. The moment that she came out and she did that movement with the fans, I already understood the story, with the headdress of a ship, you know, our history when the Spaniards came to the Philippines. When you look at the overall look of the national costume, it’s also giving that very rich Muslim history,” the pageant coach said. “I always thought that I wish we had a national costume that’s also inspired by the Muslim part of our country because it’s very regal—that’s what we’ve got from Chelsea.”
“The details? Exquisite, delicious, everything is on point, and I think Chelsea’s performance really justified the national costume, showing every part of it, especially the last part when she did her turn and it landed perfectly with that image of the Virgin Mary. So beautiful,” she continued.
Canta described Manalo’s blue ballgown, which embodied ocean waves, as a “breath of fresh air” because it veered away from the conventional sparkly and fully beaded evening gowns.
While the ballgown was “a risk” for Manalo, Canta said it was still a “unique choice” that the beauty queen pulled off onstage. The pageant coach even described Manalo as a “real-life Disney princess” in her evening gown.
“[She] was smart enough to make the most of every second that she had in that evening gown. When the camera was on her, she played around and moved. And when she was walking away, she stood out because she did some turns. And I was like, ‘Okay, [she is] really making the most out of every moment,’” she highlighted.
During the swimsuit portion, Manalo channeled her signature “Tampisaw walk” on the runway in her two-piece swimwear with a sheer gold cape. However, several netizens were unsatisfied with her swimsuit performance, saying they expected an “upgraded version” of the iconic walk she showcased in the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) 2024 pageant.
Comparing Manalo’s execution to that of this year’s MUPH competition, Canta commented that her walk was “just sufficient” and “could have been better.”
“I know that Chelsea can do better because in MUPH, she did so well that was stunning, powerful, impactful and everything,” she explained.
“She did an amazing pose in the beginning—perfect pose in my opinion. However, when she did her walk, again, stunning face, beautiful face, but her movements, I wished she took her time, [made] her poses land a bit longer for a few more seconds, and [gave] us what we saw in MUPH; taking her time, feeling her moment, and showing us everything that she got,” she added.
But the pageant coach pointed out how Manalo stood out onstage when all the delegates strutted the catwalk, especially when she took her time to shine on camera even for a few seconds.
“The face is giving, [the] overall aura is giving. It’s just that, I wished I got that from the actual performance,” Canta said.
‘Strong chance’ of winning
Delegates from South America are among the Philippines’ fierce rivals in this year’s Miss Universe pageant. Egypt and Great Britain bets should not also be disregarded in the competition, said Canta.
Aside from Manalo, there are three other beauty queens with Filipino roots competing for the highly coveted crown, including Christina Dela Cruz Chalk who is representing Great Britain. Chalk participated in the MUPH 2024 pageant, finishing in the Top 20.
“In the evening gown portion, I noticed that Great Britain, who’s half Pinay, had her moment when she did the turn when they were called. I think that can be a differentiating factor, as well. Iba talaga ‘pag may Philippine training,” the pageant coach highlighted.
But looking at Manalo’s overall performance, Canta believes that Manalo has a “strong chance” to clinch the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown, as she is “one of best” candidates from the Asian region.
“I just wish, this is just my wish and expectation at the same time, is for her to deliver what is natural ‘cause I think Chelsea is naturally elegant, very demure, and she’s already very Miss Universe material,” she said.
Canta looks forward to seeing “the same glow, the same aura, [and] the same silent confidence” that Manalo exhibited in the MUPH 2024 competition, stressing that this could be her “greatest differentiating factor” from other delegates.
“I’m expecting a lot of Latinas will do their very fierce and powerful walk, you know, flipping their hair, making all those bold movements and that is expected. But I think if Chelsea stays true to who she is [and] remembers what her natural instincts are, I think we can have the next Miss Universe crown with Chelsea Manalo,” Canta said.
The Miss Universe organization previously announced its new format for its grand coronation night. This includes the selection of 30 semifinalists—up from the previous 20—from a pool of 130 contenders to advance to the next round.
These beauty queens are vying to succeed Nicaragua’s first-ever Miss Universe titleholder, Sheynnis Palacios, at the pageant’s coronation night on November 16 (November 17, Sunday, in Manila).
