ANOTHER first in the world of Philippine pageantry.
Following the release of the new eligibility criteria for the Miss Universe pageant, the Philippines has become one of the first countries to release the roster of contestants that includes single mothers and married women competing for the much-coveted national crown this year.
In 2022, the Miss Universe Organization allowed women who are married or divorced, pregnant or have children, to join the pageant. This was prior to the franchise acquisition of the Thai transwoman and business mogul Anne Jakrajutatip.
For more than 70 years of staging the pageant, the Miss Universe Organization only allowed single women who have never been married, not had a marriage annulled, or given birth to or parented a child, to compete for the prestigious crown.
On Sunday, the Miss Universe Philippines Organization released the official list of the Top 40 contestants for the 2023 edition of the pageant, and three of them are mothers.
Mothers represent
Among the 40 beauty queens, mothers Clariele Dacanay of Parañaque City, Eileen Gonzales of Negros Occidental, and Joemay-an Leo of Benguet have emerged as among the top contenders for the Miss Universe crown, along with other pageant veterans.
Gonzales and Leo are no strangers to pageantry. Before joining Miss Universe Philippines 2023, Gonzales was crowned Miss Global Philippines in 2018, while Leo was a former Miss World Philippines 2018 candidate and Miss Cordillera 2018 winner.
When Gonzales submitted her application, she wore a Filipiniana made of rugs, which stated her advocacy for sustainable fashion. Leo, on the other hand, is an Igorota beauty queen eyeing for indigenous representation as she joins the Miss Universe pageant.
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Meanwhile, Dacanay is a full-time model and was the first mother who joined the Miss Universe 2023 screening on the same day as pageant frontrunners Samantha Panlilio and Michelle Dee.
Aside from being a model, Dacanay is an advocate of postpartum depression awareness among mothers.
If they win three of the national crowns under the Miss Universe Philippines, they will be the first mothers to represent the Philippines in their respective pageants.
Celeste Cortesi of Pasay will crown her successor at the end of the coronation night. The Miss Universe 2023 will be held in El Salvador later this year.
The Miss Universe Philippines Organization has yet to reveal the details of the 2023 edition and the two other international crowns aside from the universe crown.
