ON Saturday night, 28-year-old Michelle Dee from Makati was crowned the country’s new Miss Universe Philippines on her second try, besting 37 other hopefuls. But this victory is just the beginning of a bigger journey, which is her quest to bring home the Miss Universe title. 

Dee vowed to work hard for this bigger dream, during which she will be representing all Filipinos at the 72nd Miss Universe competition to be held in El Salvador.

As she embarked on this new quest, the new queen shared her thoughts about her efforts to win the Miss Universe Philippines crown. 

“It’s not done until it’s won,” Dee said in an Instagram post. 

“That has been my mindset not just for this year but for all the times I joined Miss Universe Philippines. No matter how it looks, it was never and it never got easier to prepare for each time I would compete. Each year was full of hard work, sacrifices and risks that I hope pay off at the end,” she added. 

Her victory is proof that with hard work, perseverance and passion, people can achieve anything, she further said. 

After expressing her gratitude to everyone behind her through it all, she also promised to work harder. 

“All the efforts and hard work I did to win the crown yesterday will not stop there,” she said. 

Now that she’s slated for the international competition, she said the battle is no longer just her own but that of the entire Filipino nation she’s representing. 

“The next chapter of my pageant journey is no longer my own. It’s for each Filipino that I will be representing in El Salvador. Knowing this doesn’t just inspire me. It pushes me to work even harder and to dream bigger,” she said. 

The support of an entire country behind her fuels her desire to bring home the Miss Universe crown, she said.  

She sealed her post with the line, “#DEEPATAPOS ang laban. Naguumpisa palang tayo.”

Winning moment 

Dee’s combination of looks and wit made the judges choose her for the Miss Universe Philippines crown. 

In the first round of the question and answer portion, Dee was asked how to address income inequality in the Philippines. 

Dee answered: “I think first we have to recognize what we have and the privileges that we have, such as food, education and homes.”

“I think the best way to address this is really through education because education holds no status quo and every Filipino child has the right to an education – not any education but quality education. Because I believe if the government can provide this to every Filipino child, then we can not only elevate their quality of life, but we can empower them as well,” she said. 

In the second round, the top 5 contestants were challenged with the same question about the Department of Tourism’s new branding campaign: We give the world our best. What is the best that we could offer to the rest of the world? Why do you consider it so?

Dee’s answer once more got the judges’ approval. 

“The Philippines is home to very beautiful natural resources – from the beaches, the mountains, but I firmly believe that the best natural resource that the Philippines has is us Filipinos,” she said. 

“We are the true heart and soul of the Philippines – with the way we are hospitable, with the warm smiles. And we are the reason why the world keeps coming back for more,”  she added. 

Who is Michelle? 

Dee is the daughter of Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez. 

She has been a familiar face to the public, being an actress, a model and an entrepreneur. She is currently part of Sparkle GMA Artist Center and has appeared in Kapuso programs such as I Left My Heart in Sorsogon, Mga Lihim ni Urduja and Agimat ng Agila. 

She also has a degree in psychology from De La Salle University in Manila and completed a certificate program in entrepreneurship essentials at Harvard Business School in 2021.

Her advocacies are mental health and autism awareness.