Myrna Esguerra set her eyes on becoming a national titleholder and representing the Philippines in an international pageant. She clinched the top crown, the Binibining Pilipinas International title, during the pageant’s finals night on July 7. Myrna was easily a standout because of her golden complexion, towering height, fierce eyes, and long, straight black hair.
During the swimwear competition, she strutted down the runway like a supermodel in a pink crystal-encrusted swimsuit. For the evening gown portion, she wore a silver crystal gown with a high slit that emphasized her figure. She won both the Best in Swimsuit and Best in Evening Gown awards, joining the leagues of Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental 2022 Gabrielle Basiano, and other Binibining Pilipinas titleholders who won both major awards during their Binibini stints.
Myrna’s win was also quite historic as she shares the same name with the first ever Binibining Pilipinas winner, Myrna Panlilio, who was crowned in 1964. Loving her own skin QUEEN. Abra’s Myrna Esguerra is named Binibining Pilipinas International 2024.
For Myrna, her victory was a testament to how she overcame challenges in life. Growing up, she was not confident of her skin color because of many Filipinos’ preference for fair-skinned women. But as she grew up and was exposed to different types of beauty, she learned to embrace her skin color and appreciate her beauty.
“And it’s really beautiful because being a morena represents every Filipino. So I think that’s really something that we should always remember when talking about skin color. So being crowned by Angelica Lopez, it’s empowering,” Myrna said in a Rappler Talk interview on July 18.
“My story is also a story of other people. Having dark skin, having morena skin. And I think it’s about time that we look beyond the skin color.
But we [have to] look at what the girls can offer: What can she do? What’s her purpose? And I think that is what helped me to win [the] Pilipinas International crown.” Myrna was crowned by her predecessor, Binibining Pilipinas 2023 Angelica Lopez, who will represent the Philippines in Japan later this year. It was quite symbolic because Angelica and Myrna are both morenas , making them the most recent winners of Binibining Pilipinas International title who do not fit in the so-called Miss International prototype.
Every competition has what fans call a “mold,” which means certain prototypes that the pageants use as standards for choosing their winners. Miss International, a Japan-based pageant, often crowns a “kawaii” queen or a candidate who has fair complexion and has doll-like features. The last Binibining Pilipinas International winners before Angelica and Myrna had doll-like features and fair skin, which conformed to the so-called prototype.
But both Angelica and Myrna will display their golden skin in the international arena and will give their best to win the seventh and eighth Miss International crowns for the Philippines. Myrna said her victory indeed broke this so-called prototype, adding that not conforming to the prototype will also work to her advantage because “being different is going to make you stand out.” “And you really have to embrace who you are.
..[be] confident of who you are as a person, not just about your physical appearance, but what you can bring to the table,” Myrna said.
Myrna also emphasized that, beyond being a pageant titleholder, a Miss International winner should understand that she has a job to help and inspire others, and promote the advocacies of the Miss International pageant, which include the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals. ( READ: How Nicole Borromeo nailed Miss International 2023’s Q&A round ) Play Video Queen from the north There are not many queens from Abra, a province located north of the Philippines, which Myrna represented. Abra Governor Joy Bernos said Myrna was the first Abrenian to represent and win in Binibining Pilipinas.
That’s why when she clinched the top crown, her entire province, even the Cordillera region, celebrated. Myrna came home to Abra on July 15, a special day both for Myrna and her home region, the Cordilleras, because her homecoming coincided with the 37th Cordillera Day. Abrenians, led by its officials, welcomed Myrna with a community dance accompanied by gongs and drums.
The queen shared with Rappler that, like any other pageant run, hers was not smooth either. All the preparations — like pasarela and public speaking training, among other things — were challenging. But when the competition started, Myrna said she felt the love and support of her fellow Abrenians.
“I can really hear their support on social media. And I’m really grateful for that,” Myrna said. “We are very proud as Abrenians.
Because even though we’re far away from the city, people [now] know that Abra exists, Abrenians exist. And we can do so much more. And I think that the people should watch out for that.
I’m really expecting a lot of beauty queens coming from my province now that we’ve started it.” For Myrna, she did not only win the crown for her province, but also paved the way for other people to appreciate the beauty of Abra. This, she said, was among the powers of pageants: to promote a tourist spot and its people.
Myrna was consistent in promoting her province all throughout the competition. For her tourism video, she featured Lusuac Springs in Lagayan and Mount Bullagao, also known as the Sleeping Beauty of Abra. She also promoted her province’s loom weaving industry.
If there’s one thing that she learned from her home province, Myrna said it would be resilience. Abra has faced a lot of natural calamities and is often hit by earthquakes . Despite these, its people get up and start anew each time, Myrna said.
“Because being in Binibining Pilipinas, we’ve faced lots of challenges...
it’s important to remind yourself, as I’ve said before, to stick to your roots,” the Binibining Pilipinas International 2024 told Rappler. “And always remember your reason for being there. Because that’s going to be your fuel to continue.
” From Dubai to Globe: Jasmin Bungay’s path to victory GLOBE. Portrait of Binibining Pilipinas Globe Jasmin Bungay. Photo by Binibinining Pilipinas “Silent killer” was the word used by pageant analysts to describe Jasmin Bungay.
She is consistent all throughout the pageant’s duration, but she particularly shone during the pageant night. She won the other title during the finals night, Binibining Pilipinas Globe, and will represent the country at the Miss Globe pageant in Europe later this year. In an interview with Rappler, Jasmin said her ultimate goal was to represent the Philippines at the Miss International pageant.
In college, she would tell her friends that she wanted the Binibining Pilipinas International title, even though the Miss Universe Philippines crown was still under the Binibining Pilipinas at the time. Jasmin said the previous format of the Miss International enticed her. Previously, the pageant had no question and answer (Q and A) round, unlike other pageants.
Miss International only had a prepared speech round before. But don’t get it wrong, the question and answer round was actually Jasmin’s strong suit and what solidified her victory. She wowed the judges and audience alike during the finals night with her powerful response to the question, “If you were given 30 minutes to talk to the public, what would you talk about?” Jasmin responded: “If I would be given 30 minutes to talk to the public, I would like to talk about the passing of the SOGIESC bill .
Because, in celebrations such as pageants, this community has contributed so much. And, in this regard, we can give back to them by supporting this cause because as an individual, it is our responsibility that we ensure that everyone is treated equally despite their SOGIE.” There is a bill that seeks to penalize discrimination based on someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression or SOGIE.
But the proposed law has been languishing in Congress for over two decades. Jasmin said there were two things on her mind at the time: her story as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) or SOGIE bill, and she chose to speak about the latter. While backstage during the finals night, Jasmin realized that most, if not all, the people who helped them prepare were part of the LGBTQ+ community, so she made sure to express her gratitude to them by using her platform to spread their message.
“I just had a moment where it was like a surge of gratitude towards these people. They were so passionate. They were so passionate.
They were also very emotional. They were very passionate about pageantry,” Jasmin told Rappler. “And I told myself that all the people there will see my performance.
It’s an ode to them. It’s because of them. And it’s my way of giving back to them.
” Perfect timing At 19 years old, Jasmin competed in Miss Millennial Philippines, a pageant organized and aired by noontime show Eat Bulaga! She won the Miss Pampanga pageant in 2016, earning the right to represent the Central Luzon province in the said pageant. She placed in the top 10, with Camarines Sur’s Julia Gonowon winning the crown. At the time, Jasmin said she did not take the competition seriously because she was very young and she just enjoyed it.
There, she learned that, if you are not focused on winning and are half-hearted, you will not achieve victory. “So this year, when I decided to join Bilibining Pilipinas, I really took time to prepare myself in all aspects and tapped the right people,” Jasmin said. Before she joined the Binibining Pilipinas 2024 pageant, Jasmin was a successful model in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
She spent years there as an OFW, but left everything behind to pursue her Binibini dreams. The Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2024 titleholder’s work as an OFW helped her financially, as pageants also have financial requirements for gowns, national costume, and all. Aside from that, her exposure to modeling helped her in presenting herself on stage in front of thousands of people.
While away from home, Jasmin used her time to contemplate joining. Every year in the last few years, she would ask herself if she would join or not. 2023 was the time she chose to fulfill her Binibini dreams.
“So maybe that’s what fueled me, my wait for four years...
. Everything that happened during those four years, [I hoped] it would translate to something..
.. Eventually, it was worth it,” Jasmin said.
Stars aligned for Christal ‘Tala’ Jean dela Cruz RUNNER-UP. Portrait of Binibining Pilipinas 1st runner-up Christal Jean dela Cruz. Photo by Binibinining Pilipinas A heavy fan favorite, Christal Jean “Tala” dela Cruz did not disappoint as she clinched the first runner-up title.
Inside the Araneta Coliseum, her fans were among the liveliest, chanting Tala’s name every time the candidate would be called. Tala swept many awards, such as Binibining Pizza Hut, Binibining Ever Bilena, Binibining Beautederm, and Binibining Creamsilk. Her performance was a solid one, from the swimsuit to evening gown rounds, where she donned a flowy sky blue gown.
It was not Tala’s first pageant as she had already won the Supermodel International Philippines title in 2023. Unfortunately, she was not able to compete abroad, so Tala and her handlers decided that she would join Binibining Pilipinas instead. “So, why not join now? Because the pageant, it keeps on moving.
And the momentum is there. And I really wanted to use that momentum, that adrenaline for me to perform. And [turn] all the things that I practiced into reality.
So, we decided to go for it,” Tala told Rappler. In her hometown, she competed in the 2023 Binibining Zambales, where she met Anita Rose Gomez, Miss Universe Philippine 2024 top 10 finalist. Tala said her prior experience in other pageants shaped her as a woman and taught her to represent herself and her home province well.
“That’s why I’m so grateful that I get to have all those experiences in my province and other pageants. Because [they] really honed me. I think all of us can agree that all the pageants that we’ve been through, [they] really shaped us into improving.
Like every pageant that we go to, we improve, we change, and we become better,” she said. If there’s one thing Tala has learned from her Binibini run, it would be the importance of believing in oneself. “It should be about you.
Because if you just think about what others think...
it’s going to be their story. And what you want is to show yourself. Because if you show yourself, that’s when you get the inspiration, the drive to share it to other people.
And that’s how you became a beauty queen that has truly the heart for everyone.” Best of both worlds: Dentist-beauty queen Trisha Martinez RUNNER-UP. Portrait of Binibining Pilipinas 2nd runner-up Trisha Martinez.
Photo by Binibinining Pilipinas Trisha Martinez was a repeater. She joined Binibining Pilipinas 2023, won the best in evening gown award, but fell short of placing as a winner or runner-up. In the diamond edition, Trisha joined again and eventually clinched the second runner-up title.
Trisha said her first try humbled her and changed her mindset. She realized that joining was not about winning awards, but rather showing the best version of oneself. She told Rappler she thought of closing her doors to pageantry because she was already satisfied with her previous runs.
But people around her pushed and inspired her to battle it out one more time. Trisha realized that joining again was also for herself. “But I’ve realized lately that my participation, my comeback, it’s more of self-love.
It seemed I’d forgotten myself in the process. When I pushed myself, my mindset, and fortitude, that’s when I realized that I could do more,” Trisha said in a mix of English and Filipino. Trisha is a licensed dentist.
When she was asked in the Q and A portion about how she manages and balances her other duties with the demands of the pageant, she talked about her life as both a dentist and beauty queen. “How I manage my time? I got it from my purpose. I got it from my heart.
I really want to contribute to the 60 amazing glorious years of Binibining Pilipinas, and that’s how I manage my time with the demands of a Binibini. And I am ready. After all, that is the Binibini I aspire to be — with the heart and dignity for the community,” Trisha said during the Q and A portion.
Binibining Pilipinas was not Trisha’s first national pageant. She joined the Miss World Philippines in 2021, where she was crowned Miss Tourism Philippines. Trisha said she prepared for her international pageant at the time, and her family was equally excited, too.
However, the international pageant did not push through and Trisha was not able to compete. Unlike Myrna and Jasmin, Tala and Trisha will not represent the country internationally because the Binibining Pilipinas pageant only holds the franchise for Miss International and Miss Globe. But for Trisha their journey is far from over.
“But let’s see in the future...
. You’ll never know. Suddenly, something might happen, right? So at least Tala and I are ready,” Trisha said.
– Rappler.com.
