Will Bea Santiago Be Our 5th Miss International?

BEAUTIFUL BEA

Bea Rose Monterde Santiago of Cataingan, Masbate is the last of the Golden Edition Bb. Pilipinas titleholders to compete abroad

Twenty-two year old Bea Rose Santiago from Masbate will represent the country at the 2013 Miss International beauty pageant after she was named Binibining Pilipinas-International 2013 during the Binibining Pilipinas coronation night at the Araneta Coliseum on April 14, 

Bea must be feeling the pressure right now for all her Bb batchmates placed in their respective international pageants including Mutya Datul who became the first Filipina and first Asian to be crowned Miss Supranational. 

Elite Model Management file photo

2013 BB. PILIPINAS INTERNATIONAL 

Prior to joining beauty pageants, she was a former fashion model and at the age of 15, she and her family moved to Canada where she became a model.

She was the only Filipino to be signed by the prestigious Elite Model Management which has produced the likes of Cindy Crawford, Giselle Bundchen, Stephanie Seymour and Adriana Lima.

She acquired her BA Communications degree at the York University in Toronto, Canada

She started her run of beauty pageants in 2011, winning the Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas Communities title that year and represented the Philippines in Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International 2012 where she finished among the Top 10 semifinalists.

Along with Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Earth, Miss International is regarded as one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.

Since it was first organized in 1960, the Philippines has won the crown four times and is the second winningest country in the pageant’s history after beauty contest powerhouse Venezuela, which has six.

The last time the Philippines won the title, however, was in 2005 when the country was represented by Precious Lara Quigaman. Venezuela has won four Miss International titles since the year 2000, the most recent of which was in 2010 when Elizabeth Mosquera took home the crown.

FOUR MISS INTERNATIONAL Titlists 

The Philippines would always have a special bond with the Miss International Pageant for three reasons. First, we won our first international beauty title through Gemma Cruz in 1965

Secondly, the first ever Miss International winner Stella Marquez Zawadsky now Mrs. Stella Araneta of Colombia is married to a Filipino Jorge Araneta and is the franchise director of the Bb. Pilipinas Charities. 

The first Miss International  who married a Filipino is the Bb Pilipinas Franchise Director

Stella Marquez married Jorge Araneta in Colombia

Finally, our biggest haul of pageant crowns is care of Miss International where we have four

 1964 Gemma Cruz

1970 Aurora Pijuan

 1979 Melanie Marquez

2005 Precious Lara Quigaman

Miss International 2013 will take place on December 17 at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The reigning Miss International is Ikumi Yoshimatsu of Japan.

Bea's Miss International journey began yesterday with a send- off party for Tokyo, Japan

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