Sidebits & Tidbits from Miss Universe Philippines 2021

 -Calling Bea Luigi as the 10th and last semifinalist was anticlimactic as she was already named Best in Swimsuit & Best in Evening Gown. I wonder how the rest of the top 16 who didn't advance to the next round felt with only spot left and with Bea still not called. 

Bea Luigi Gomez is MUPH 2021

-It was jitters and sheer nerves that got in the way for Steffi Rose during the penultimate round thus failing to elaborate on being socially aware. She instead talked about social media. I'm sure she had a ready answer for the question but being called first has always been the kiss of death for most pageant girls.

-I got 15 of the 16 semifinalists and four out of five. One can never get a 100%  accuracy in beauty pageants where judging is subjective, where a lot of factors come into play and of course, what goes behind the scenes. But predictions and forecasts are what makes these pageants fun and exciting. 

-It was a heartbreaking moment for everyone when pageant darling Leren Mae Bautista failed to crack the top five. 

-The alta girls Ingrid Santamaria of Paranaque & Corinne Abalos of Mandaluyong advanced to the top ten over Chella Grace Falconer of Misamis Oriental and Izabella Jasmine Umali of Manila. 

-TV personality Kisses Delavin of Masbate earned pageant fans' respect and admiration with how she transformed herself and how she performed during the finale night. On the basis of the casual interview alone, she should have secured the fifth and final spot but we would never know what ultimately goes in the final reckoning. 

-Ultimately, it was the Q&A that sealed the fate of the winners and those who didn't make it. 

-Bea is the first openly gay Miss Philippines to compete in Miss Universe. She is currently in a seven year relationship with a female club deejay. She definitely has opened doors for the LGBTQA community. 

-For the second year in a row, the MUPH crown landed on the dainty head of a girl from the Visayas. 

Miss Tourism then & now

-Almost but not quite. She did everything right but fate and destiny played a cruel joke on Katrina Dimaranan. From being Bb. Pilipinas Tourism 2012 to Miss Universe Philippines Tourism 2021. Talk about going full circle.

-The twin victories of Cebu's bets is another proof of the much- vaunted powerhouse status of Cebu in Philippine pageantry.

-Bea Luigi Gomez is the third Cebuana to represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant. The first was Pilar Pilapil in 1967 and followed by Gazini Ganados in 2019.

-Congratulations to the MUPH for mounting a very successful pageant.