MANILA, Philippines – Chelsea Manalo took home the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2024 during the pageant finals held on Wednesday, May 22, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The 25-year-old stunner from Bulacan bested 52 other candidates to succeed Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee.
In July, months after she was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2024, Chelsea reflected on her reign so far, expressing gratitude to all the people who have contributed to her journey, including her parents. She shared that they would juggle housework with making sure she had everything she needed for the pageant — with her dad serving as her driver and makeup artist, and her mom as her personal assistant and stylist.
“This victory is not just mine; it belongs to all of us who dared to dream and worked tirelessly to turn our dreams into reality. Para sa inyo lahat ‘to (This is for all of you),” she wrote in her statement.
“I’m not naive enough to think that there won’t be any challenges along the way — I know there will be many — both in preparing for the pageant and in life in general. But what I also know is that as long as I have the people who have been there with me from the start and the new supporters I’ve met along the way, I know WE can do it,” she captioned the post.
Personal life
Growing up, Chelsea recalled being insecure and having poor self-confidence as she experienced bullying because of her skin color and hair.
In her HerStory video, she said that it was through her family and friends — whom she calls her “backbone” — that made her realize that she’s “beautiful in [her] own extraordinary way.”
“[Through them] I had a good understanding of accepting my individuality,” she said.
During her preliminary interviews, Chelsea also talked fondly about her mom. “[She] inspired me to believe in myself, that no one will know who you are if you yourself don’t know what you want and aspire to be,” she said.
Because of her strong support system, she was able to start joining pageants in high school and modeling at the age of 15.
Since then, Chelsea has become a print, ramp, and commercial model, even working with publishing companies and renowned fashion designers.
Her first foray into the national pageant scene was in 2017 when she joined the Miss World Philippines competition, where she finished as part of the Top 15.
Outside of pageantry, the Filipino-American beauty queen shared that she wanted to be known as an outgoing person. “I think many tend to see me as an introverted person because of how I look physically,” she said.
She likes going to the beach — describing herself as an “island girl” — and hopes to be able to scuba dive someday. She has “deep passion” for music and dancing and she would love to just “have fun and dance around.” She’s a fur parent to several dogs.
Pageant journey, advocacy
While the 2024 edition has a loaded lineup of strong contenders, Chelsea managed to be an early standout.
During the national costume competition, Chelsea wowed pageant fans with her “Mandaragit” ensemble that drew inspiration from endemic flowering trees and exquisite birds found in the country.
Her pageant stint wasn’t smooth sailing though as she drew backlash with her tourism video for the competition. In it, Chelsea was seen filming at the development site of the controversial Manila International Airport.
Netizens online criticized her for promoting the project as it already drew flak for the environmental harm it poses and displacing hundreds of families and fisherfolk living nearby the area.
In the same clip, Chelsea also filmed with the Dumagats of the Sierra Madre Mountains as she advocates for education for the indigenous youth. In a separate Instagram video, Chelsea also put a spotlight on the rights of overseas Filipino migrant workers as well as the families they left behind.
During the preliminaries, Chelsea answered that she deserved to be the next Miss Universe Philippines queen because she has the “heart” for it.
“I have the relatability to be influential to a lot of people with the voice and with the action that I am most passionate about,” she said. “It will open so many opportunities for me so that I can be a change for our nation.”
While she wasn’t able to top any of the online challenges and only took home one special award in the preliminaries, Chelsea was able to peak during the coronation night.
In the question and answer portion, she was asked how she’ll empower others.
Her winning answer was: “As a woman of color, I’ve always faced challenges in my life. I was told that beauty has standards, but for me, I have listened and always believed in my mother.”
“To always believe in yourself. Uphold the vows that you have in yourself. Because of these, I am already influencing a lot of women who are facing me right now. As a transformational woman, I have 52 other delegates here with me who helped me become the woman I am,” she said.
Route to victory in Mexico
Chelsea flew to Mexico in late October to officially embark on her Miss Universe 2024 journey. There, she’s been participating in pre-pageant activities ahead of coronation night on Sunday, November 17 (Manila time).
Throughout her stay in Mexico, she has been immersing herself in the host country’s culture — often sharing snapshots of herself in Mexican garb and “embracing the passion and beauty of Mexico.”
She attended the Gala de las Catrinas, which was held during Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead). At the event, Chelsea rocked a makeup look inspired by the Mexican sugar skull. She donned a shimmery, tight-fitting black and silver dress, topped off with gloves and a large sombrero.
Chelsea also served looks in several photoshoots — including her official headshot for Miss Universe 2024.
On top of this, she gained traction for her beach photoshoot, where she showcased her raw beauty. Chelsea was pictured bare-faced with her naturally curly hair. Her photographer, Seven Barretto, shared that he jokingly challenged Chelsea not to wear makeup for the shoot, to which she gamely agreed.
Meanwhile, in “Voice for Change” — the platform that allows Miss Universe contestants to speak about their personal advocacies — Chelsea chose to focus on her longstanding advocacy of championing the rights of OFWs and their families.
In her “Voice for Change” video, Chelsea, the daughter of an OFW herself, said that her seaman father’s proximity growing up inspired her to advocate the welfare of migrant workers and their families.
“While many [children] would still stay connected with their parents working abroad and form a sense of normalcy through constant online communication, there are still unfortunate instances where children might feel abandoned, and or neglected,” Chelsea said, adding that these feelings impact their education, mental health, and relationships with others.
Chelsea held that she believes children’s family lives should never hinder them from excelling and recognizing their own potential. In her visits to Filipino schools to talk about this cause, Chelsea said that she shared with the students the educational scholarships, mental health services, community support groups, and livelihood training programs they can avail, in partnership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Migrant Workers.
Chelsea has also already completed the closed-door interview for Miss Universe 2024, expressing that she “walked in with a calm heart and left feeling proud.”
She is vying to become the fifth Filipina to win the Miss Universe title following Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018). – Rappler.com