Soon, we’ll be seeing the new queen who will represent our country in the universe’s long-awaited beauty pageant.
Fifty women in the competition had bravely undergone online challenges for fans and supporters to know them more.
On Wednesday, April 6, the Miss Universe Philippines organization (MUPH) revealed the top 32 finalists who will advance to fight and win the Miss Universe Philippines crown.
Nico Locco hosted the revealing of finalists. He announced that 30 candidates were chosen based on their performances in the challenges. However, the fan votes from the challenges were not considered.
Meanwhile, the two chosen finalists that made the list are the winners of the Kumuniverse Selection Campaign, which was held from March 13 to 17, and the Kumu’s choice, which was based on the candidate with the highest number of streaming hours.
Shawntel Cruz from Benguet won the Kumuniverse Selection Campaign, while Jeanne Nicci Orcena from Davao del Norte won the Kumu’s choice.
Notable pageant personalities have also made the list, including Miss Earth Philippines 2018 Celeste Cortesi, Miss World Philippines 2019 Michelle Dee, Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2019 Ma. Katrina Llegado, and Miss Universe Philippines 2020 3rd runner-up Pauline Amelinckx.
Read on and get to know the 32 finalists who will compete for the crown:
● Shawntel Cruz (Benguet)
Prior to joining the pageant, Cruz was a previous housemate from the batch of Pinoy Big Brother 8 housemates. She was also known as the “Muse-cal Daughter ng Baguio”.
● Jeanne Nicci Orcena (Davao del Norte)
Hailing from Davao Del Norte, Orcena is a 21-year-old aspiring beauty queen who started collecting Tarantulas in 2017. She mentioned in her Miss Universe 2022 introduction video that she loves cuddly pets and exotic animals.
● Angelica Lopez (Palawan)
Living on a beautiful island, Lopez is a 21-year-old woman who grew up being surrounded by music. She enjoys playing guitar. She shared in her introduction video that she is a fan of true crime documentaries as she is interested in analyzing people’s behaviors.
● Isabelle Kristine Braza (Las Piñas)
Braza is a 25-year-old TV Commercial and Print Ad model who shared that her mother is her biggest fear and greatest inspiration in her life.
● Lou Dominic Piczon (Cebu Province)
Hailing from Cebu Province, Piczon is a 26-year-old who has considered herself a jack of all trades. According to her introduction video, she immersed herself in speech, singing, and martial arts.
She is a fur mom to 3 dogs. She also mentioned that she loves to eat and she used to dress up as Santa Claus in a costume party when she was a child when everyone around her dressed as princesses.
● Jewel Alexandria Palacat (Ilocos Sur)
Coming from Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos Sur, Palacat grew up surrounded by mountains and raised by farmers. She also shared that she loves to ride motorcycles.
● Ma. Katrina Llegado (Taguig)
Aside from winning the Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas crown last 2019, Llegado is a 24-year-old woman who graduated cum laude with a degree in Finance in De La Salle University – Manila.
Llegado also considers herself as a professional multitasker as she juggles her role as a model, actress, entrepreneur, and Taguig ambassadress. She also considers herself as a fitness enthusiast, sharing that she has done boxing activities.
● Annabelle McDonnell (Misamis Oriental)
McDonnell is a 21-year-old woman who has shared that she has sold seven different pastries to get by throughout her high school years. With her hardwork and determination, she has achieved to gain a full academic scholarship in De La Salle University – College of Saint Benilde. She previously won as Miss Kuyamis 2022.
● Marilit Katipunan Iligan (Negros Oriental)
Iligan is a 21-year-old woman who shares that she usually smiles even at the smallest things in life. She also shared that she is ambidextrous or someone who can use both left and right hand to write.
She has also shared in her introduction video that she is a student and manages her business during the day, while she works as a remote freelancer at night.
● Jona Sweett (Aklan)
Sweett is a 26-year-old daughter of a Filipina and an Australian citizen. She aspires to be a part of a Hollywood film, thus pushing her to enroll in acting workshops in Los Angeles in 2020.
However, due to the pandemic, she took a pause on this dream yet she is still hoping that one day, her dream will come true.
● Elsa Schumacher (Batanes)
Schumacher is a 25-year-old woman who was born in the United States and grew up in the Philippines. She has shared in her introduction video that while she loves nature, she doesn’t like snakes.
● Vanessa Ann Caro (Iloilo Province)
Caro is a 25-year-old woman who shared that since December 2021, she grew to love running which earned her a gold medal in a competition.
● Isabel Luche (Mandaue City)
Luche is a 22-year-old content creator from Mandaue. She shared that she loves to sing, dance, cook, travel, and eat. As a content creator, she aspires to share her raw experiences in social media.
● Sashi Chiesa (Lapu-Lapu City)
Chiesa is a 26-year-old who shared a unique secret about herself. According to her story in her introduction video, she stepped on a thumb tack when she was a child yet she didn’t show any reactions towards it.
● Aidyl Mhay Sanchez (Guiguinto, Bulacan)
Sanchez is a 24-year-old who is an animal lover, avid reader, and travel junkie. She is also an aspiring psychoanalytic psychotherapist who is living a very minimalistic lifestyle.
● Julia Calleja Saubier (Albay)
Saubier is a 27-year-old who is known for her great martial skills. However, she has shared in her introduction video that she only took martial arts classes 4 years ago.
Prior to joining this year’s pageant, Saubier also joined Binibining Pilipinas in 2019.
● Francheska Alexine Dadivas (Roxas City)
Dadivas is a 22-year-old who is passionate about painting. Aside from painting, she is also a singer, named as Püpa, who has already released 4 singles on Spotify.
● Ivylou Corpuz Borbon (Pangasinan)
Borbon is a Tourism graduate who loves baking, cooking, and taking care of her two fur babies.
● Celeste Cortesi (Pasay)
Cortesi is a 24-year-old model and a student who is studying to be a real estate agent. She loves meditating and working out. She also enjoys spending time with her fur babies.
● Shanelyn Bayson (Victorias City, Negros Occidental)
She is a 21-year-old who lives a simple probinsyana life. She shared that she juggles her responsibilities in life as a student intern and an online seller.
● Ghenesis Latugat (Baguio City)
Latugat is a 22-year-old who shared that she can relate to people from different walks of life. She can also speak 5 languages and dialects fluently which includes English, Filipino, and Ilocano.
● Sonja Jeyn Tanyag (Laguna)
She is a 23-year-old Tourism graduate. She has shared that she only eats seafood and vegetables. Her hobbies include sketching and painting.
● Alyssa Georgia Felix (Macabebe, Pampanga)
Felix is a 27-year-old who enjoys indulging her food. She has a fascination for solving puzzles and mysteries thus leading her to study Forensic Science in London. During her free time, she participates in zumba and drives around town on her motorcycle.
● Pauline Amelinckx (Bohol)
Aside from winning as Miss Universe Philippines 2020 3rd runner-up. Amelinckx is a 26-year-old who shared her passion for discovering the beauty of the sea as she is a certified AIDA 2 Freediver.
● Anjeanette Japor (Lucena City)
Japor is a 26-year-old with a Filipino father and Indonesian mother. She is a Corporate Sales Manager by day, and a singer by night.
● Chantal Elise Legaspi Schmidt (Cebu City)
She is a 20-year-old hailing from the queen city of the south. She shares that she loves dogs. She has a rescue puppy that has been with her now for 9 years. She also considers the dog as her best friend.
● Danielle Arielle Camcam (San Juan City)
She is a 24-year-old who has shared that she is, in fact, a very extraverted person despite the fact she was homeschooled throughout high school.
● Michelle Dee (Makati)
Aside from winning the Miss World Philippines 2019 title, Dee is a 26-year-old actress, model, adrenaline junkie, and according to her, she is a certified nerd who has a passion for learning.
● Gillian Katherine De Mesa (Nueva Vizcaya)
She is a 25-year-old who enjoys adventurous activities such as paragliding, hiking, and going to waterfalls and doing water activities. However, she has also shared that she does not know how to swim.
● Gracelle Nicole Distura (Quezon Province)
She is a 22-year-old aspiring beauty queen who has already joined pageants since she was 16 years old. She has shared that her inspiration is Pia Wurtzbach.
● Dorothy Gemillan (Iloilo City)
She is a 21-year-old who has a fascination with fairy tales and magic. She has shared that due to her childhood and her fascination with fairy tale stories, she sees the world with a perspective that dreams indeed usually come true.
● Jedidah Korinihona (Davao Del Sur)
Korinihona is a stunning 25-year-old who stands out with her wonderful curly hair. She shared that she’s a coffee lover and that she used to drink five cups of coffee daily but eventually learned how to limit her coffee intake.
The coronation night will be hosted by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow and will commence on Saturday, April 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
For more Miss Universe Philippines 2022 updates, you may download the MUPH app and follow them in KUMU.
