Pia Wurtzbach recalls humble beginnings in Binibini
MANILA, Philippines — Pia Wurtzbach looked back on her humble beginnings as a beauty queen and shared how the Binibini sisterhood helped her go through her pageantry journey.
In one of the portions of the just-concluded Binibining Pilipinas 2022 coronation night held at Araneta City last Sunday, Pia and former beauty queens narrated in a pre-recorded video to this year’s candidates how they forged friendships that lasted a lifetime and stressed the importance of “women empowering women” in the world of pageantry.
“All of you are in competition with each other and all of you are trying to get the crown,” began Pia. “Ano ba talaga ang nauuwi mo after nito kasi yung mananalo naman one year lang namanmay crown yan eh? And then after that, she has to pass it on to another girl. But what’s something that you take on with you (in) years to come (is) the friendships that you build, it’s the connections that you build in that competitive space.”
According to Pia, when you join a beauty pageant, the first person that you will get close to is the girl whom you share the same interests with, for example, humor, TV shows, music and language.
The 32-year-old beauty queen joined Binibining Pilipinas pageant thrice — in 2013, 2014 and 2015 — and finally won the title in her third try. She went on to become the third Filipina to win Miss Universe 2015, after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973.
During her first attempt on the 50th edition of the said beauty competition, she recalled how competitive the 50 candidates were. “I remember the first day of screening, I felt overwhelmed because I didn’t know I had to stand in heels for a long time. Mahina pa yung stamina mo at wala pa naman akong budget talaga. So I didn’t really bring any food with me. Gutom na gutom ako nun. Actually, yung isa dun nilibre niya ako. Tumatak sa akin yun na parang pwede pala na ganito. Kahit na magkakalaban tayo sa isang crown, hindi mo ko papabayaan,” she continued.
“Tapos, ‘pag kayo kayo na lang ang magkakasama sa dressing room, sometimes you need help with your dress and sometimes you need help with your makeup,” she recounted. “Sometimes, may naiwan ka na requirement na importante pala. It’s very important to have friends, may mga kasama ka kasi maghihiraman kayo ng gamit. You will help each other.”
“In fact, you relate so much with each other because nobody else knows what you’re going through than the girls sitting next to you. She knows what it feels like to get up in the morning, to face yourself in the mirror,” she mused. “You would be unsure and would question yourself, ‘Can anything good come out of coming here every day? All the waiting? And the bashing online?’
“Is all of these worth it? That I quit my job. That I put my life on hold. My relationships are on hold. That my family’s getting affected by the things that they’re reading online. Is all of these worth it?” she reiterated.
“But then you show up anyway and who do you draw your strength from? It’s the girls around you because they are your support system,” said Pia. “When other people see this or listen to this. It’s hard for them to believe that, ‘Are friendships really formed there?’ But it’s gonna be up to us to change that kind of mindset.”
She believes that more people and fans will embrace the “idea of sisterhood” in the long run and that it’s real. She further encouraged her Binibini sisters to “check up on each other especially nowadays (because) it really takes a toll on your mental health. Check up on the ones who don’t make it to the finals (and) also the winner because winners also go through a lot.”
“Everybody whom I met in December 2015 onwards knows me as Miss Universe Pia,” she added. However, for her,
“The people that I really cherish are the ones who didn’t know (me as) Miss Universe, who didn’t know that side of me, who saw the struggle, who saw the beginnings. Those are the kind of friendships that I really cherish because I know that you are not just beside me because I’m a winner, you’re beside me because you were there when I was a nobody and that’s the best feeling in the world.”
Her message to the new batch of Binibinis is: “If there’s any advice that you guys need, you can send me a message on my DM. And then if I see your message, I try my best to reply if you guys need any advice or anything because that’s what sisters are for.”
After Pia told her sisterhood stories, Miss Universe 1984 third runner-up Desiree Verdadero, Bb. Pilipinas International 1991 Patty Betita and Bb. Pilipinas Maja 1992 Marina Benipayo also shared their experiences.
Patty, a cancer survivor, was emotional when she recalled how Desiree and Marina were there for her in one of her chemo sessions when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.
Desiree said, “Nagpakalbo siya during that time, we were there and we cried watching her. Since I’m in my senior year, sana naman alagaan niyo naman ako. Sana walang iwanan as friends.”
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