Cebuana to represent Philippines at Teen Miss Universe 2019

CEBU, Philippines — Kasley Malaika T. Libres may only be 12 years old, but it’s no understatement when we tell you that she’s thinking ahead.

Lyka, as she’s fondly called by family and friends, seems to have a clear idea of what she wants to achieve.

Besting 10 other candidates from all over the country, she was crowned Teen Princess of the Philippines 2018 last December 9 at the Madison 101 Hotel and Tower in Quezon City, Manila. The pageant, Prince and Princess Philippines, has three categories: Mini, Little and Teen Princess, and Little, Junior, and Teen Prince.

Born and raised in Cebu and currently based in Consolacion, Lyka is a Grade 7 student at Maria Montessori International School. The eldest of two children, she first joined inter-school pageants at ten years old. For her national stint, she was taken under the wing of Kagandahang Flores Cebu.

Lyka ended up representing Cebu through an online screening. Teen Princess of the Philippines was her biggest stage yet, and she shared feeling a bit intimidated by her fellow candidates.  On coronation night, Lyka put on a brave face despite not being called up front for awards.

For her Q&A, Lyka talked about her advocacy, which is centered on education. Asked why she should become Teen Princess of the Philippines, she said she joined the pageant for a purpose and proceeded to talk about the importance of education and its ability to “define our future and take us to different places.” She ended her answer with words of encouragement, urging the audience to “work together and help medicate the sufferings of the world through education.”

Aside from the crown, she was also named People’s Choice Awardee.

Lyka will fly to Tbilisi, Georgia to represent the Philippines at the Teen Miss Universe 2019 pageant, which will be held from

May 5-May 10. She will have to prepare for a closed-door interview, and segments like evening gown, casual attire, national costume and talent competition. Designers Malayka Yamas (who is also her handler) and Roy Erwin Tizon will be dressing her for the tilt.

Inspired by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, Lyka is a fighter of sorts. Her national crown took a lot of sacrifice: with only more or less a month to prepare, the student athlete also had swimming training on her plate. On top of that, she also had to do well in school since she was maintaining a grade.

Lyka had to wake up at 4 a.m. for her 5 a.m. pool sessions, then go to school, and study for exams – all the while training for the pageant.

One night, Lyka thought she was doing well with her pasarela (pageant walk). But her trainers were not satisfied. It was in that moment when she realized the full gravity of what she had taken on. She broke down in tears, overwhelmed with the preparations, the packing and everything in between. In the end, it was all worth it.

“It was kind of challenging. But it was really my dream so I wanted to pursue it. Winning didn’t really sink in. I just told myself that this is really what I wanted. Everything, the breakdowns, hard trainings, sleepless nights, paid off. I was happy.”

Lyka’s mom, Kristine Libres, worried that Lyka’s commitments might cause stress instead of fun. It was already exhausting for her to drive Lyka and pack her things, and thought that her daughter must be going through so much as she was striving to meet her own and other people’s expectations.

But Lyka insisted that she wanted to compete in both pageantry and sports. In the end, she not only clinched a national crown, she also qualified to compete in Dumaguete for the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Meet (CVIRAA) later this month.

“I’m feeling excited but there’s also big pressure. But it’s really my dream to wear a sash that says Philippines, so I thought I would just enjoy it.”

Saying she is just an ordinary girl, Lyka thinks it’s her multi-tasking prowess that sets her apart.

Admitting that she’s often conscious about her teeth, this insecurity has made her aspire to become a dentist.

Apart from her upcoming commitments, Lyka’s other goals include earning high grades. She has been a consistent honor student from first grade until the present.

She prays for strength knowing that things are “going to get harder.”

“I don’t want my life to be very boring. My mom has told me, even at this young age, that when I grow up I’m going to look back at these things. At least I wouldn’t have any regrets. I just take it one step at a time. This is really my passion. I love what I’m doing,” she said. “Sometimes I get tired but I just think that this is what I wanted. I started this so I should finish it.”

When not busy with swimming, pageants and academics, the BTS, BLACKPINK and TWICE fan likes to hang out at home and rest. The self-described introvert said her classmates see her as quiet and shy and were thus surprised to find out about her national pageant win.

While socializing is a bit new to her, Lyka has high hopes that she will get the hang of it soon enough with the help of more training and workshops.