“Bittersweet” is how Nicole Borromeo describes how she might feel while turning over her title tomorrow, May 28, at Binibining Pilipinas 2023’s coronation night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“It is what it is…it’s part of the process,” the Cebuana beauty queen told The FREEMAN when we chanced upon her during a DiaGold event.
Borromeo will crown her Binibining Pilipinas International successor on Sunday, along with Miss International 2022 Jasmin Selberg of Germany, who is the special guest of the pageant’s 59th edition.
Forty candidates, including Cebu Province’s Mary Joy Dacoron, will compete for two titles: Borromeo’s Bb. Pilipinas International, and Chelsea Fernandez’s Bb. Pilipinas Globe.
ABS-CBN will broadcast the finals via Kapamilya Channel and free-to-air channel A2Z. There will also be a simulcast on ABS-CBN’s Metro Channel, and a livestream on iWantTFC and YouTube. Catriona Gray, Nicole Cordoves, and MJ Lastimosa will host, while Vice Ganda is set to perform.
Borromeo said she is proud to have been hands-on with this year’s candidates, unlike last year where her batch didn’t get to spend a lot of time with the reigning title-holders.
“I got to see Hannah [Arnold, Bb. Pilipinas International 2021] more because we are in the same training camp. This year, we were given time to mentor the girls. I got to spread awareness for Habitat for Humanity. We brought them to a community…they painted the walls and afterwards we told them that this is where a compound is going to be built for families, so thank you for taking part in it,” she says.
“The day after that, we did a workshop with the Habitat team for the girls, and it was very emotional. I cried, and some of the girls cried too, because they saw the value for themselves. Preparing for disaster, it doesn’t matter who you are – rich or poor – and of course it’s worse when you’re poor. The problems are magnified, and the recovery is terrible.”
Sharing her preparations for Miss International 2023 happening this October in Japan, Borromeo says, “It’s really exciting because we’ll be travelling around the Philippines to shoot kind of like a tourism video. Whether it’s required or not, I still want to highlight the country. It’s not going to be the usual type, I think we’re going for that dream-like aesthetic.”
The aspiring interior designer adds that she is grateful for having a longer reign.
“I get to be in touch with all these NGOs, and the people who are willing to work with me and give support throughout the whole thing – I’m feeling it now is what I’m saying. It’s six months from now and the preparations are on its way. I have all these concepts and I’m so excited to bring them to life.”
She can’t wait to meet her co-candidates in Japan and get to know their stories on a deeper level. “I feel proud because they all look so gorgeous. I get to be competing with these girls,” she says. “Not only do they get to be my friends, but it kind of feels like ‘Hey, I’m beautiful too’ because I get to be with them in Japan.”
Borromeo has heard nothing but encouragement from supporters, and this has motivated her to give the country’s bid for a seventh Miss International crown her best shot.
“It’s a good life. Me, three years ago, is not the same me now. And I can feel that. It’s crazy to look at yourself and be like, Wow I’m better than I was before.’ You feel it around you. I’ve been overwhelmed with the support I’ve been getting,” she says.
“Anyone that I meet, they always try to tell me that I have the chance. People believe in me so much, so they must be seeing something in me. They’re betting on me, and I’m never going to take that lightly.” — VAB