Philippines has dominated the International Beauty Pageants in the last 10 years where they have produced numerous contestants who have won different titles for the country. Like Catriona Gray Miss Universe 2018 from Philippines explained, ‘It’s our Superbowl. The level of support that Filipinos give the arena of pageantry is phenomenal’; pageants have become an essential part of Philippines’ cultural pride. With so much support and love from the country, the delegates of Philippines have performed phenomenally at the Miss Intercontinental in the last 10 years of this decade.
The Philippines beauties that have performed and have successfully made their spot in the competition are –
Christi Lynn McGarry represented Philippines at Miss Intercontinental 2010 and was one of the strongest contenders for the title. Even though the diva was outstanding in her performance and was picked for the Top 15 contenders for the title, she failed to win the title for the country. She was titled as Miss Intercontinental Queen of Asia and Pacific during the ceremony. The diva was not new to the pageantry as she had won the Miss New Jersey Teen USA 20018 and later Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia Pacific 2010 crown and thus was appointed as an official delegate.
Later in 2013, Koreen Medina represented Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2013 which was held on 14th December 2013. She was placed as the third runner-up during the coronation ceremony. She was also named as Miss Intercontinental Asia and Oceania 2013. Before joining pageantry, she was a Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2 contestant, the Grand Prize winner in the Coca-Cola Music Talent Search Finals in 2011.
Kris Tiffany Janson represented Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2014 which was held on 5th December 2014. She was crowned the second runner-up by the end of the event along with special awards that included Miss Intercontinental Asia and Oceania 2015 and Miss Photogenic. The diva owned the stage during her evening gown and swimsuit competition and wowed the judges with quick and intelligent answers. Kris dedicated her pageant experience to her father, who died before he could see her compete in a pageant.
Christi Lynn McGarry again epresented Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2015 and was crowned as the first runner up by the end of the event which was held on 18th December 2015. McGarry received the title of Miss Intercontinental Asia and Oceania. Miss Intercontinental 2015 was Christi’s second attempt to win the crown but she unfortunately failed to win one.
Jennifer Hammond represented Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2016 held on 16th October 2016 in Sri Lanka. The diva was picked for the top 15 but unfortunately failed to win the crown. She was confident and believed that you must work on giving yourself an edge in international competition. Hammond said that she shifted her focus to embodying the qualities that make Filipinas unique. "It's good to be the best that you can show about the Philippines, about Filipinas".
Katarina Sonja Rodriguez represented Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2017 held on 24th January 2017 where the diva was placed first runner-up as well as Miss Intercontinental Asia and Oceania. Katarina first came to prominence when she joined cycle 2 of Asia's Next Top Model in 2014 and came in second place.
Karen Gallman represented Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2018 on 27th January 2018 and was crowned as the winner by Veronica Salas Vallejo Miss Intercontinental 2017 of Mexico. With Karen’s win marked the first win for the Philippines and Binibining Pilipinas since acquiring the franchise. She won after preaching about the importance of being focused when it comes to becoming successful, saying during the Q&A round: "For me, success is not just about winning in life. It is about setting goals, achieving your dreams, working hard for everything you want, and always looking up to God and be thankful for everything. For me, that is success," she said.
Emma Mary Tigalao represented the country of Philippines at the Miss Intercontinental 2019 held on 20th December 2019. She was one of the strongest contenders for the win but unfortunately failed to make it to the top 15. She was selected for top 20 and was appreciated by the judges as well as the audience for her extremely cracking performance. She was titled Miss Popularity through social media and was also the winner of May Cares a movement that centres around helping one another on the journey to self-love, self-acceptance and self-empowerment.
The reason why Philippines is known as the Powerhouse of Pageant is because in each corner of the country, one can find local pageants taking place which inspires young women to take part and showcase their talent and talk about their views and opinions on a topic. These local pageants prepare the young women who show immense dedication and resilience to represent their country on an international level.