Why Chelsea Fernandez carries Sultan Kudarat in Miss Universe Philippines 2025

April 23 ------ Seasoned beauty queen Chelsea Fernandez proudly carried Tacloban City in the handful of national competitions that she joined and won. But for the 2025 Miss Universe Philippines pageant, she is representing Sultan Kudarat. The Waray beauty has been appointed by the local director for the Mindanaoan province to take on the task of bringing the national crown to the southern Philippine island for the first time. 

Two Visayan maidens won in the first two editions, Rabiya Mateo and Beatrice Luigi Gomez, followed by two ladies from Metro Manila, Celeste Cortesi and Michelle Marquez Dee. The crown remained in Luzon in last year’s competition, with Bulacan’s Chelsea Manalo inheriting the title from Dee. “I was actually born in Tacurong City, Province of Sultan Kudarat. And my family just moved to Leyte when I studied elementary to college,” Fernandez told INQUIRER.net in an interview. 

Before her appointment as Miss Universe Philippines-Sultan Kudarat 2025, Fernandez first allayed rumors that she would be competing in the Miss Universe Philippines-Samar search. “Now that I was given the opportunity, I’m gonna take advantage of this opportunity. And I’m just so happy now because I gained a lot of supporters from the Province of Leyte, the City of Tacloban, and of course the Province of Sultan Kudarat,” she continued. 

Fernandez is an accomplished beauty queen, scoring victories in a string of national competitions. At just 19, she was crowned as Reyna ng Aliwan 2018 representing Tacloban City’s Sangyaw Festival. She then competed in the 2019 Miss Philippines Earth pageant as Tacloban City’s representative, bagging the Miss Philippines-Water title at the end of the competition. When the world ground to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fernandez’s pageant quest continued via the virtual contest Miss ECQ in 2020, and the online edition of the Miss Bikini Philippines pageant in 2021. She topped both competitions. 

In 2022, she joined the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, and won her way to The Miss Globe competition in Albania. In the international tilt, she topped the “Head-to-Head” competition, and advanced to the semifinals during the finale. Fernandez now aims to represent the country in an international arena once again. If she inherits the Miss Universe Philippines title from her namesake, she will be sent to the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Thailand in November.  

The national pageant’s coronation show will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on May 2. Reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjær Theilvig and her continental queens are set to attend the ceremonies. 

Source: inquirer.net