Here’s what Bea Millan-Windorski said about this victory.
Miss Universe Philippines 2026 Bea Millan-Windorski expressed her thoughts after winning the title.
Bea Millan-Windorski is the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 winner. She represented La Union, and this win sets her to represent the country in the 75th Miss Universe pageant, which will be held in Puerto Rico in November. She takes over from Ahtisa Manalo, who achieved an impressive third runner-up finish in last year’s international pageant.
Bea has been among the frontrunners in the competition, breaking the ‘hakot curse’ that fans have observed in the national competition.
Recently, in an interview with Boy Abunda on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda, the beauty queen expressed how proud she is of her Filipina roots despite the criticisms and questions surrounding her nationality.
For her, the Philippines has always been a country that was “worth representing” as it honors the legacy of her mother and grandmother. She has always been proud as a Filipina, even when she was still living in the US.
She is also aware of the accusations labeling her as an “opportunist” or “performative,” but she maintains that she is pursuing this journey for her younger self, who once felt rejected by different communities.
“I get a lot of criticism that I’m an opportunist or I’m performative, but throughout this whole journey, I‘ve just been trying to be enough for myself and enough for younger Bea who is proud to be Filipina and felt rejected by both Americans and both Filipinos at home,” she said.
She added that she fought so hard for her place, which was why winning the crown meant so much to her. She did everything, and for her, winning the crown felt like the country had also finally chosen her.
“I’ve fought so hard to carve out a place where I feel like I belong and that’s why winning the crown was so emotional. I’ve worked so hard to pick the Philippines as my home and by winning this crown I feel like the Philippines has finally picked me,” she added.
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