Earlier in the day, Ilene de Vera of Mandaue City, Cebu faced members of the pageant media during an intimate gathering held at the Tribu Babaylan in Quezon City. She was at her most relaxed throughout the afternoon affair as she gamely answered all fielded questions without a trace of stress or pressure that would usually be evident in #Binibinis who have just a little over a week before the Grand Coronation Night.
Ilene is ready for whatever fate has in store for her. She knows that the coming week would be more tough as judgment day draws nearer and nearer. But the renewed sense of empowerment in her has given a great source of emotional strength.
Watch my one-on-one with Ilene below.
Ilene with Rodgil Flores of KF and Miss Tourism International 2017 Jannie Alipoon
“I lived in Cebu my whole life and it has been a part of me — the people, the culture, the food and there’s nothing I want more than to represent my city, Mandaue City, my province,” shares by the beach and lechon lover. The towering Cebuana lass was a BA Mass Communication graduate from University of the Philippines Cebu. She was an active youth advocate then and a campus queen too. From being Miss UP 2015, she tried her first national pageant. She joined Mutya ng Pilipinas 2017 and bagged the major crown. She represented the Philippines and competed with global candidates for Miss Asia Pacific International 2017. A pre-pageant favorite, she finished 4th Runner-up in the international pageant.
“It has been an amazing experience that I wish I could live it all over again,” shares by the print and ramp model under the Models Association of Cebu. “All of this has taught me to never give up on my dreams no matter what other people say. I share my success to the people who have been with me from the very beginning”.
Ilene is also a marketing executive in a real estate company. “This world is a jungle. You either fight or run forever”. A woman with substance, she is compelling her pageant competency to the whole new level as one of the finest contenders in Binibining Pilipinas 2019. “To be Miss Universe Pilippines, one must be strong-willed, dauntless and limitless”.
“Thank you to everyone who are supporting me on this journey. You’re the reason for this big smile on my face,” quips by our dear #BB19. Raised by a single mom, the inspiration behind her advocacy to support women especially solo-parent.
normannorman.com 
Theres something missing or wrong to this queen why not to put her as MUP. Idk how to say those in words. Pero nasa isip isip ko. Patch need to gain weight. her shoulder movement is weak. I see katarina Rodriguez to her. Magkaiba ang lakad pero same na parang kung maglakad eh daig pa ng miss teen.
And Why they always styled her hair straight??? No experiment? I dont want her to wear that style on finals. kahit ung nasa pictorial nya lately. Wag na wag. Remember her ist whole pic with blue long sleeve gown before application of bbp? That hairstyle is more fit to her pero medyo i upgrade pa. Minsan kase sa mga inistyle sa kanya eh parang wig lang ang suot nya. So dun sa style nya sa blue gown mas ok yon but need upgrade.
@FABIAN who said “beauty first before anything else”:
We always tend to see beauty only on the physical dimension. Like it or not, the concept nowadays see it in a multi-dimensional plane. I believe this holistic concept is behind why MUO, in its 4th year under WME/IMG, stresses its intention to establish its brand as a leading authentic women’s empowerment platform. No less than the officer who oversees Miss Universe at WME/IMG Original Content said: “There are many ways to define beauty, and it’s about confidence and about taking yourself out of your comfort zone.” I believe behind this statement is the realization that there is no universal concept of physical beauty because it is culturally defined.
Yes, the MU winner has to be beautiful, but not in the antiquated sense of superficial femininity. She has to be confidently beautiful, i.e, she has to be liked, listened to, and followed. This means that her worth is not just measured in terms of physical attributes— face, hair, teeth, complexion, vital statistics, walk, elegance. It is also measured in terms of brainpower—intelligence, knowledge, judgment, abilities, insights, eloquence, lucidity. It is also measured in character, that distinctive mental and moral qualities that make one a positive influence in society. I believe this is where MUO under its new owner WME/IMG, a merger of a Hollywood talent agency and a sports and marketing empire, is taking the MU brand.
In my opinion, among the many outstanding aspirants this year, only Patch and Ilene measure up to these standards.
The only one I can see outshining Pasweeda is Hannah … of course with proper training
Also… I noticed There have been so many first runners up from the outgoing MIss U’s country of origin
Hannah is prob the only one who can do that
♥️👍♥️
A recent article highlighting the debate and criticism lashed out at the 30 Miss India contestants’s headshots for looking generically Eurocentric and lacking diversity.
Ilene’s island beauty is a stark reminder of how fortunate we are to enjoy the 40 diverse BbP contestants vying for the six crowns in 2019.
All the best Ilene. I hope you win a major crown!
Girl is what most Pinoy judges like
And there is a chance she will do well at Q and A . Sounds like she is preparing for it . Unfortunately , she’s prob not gonna do well internationally . Cute face she is not . But she may do well at MG and MGI.
PPaweensuda ,if she wins , will be hard to beat
I’m undecided … my bubbling up list is longer than my sure bet list this year
UNMADE UP…PATCH N ILENE ARE NOT YOUR TO DIE FOR BEAUTIES…BUT YES THEY may BE Articulate…that’s all
But I will pick Ilene (Vice Ganda) over Patricia (Pops Fernandez). 🙂
Flor Tula, I can’t feel your pulse .
Idk if u r pro-Patch or not
My guess is u r not
@ Fabian Reyes You are accurate.
But as I said before, payag na’kong iraos si Patch sa MU, makuha ko lang ang NON-NEGOTIABLES ko – Sam B. to MI and Sam L. to MS. AND, AYA FOR 2ND RU!
Anyway, the online pro-Patch lobby is too strong and MUUSA is, herself, not the prettiest in her batch. I may be a jerk, but I can compromise. As I did with Muning in Thailand (I wanted H’Hen Nie).
I wonder how the Mutya organization feels when its crossovers to BBP say, “I have always wanted to try for (beep!)”?
I’m not sure it matters as long as they have already fulfilled their obligations with Mutya or Earth
What I don’t understand is why not go for Binibini first when they Have great potential to do well at Binibini ?
I guess nowadays it helps if a candidate is in the consciousness of pageant fans already . And the additional training the minor pageants provide is priceless.
Since MUO’s business is to “empower women to realize their goals through experiences that build self-confidence and create opportunities for success”, and it intends to establish its brand as a leading authentic women’s empowerment platform, my two bets for MUP are Patch Magtanong and Ilene de Vera, two confidently beautiful standouts in this batch. Their persona and credentials look perfect to the task of empowering women and raising awareness on women’s issues and other challenges confronting human beings everywhere.
If Ilene will not be lucky to clinch the MUP title, MIP is another significant crown to wrest due to the pressure to upend last year’s MI 1st Runner Up finish. My hunch is that MI will crown this year a good speaker with a commanding presence for some possible hosting functions in next year’s Tokyo Olympics. Ilene will be a deserving winner.
Beauty first before anything else
Hoping the stars will align on you during the coration night. All the best Ilene