Emma Mary Tiglao of Pampanga struggled to earn her stripes during the first three major national pageants – Mutya ng Pilipinas 2012, Bb. Pilipinas 2014 and Miss World Philippines 2015 – that she took part in. She was either a runner-up or finalist but never the crowned titleholder. She even took the risk of joining a lesser-known contest last year – Miss Midori Clark – where she placed 1st Runner-Up.
But not the type who would bow down to one defeat or two, she constantly stood up, reinvented her image and presented renewed versions of herself every single time. She has definitely paid her dues in national pageantry and it was only a matter of time before she would collect a handsome reward in the form of a Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental crown which she claimed last Sunday night.
Emma has grown in front of our pageant-loving eyes. And what she has shown all throughout the Bb. Pilipinas 2019 competition is that she can do all things with a lot of grace and patience. She never lost footing every step of the way. Maybe she wasn’t the choice of many for the highest title of Miss Universe Philippines, but definitely a deserving recipient of any of the five other crowns at stake.
This Kapampangan beauty will have the tough assignment of preparing for one of two back-to-back victory missions for the Philippines. But with Karen Gallman as the reigning Miss Intercontinental, she will receive all the precious advices and support in order to conquer the 48th Miss Intercontinental with the heart of a fighter.
