After Bb. Pilipinas 2019 concluded, Julia Saubier did not waste time to move on from the pageantry route she devoted herself to from March to early June.
She headed to South Cotabato for a 5-day cultural and spiritual retreat – coupled with entries she can add to her motorcycle diaries in and around Polomolok (we all know by now that she finds maximum thrill in traveling around on top of a motorbike).
And just recently, Julia walked the runway for Designer Leo Almodal. She remains to be in true fighting form on the ramp.
As to where life will lead her next, it still remains to be seen. But I’m pretty sure she has already started plotting her next mission. If it’s going to be another national beauty pageant, we’ll see. But if it’s going to bring her back to different parts of the world, then I can’t wait to follow her next adventures.
Below is her belated message on social media about the entire Bb. Pilipinas experience:
A belated 3-week late update! Shared this on my Instagram account a while back, but wanted to post it here as well since I‘ve have received support from friends and family from around the world through Facebook as well! 💓 I have lost before, but never this publicly 😂 I do however, feel content knowing that I never compromised on my vision or values, and that I gave it my all! Thank u guys for supporting me love uuuuuu
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Congratulations to all the newly crowned queens! We have such a diverse set of ladies to represent us internationally, I am so excited for you all, and I know you will make us all proud. To all the other ladies—most especially to my BFF @ilenedevera—you have all worked so hard, there is still so much to celebrate. ⠀⠀
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Growing up I was upset that we placed so much value on physical beauty. I came here because I wanted to expand our definition of beauty—I spoke about white washing, body shaming, and plastic surgery—and ran my campaign on my values of authenticity and honesty. I wanted to inspire Filipinos to take pride in who we are. ⠀
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But more importantly, I wanted to go beyond beauty and move us towards critical thinking and global ambition. From the beginning of my campaign, I said that this was about my voice and my vision for my country.⠀
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With this year’s beyond beauty theme, to not have been able to represent this change in the pre-selected top 25 feels disappointing. I believe this to be emblematic of a larger problem here in the Philippines. It’s part of a system of lip service, appearances, and politics, where ideas and values are relegated second-best to business, sponsor influence, money, and clicks. If we want a better, more inclusive, stronger Philippines, then we need people to stand up and speak out on these shortcomings. ⠀
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Nevertheless I feel immensely grateful to have been given this unique learning opportunity. Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this journey. It tells me that Filipinos value authenticity, intelligence, and goodwill. You guys have inspired me to stay true to who I am and to use my voice with utmost courage. You made everything worth it.
The next Miss Universe Philippines will occupy a very unique spot in our country’s modern pageant history if plans of the Miss Universe Organization to bolt out from Binibining Pilipinas finally comes to fruition and becomes a stand-alone marquee in the search for the best Filipina to represent the Philippines in the annual Miss Universe beginning 2020. And what a year to start that endeavor – with the clearest vision (read: 20/20) in their mission – widen the brand reach on a largely independent scale and make it a dedicated national crown that will attract only the best of the best aspirants to join.
Aya (right photo) is the lady almost every seasoned pageant chronicler would wishfully want to win as Miss Universe Philippines – the most obvious reason being that she is the daughter of Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1984 Desiree Verdadero-Abesamis. But I distanced myself from such justification because newsworthiness is not the best suit to anchor anyone’s decision on – at least not in our kind of pageantry that has evolved though decades of change. Frankly speaking with no offense meant, will IMG even bother making a big deal out of that relatively novel detail?
Hannah is a Filipina-Australian sweetie who has grown so much more in nearly three months of involvement as a Binibini than perhaps any other significant chapter in her 24 years of existence. From being a wide-eyed cheerer of a spectator who watched the Victory Parade of Miss Universe Catriona Gray unmindful of the random street shots taken of her in a casual and lightly-made look, she has transformed to a more refined competitor who can now play by the rules of the pageant game without losing her trademark gentleness. The charming accent is icing on the cake.
Filipina-French Julia is the exact opposite of Hannah. She is headstrong, verbally aggressive in a politically correct way and extremely focused on every fine detail that went into her preparations leading to Sunday night’s Grand Coronation. She doesn’t mince with words when she says that the only title worth fighting for is Miss Universe Philippines. After all, it was the victory of Catriona Gray last December that greatly inspired her to join the nationals one year in advance (she was originally eyeing Bb. Pilipinas 2020). And her game plan seems to be working nicely at this point where she is being considered as a dead-serious contender for the crown. Her facial beauty may have elicited mixed reactions for some. But the minute she opens her mouth to speak, all cautions get thrown in the wind.
And then we have Attorney Bea Patricia Magtanong who was allegedly asked this question during the closed door interviews: ”We have sent lawyers before, and they all failed in Miss Universe, what do you think is different this time?” Don’t ask me what her answer was, but I’m pretty sure she was able to acquit herself well from that targeted grilling. Besides, I don’t consider her new professional status as one strong basis for selection. It would even be doing some kind of disservice to her own personal merits if being an Attorney is the only thing that would tilt things in her favor. She represents the Quintessential Filipina a lot of Filipinos could be clamoring for. Add to that her level of articulation plus beautiful face and you have someone who can be the last woman standing.
I recently responded (in a previous blog) to reader named “Sky” that I was still waiting for my epiphany moment for the title of Miss Universe Philippines. True enough, I started writing this blog entry at around 5pm yesterday. At just half past six, I ate dinner with my mom. And when I resumed writing this last paragraph at 7pm, it dawned on me after browsing through all the photos on my iPhone. I have only one taken with any of the last three Binibinis above. And that side-by-side image was not even planned because during the PLDT event in Makati, she was the one nearest me when a colleague offered to take the shot just seconds before the organizers asked us to vacate the conference room as the top officials started to arrive. I took this as one final sign – on top of all the multiple considerations inside my head – as to why it was only with Patch that I had that opportunity when it would’ve been just as easy with either Julia or Hannah. And in my heart, I can now rest easy knowing that she is the one who can close the gap between who could win and who will win.
Unlike last year when the highest crown was a lock for Catriona Gray since Day 1, the competition for this year’s Miss Universe Philippines alone is like a tight basketball playoff among eight (8) teams wanting to win the championship trophy. I say eight (8) because it symbolizes infinity where the movement is unending. Nobody has an idea where it will stop until the buzzer (or announcement of winners for that matter) finally sounds off on the night of June 9.
