CamSur beauty wins Miss Millennial Phl
Julia Gonowon from Camarines Sur bagged the first Miss Millennial Philippines crown.
Held Sept. 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena, the 21-year-old fourth year Psychology student bested 37 other entrants from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to win Eat, Bulaga’s anniversary segment.
“I feel so blessed and very honored to win the first title. This win comes as a surprise and it’s definitely a labor of passion and hard work. Also, I wouldn’t be able to win the competition without the love and support of my kababayan. The crown is really for them,” she said.
For two months, the Miss Millennial entrants spearheaded the tourism campaign of their respective provinces in a beauty pageant that is first of its kind in local television. They were asked to come up with creative materials to promote the beauty and charm of their provinces.
Julia says her journey to the crown was not that easy as she had to juggle her studies and the competition while being the breadwinner of her family.
“I went through a lot during the competition. Since July I had to work non-stop on our weekly challenges. I also had a hard time adjusting to the format as it’s not the typical pageant which I’m used to. I had to forego the heels and dresses and go back to the basic. But nothing worth having comes easy and it all paid off.”
Julia, who has joined numerous local pageants, also said that she owes much of what she and her family have now to contests like Miss Millennial Philip- pines. She was able to support her education and family with her winnings.
“Pageants gave me a better life. I had to stop school because my parents
didn’t have the money to support my education. I want to finish my degree so I had to think of ways to support that. At first, I was hesitant to join beauty competitions as I’m not used to wearing dresses and swimsuits. But I said there’s no harm in trying. I had to take that risk if I want to fulfill my dreams.” She’s also grateful to Eat, Bulaga as it gave her an opportunity to show the world what young people like her can do today.
“I’m thankful to the program because we were given the chance to show that the millennials are not just into social media. We can channel our love for technology in so many good things. It’s also a good feeling that we were able to extend a helping hand in promoting our respective provinces.”
Asked what’s next for her, Julia said she’s keen to finish her studies and eventually compete in national beauty pageants. She said her ultimate dream is to eventually represent the country in the international competition.
She’s also open to joining show business as she’s fond of hosting and acting. The young beauty said she wants to inspire more millennials to do good for their community.
“I want to prove in my own way that the youth of today is not just tech savvy, but we also have dreams and aspirations. We can use social media to inspire more millennials like me.”
Aside from the crown, she also won a condominium unit from Bria Homes, a Mitsubishi Montero Sport and P500,000.
She said part of her winnings will go to charity and she will visit a remote barangay in Camarines Sur to share her blessings.
The runners-up were Miss La Union Carina Cariño (first), Miss Aklan Eleonara Velentina Laorenza (second) and Miss Malabon Shiara Joy Dizon (third).
Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte’s Dianne Irish Joy Lacayanga was hailed Miss Bayanihan Queen after receiving the highest text and online votes. She won P100,000 and a million for her province.