Pinay, 1st runner-up sa Miss Lumiere Int’l World
MAKALIPAS ang isang araw makaraang manalo ni Ma. Ahtisa Manalo bilang 1st runnerup sa Miss International 2018 contest sa Japan nitong Nobyembre 9, isa pang Pinay ang kinoronahang 1st runner-up sa Miss Lumiere International World 2018 beauty pageant na ginanap sa Johor Bahru sa Malaysia nitong Sabado ng gabi.
Umarangkada sa ikalawang puwesto si
Donna Marie Jan Balaor, 25, ng Trece Martires, Cavite, sa pageant na layong koronahan ang mga kababaihang “cultivates a core of peace and self awareness.”
Noong nakaraang taon, nagwagi rin bilang 1st runner-up si Sammie Anne Legaspi, ngayon ay national director ng Miss Lumiere Philippines contest, sa kaparehas na timpalak.
Si Miss Belgium
Olivia Talaronek ang kinoronahang Miss Lumiere International World 2018. Ang iba pang nagwagi ay ang mga pambato ng: Sri Lanka, 2nd runner-up; Zambia, 3rd runner-up; at India, 4th runner-up. Ang iba namang kandidata na nakalusot sa Top 10 ay mula sa Vietnam, Singapore, France, Russia, at Honduras.
Ilang araw bago ang aktuwal na timaplak, ibinahagi ni Donna: “One funny thing about me is that I don’t eat pork. I honestly can’t tell why but since I was a kid, I just hate the smell and the taste of pork so vegetables became my best buddies!
“I am proud to represent my country and to tell the world that I am adopted and raised by a member of the LGBTQia community – a lesbian. I was raised by my ‘amma’ to be a strong, faithful woman,” sabi ni Donna, nang makapanayam ng ilang miyembro ng press.
Aniya pa: “After 17 years, I was blessed to meet my biological parents. I could still remember how we hugged each other so tight and how we wished that time would stop for a moment so we could truly feel the love and care that I’ve missed for years.”
Nagtapos ang beauty queen ng Bachelor of Science Major in International Travel Tourism Management sa Lyceum of the Philippines University.
Bahagi rin siya ng PinkDot, isang non-profit movement na sinimulan ng mga grupo ng indibiduwal na malalim ang pagpapahalaga sa lugar na tinatawag ng LGBT Singaporeans na kanilang “home”.
“I was able to be part of this organization because of my amma and through this, I realized how blessed we are to have the LGBTQia in our society because they play a very important role in making our community a joyful, more colorful one,” sabi pa ni Donna.