Beatrice Gomez: The Silent Killer strikes again
It was almost like her Binibining Cebu showing all over again: relegated as a dark horse with most everyone betting on the veterans, something in her just clicks come finals in what some supporters now call that “pageant night magic.”
Beatrice Luigi Gomez, 26, had the same trajectory for Miss Universe Philippines.
Dwarfed by celebrities, influencers and fan favorites in earlier stages of the competition that began with 100 aspirants from all over the country, Gomez “peaked when it had bearing,” as pageant fan Adrian Diongzon, who also took part in her Tourism Video entry, put it plainly.
Besting 27 other finalists Thursday evening at the coronation streamed live from the Convention Center of Hennan Resorts in Panglao, Bohol, the Cebu City delegate lived up to her Silent Killer moniker when she was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2021.
The five-member panel of judges, which included Doctor to the Stars Vicki
Belo, reveal she was their unanimous choice.
“Not too much of everything. Just the right amount. Just the pure beauty,” MUP’s Director of Communications Voltaire Tayag posted Friday on social media. “In a sea of glam, here is someone who stands out with her simplicity. I guess this works. Bea is silently deadly.”
She earned the right to represent the Philippines this December at the 70th Miss Universe pageant, to be held at the resort city of Eilat in Israel.
Taking over from Iloilo City’s Rabiya Mateo, Gomez is the second winner of the two-year-old
MUP organization led by former Miss Universe Philippines Shamcey Supsup-Lee after acquiring the franchise previously held by the Binibining Pilipinas institution.
Gomez’s victory would have been unthinkable had the franchise remained with BPCI. An openly gay candidate who’s never played coy with her gender orientation, and unapologetic about a prominent armband tattoo – these would not have been embraced by the Stella Araneta-led organization known for its more conservative leanings.
The Cebuana beauty queen had earmarked the first quarter of her 2021 to be spent completing her training as a Philippine Marine reservist in hopes of finally earning her emblem.
But Sven Chua (Accredited Partner of MUP in Cebu City) of Origin Model & Management gave her a call in May and gave her the task of representing Cebu City in the pageant. Time constraints notwithstanding, Gomez felt it was her responsibility as reigning Bb. Cebu to represent the Queen City of the South.
And so with the full backing of an experienced team that handled the MUP 2020 bid of Tracy Maureen Perez and partly that of MUP 2019 winner Gazini Ganados, Gomez began preparing for the competition quite late in the game, whereas other candidates have been sharpening their knives since last year.
“It can’t be helped that you get intimidated when you see the Top 15 results and you’re not there.
There are doubts sometimes because it was initially a popularity contest. Madala pa ba kaha ko?,” Gomez then told The FREEMAN when the first virtual challenges that depended on fan votes had her lagging behind.
That time, the likes of actress Kisses Delavin, Asia’s Next Top Model winner Maureen Wroblewitz, and social media influencer Ayn Bernos zoomed to the top arguably by virtue of their wide fan base.
“But I still believe in myself that I’m very much capable and I trust the organization that they will select the best girl and not just through popularity. Because of course the ambassador that they need to send to Israel needs to be someone who is not just popular, but someone who has IT, who is holistically prepared, and I believe I have that capacity.”
When disheartened, Gomez said she’d remind herself of the advice of Perez (last year’s MUP Cebu City, and currently a Miss World Philippines finalist) to not throw in the towel early.
“During her time there were a lot frontrunners but Tracy made it until the Top 10,” she said. “So she told me not to be discouraged by the frontrunners because the game isn’t over ‘til it’s over.”
And fight ‘til the finish line she did.
After winning the Introduction Video Challenge, and ranked by MUP judges as sixth in the Interview Challenge, nonbelievers were beginning to take notice.
During preliminaries, fans thought she was among the better performers in the Swimsuit and Evening Gown competition where she paraded in a flaming red creation by Dubai-based Cebuano designer Furne Amato (who also did Rabiya’s Miss Universe competition gowns).
At the grand coronation, she was once again a standout in a royal blue asymmetrical evening gown still by Amato.
Given the minor sponsor awards of Miss Luxe Immunplus and Miss Cream Silk, Gomez’s strong finish was all but assured when she bagged the important awards of Best in Swimsuit and Best in Evening Gown.
Her usual calm and collected self during the casual Q&A, Gomez was of the same “unbothered” temperament during the make or break Top 5 interview where she was asked how she may continue being of inspiration during her reign as Miss Universe Philippines, if things occurred in her life that will make her sad and uninspired.
She answered, “It is very evident that all of us went through difficulties during this pandemic, but it is also true that we were able to rise to the occasion. And if anything happen to me during my reign, I will not give up, and inspire others by rising to the problems that I am encountering, and by inspiring them that whatever you are going through, you will be able to overcome it.”
Close in the heels of Gomez was pageant veteran Katrina Dimaranan (Pasig) who was named Miss Universe Philippines Tourism. Completing the Top 5 are Victoria Velasquez Vincent (Cavite) as Miss Universe Philippines Charity, first runner-up Maureen Wroblewitz (Pangasinan) and second runner-up Steffi Aberasturi (Cebu Province).
Aberasturi, also a frontrunner and heavily favored candidate, faltered when it mattered when she mistook the “socially aware” part of her final question to mean “social media.”
Gomez, who yesterday marked her first day as MUP with a slew of media interviews, will begin training for Israel after a week-long press tour.
A first-degree cousin of the late Miss Tourism International 2013 Rizzini Gomez, her other pageant titles include Miss Mandaue 2015 second runner-up, Mutya ng PRISAA 2013 fourth runner-up, Miss CESAFI 2012, and Miss Cebu City Olympics 2010.
Aside from being a beauty queen, Gomez is also a community development worker, a sports enthusiast (volleyball, karatedo, marathon, boxing, scuba diving, MMA), and a model since she was 14.
She was studying Mass Communications at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, but left after her third year when she landed a protocol officer position under former Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing. She focused on work for the past four years, which explained her absence in the modeling and pageant circuit after Miss Mandaue. She resurfaced in 2020 for Binibining
Cebu.
Asked by The FREEMAN if she is willing to go under the knife like Rabiya did en route to Miss Universe, Gomez said, “If I see it as something that is helpful and will help me come prepared to compete against all these representatives from other countries, then of course I will be open to these suggestions. But I will also have to assess if it is necessary and if it suits me. Maybe I will balance it if ever, and hopefully they are open to listening to me.”
In a relationship with performance DJ Kate Jagdon for almost seven years now, Gomez understands if there are still quarters that condemn same-sex relationships.
“After Bb. Cebu and when I announced that I was part of the LGBTQIA+ community, of course not everyone appreciated it and there were a lot of negative comments,” she quipped.
“You try to understand where they are coming from and when I have the chance to make them understand who our community is, I try to do that.”
As break-ups have seemingly become a pattern owing to the limelight that comes with being a top tier pageant titlist, Gomez is quite confident that she and her girlfriend will be an exception.
“My partner is one of the biggest pageant fans. In fact she joined pageants before and won a few titles as well,” she shared.
“So she knows the consequences of me joining, and she was one of those who encouraged me to grab this opportunity. I know she’s well-prepared for all the scrutiny.”