A beauty queen with a sad, touching story of being orphaned as a young girl is off to represent the Philippines in Miss World 2021 grand finals scheduled in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 16.
Cebuana looker Tracy Maureen Perez leaves tomorrow (Nov. 20) for the Caribbean island where she hopes to duplicate the feat achieved by Megan Young, the only Filipina so far to be crowned Miss World in 2013.
"It's not easy to represent the whole country in a renowned international pageant like Miss World. But I always remind myself that this is bigger than me. My journey to winning the crown has never been easy, and I always like to inspire other girls to believe in the power of dreams. Even if you come from nothing, you will always have something if you work hard enough for it," Tracy Maureen or Mau said in her pre-departure press conference at the Kingsford Hotel in Manila.
Growing up, Mau did not have a father or siblings. She was raised solely by her mother Chona who was herself a beauty queen. But things turned for the worst when Chona died and Mau was left with nothing at the tender age of 17. She was only able to finish her industrial engineering degree because kind-hearted relatives pitched in to pay for her tuition at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City.
This is the reason why Mau's advocacies as a beauty queen include improving the plight of solo parents and giving the less fortunate access to high-quality education.
Going to Puerto Rico is by far the longest trip Mau will take in her life. Previously, she was able to go to Bali and Hong Kong as prizes for the earlier beauty pageants she joined. Representing the Philippines in a distant country for Miss World signifies how far Mau has come to pursue her dream.
In Puerto Rico, Miss World Beach Beauty returns after a break of five years. Tracy Maureen Perez said she is doing all the preparations to stand out in the swimsuit competition, and she is considered no novice, having won Miss Bench Body in Miss World Philippines.
The goal of course is to make it to the Top 5 of the pageant. Being the strong woman that she is, Mau relies on no one else but herself for much-needed positivity and confidence boost. "I am opening myself to all the beautiful things that will happen to me when I join Miss World," she closed. (ANNALYN S. JUSAY)