The pageant is lovelier the second time around for Filipino-French Gwendolyne Bolivar Fourniol of Negros Occidental.

This after the 21-year-old beauty was crowned Miss World Philippines 2022 during a competition held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City early morning, Monday, June 6. She bested 35 other candidates for the coveted crown.

This beauty and brains will represent the Philippines at the Miss World 2022 stage.

Gwen, as she is fondly called, aced the pageant question-and-answer portion with her honest and spontaneous answer. During the final round, she was asked: "How do we cope with an education deficit accumulated due to the pandemic?

She answered: "As an advocate of education, I do agree that during the pandemic, we have suffered the most, but the children who have lacked access to education have suffered the greatest. Working hand in hand with ERDA Foundation to empower the marginalized Filipinos, I believe by uniting benefactors and encouraging our children, and allowing them to go back to school, especially during this pandemic, will make this world a better place because education is the greatest weapon against poverty."

Other winners: Alison Black, Las Pinas City, Miss Supranational Philippines 2022; Ashley Subijano Montenegro, Makati City, Miss Eco Philippines 2022; Ingrid Santamaria, Parañaque; City Miss Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2022; Beatriz McLelland, Aklan, Miss Eco Teen Philippines 2022; Justine Beatrice Felizarta,Marikina City, 1st Princess; and Cassandra Chan, San Juan City, 2nd Princess.

• Pageant journey

Before joining her first Miss World Philippines pageant last year, Gwen was pursuing an Economics degree at Oxford Brooks in London in the UK. She hopes to join an internship
program with JP Morgan after graduation, and is also looking towards launching a French tutorial service in the Philippines.

In 2021, Gwen placed in the top 15 of the Miss World Philippines competition. She talks about her pageant journey so far.

“I grew up in France and pageants are not as big there as they are in the Philippines. I did not have that dream of becoming a beauty queen growing up; it was my mother who encouraged me to go for a screening. The first time around, I was very alone because I was very new.”

In her first stint, they called her a baby of pageantry, she recalled. “I didn’t know how to style myself and I didn’t know how to do makeup. Now, with the support of ProMedia, I feel more confident. I am stronger physically and because of this I am also stronger mentally because when you exercise and treat your body right, it also goes a long way towards your mental health.”

ProMedia is a project management group that is passionate about wholistic beauty (body, beauty, and brains). At its helm is CEO Paul Reyes, ably assisted by Jam Aquino, director for operations.

• Power of education

Gwen says more Filipino children should be given opportunities to finish their studies, as this can uplift the lives not only of their families but also their communities.

She is an example of the power of education to change lives, as her mother was a former beneficiary of the ERDA (Educational Research and Development Assistance) Foundation, which sends underprivileged children to school.

"My mother, Sim, grew up in poverty in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. There were seven children in the family and only one sibling was given the opportunity to study. Losing hope for her future, she found her way to Manila to stay with a cousin and it was there that she met Fr. Pierre T. Tritz, SJ, who founded ERDA in 1974 to give underprivileged but deserving children the opportunity to study," Gwen says.

With Fr. Pierre’s support, Sim Bolivar obtained a degree in Psychology from the Philippine Women’s University and was able to work as an au pair (foreign household helper) for a family in Luxembourg where she met Thierry Fourniol at a park.

“If it were not for ERDA, I wouldn’t exist, and my mother would still be living in poverty in Negros,” Gwen adds. Her mother is currently working as a nurse in London, while her father is working as a senior analyst in Belgium," Gwen adds.

She is using her platform to support ERDA, which has already helped some 800,000 Filipino children receive an education and is calling for equality in education rights.

“There is a misconception that women should be the ones to stay home and keep house and raise the children, and are therefore given fewer opportunities to study. My mother, because of the opportunity that was opened to her by the ERDA Foundation, was able to send her 6 siblings to school. This says so much about the power of women to uplift their families out of poverty. We should push equal rights for education regardless of gender,” Gwen says.

Gwen hopes that with the Miss World crown, this #ExceptionallyEmpoweredFilipina can empower people through education, which is the greatest equalizer.

“I want to reach out to humanity and continue the legacy of Fr. Tritz. If one person can transform 800,000 lives in this country, imagine what so many people can do to help millions more in the Philippines and around the world," she says.

• Special Awards

Gwen was also a recipient of special awards such as Best In Evening Gown, Miss Silka, and Miss Love Your Skin.

Other winners of special awards were: Ashley Montenegro, Miss Photogenic; Kristal Gante, Miss Kumu World; Justine Felizarta, tie, Love Your Skin; Maria Gigante, Ingrid Santamaria, and Alison Black, Non-Fungible Beauty Award (three winners); Alison Black, Best In Swimsuit.