Hannah Arnold of Masbate was crowned the new Binibining Pilipinas International on July 11, 2021 at the grand coronation night held at the Araneta Coliseum.
Hannah and three other beauty queens were hailed as titleholders during the pageant’s coronation night. The three other queens are Bb. Pilipinas Grand International Samantha Panlilio, Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Cinderella Faye Obenita, and Bb. Pilipinas Globe Maureen Montagne.
(L-R) Binibining Pilipinas Globe Maureen Montagne, Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental Cinderella Faye Obenita, Bb. Pilipinas International Hannah Arnold, and Bb. Pilipinas Grand International Samantha Panlilio.
Before the coronation, the four winners—together with nine other finalists—went through the much-awaited segment of every pageant: the nerve-wracking question and answer portion.
Each candidate was given 30 seconds to answer questions coming from the judges present at the venue, while some came from guest panelists who were shown in pre-recorded videos.
These questions tackled socially relevant topics such as freedom of speech, gender equality, womanhood, and the lingering Covid-19 pandemic.
Here are the winning answers of this year's batch of Bibining Pilipinas queens:
Binibining Pilipinas International: Hannah Arnold (Masbate)
Judge Pinky Webb: Given the reach and power of social media, do you believe that genuine freedom of speech exists in the Philippines nowadays. Why or why not?
Hannah Arnold: First of all, freedom of speech is a basic human right that we all must remember. And it is important for democracy. And with the upcoming election, we definitely need free speech. For example, on Twitter, we are limited to few characters, and what I have seen from these tweets has been powerful and has helped me think about who I would like to vote for in the upcoming election.
Binibining Pilipinas Grand International: Samantha Alexandra Panlilio (Cavite)
Judge Rajo Laurel: YOLO: You only live once. Name something you learned and did for the first time during the pandemic which you consider as the most life-changing of all.
Samantha Panlilio: The one thing that I did during the pandemic was actually cook food for frontliners because I love to cook and I also have a food vlog which I do at my spare time, and it was such a fulfilling and humbling experience, you knowd—helping these people and helping contribute to the people who are actually in the frontlines helping us Filipinos. And so, I hope that what I did inspire other women too to help out one another because the only way that we can survive and heal and recover through this pandemic is that we help one another.
Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental: Cinderella Faye Obenita (Cagayan de Oro – Misamis Oriental)
Guest panelist Michael Cinco: How important are luxury items like bags, clothes, and jewelry for a woman when the national economy is down and struggling?
Cinderella Obenita: In life, we always find ourselves at a crossroad of choices. Women always have a choice whether to prioritize luxury items while we are facing a pandemic and also, we have a choice to embrace a concept of a new beautiful which is responsive to the needs of time, adaptive to the change of times. And I think I will choose to be that woman who understand the problems of the Philippines, the problems of my community so that we will be able to uplift each other and I will be that kind of woman who will comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
Binibining Pilipinas Globe: Maureen Montagne (Batangas)
Judge Sec. Benito Bendon Jr.: Now that compassion is needed more than ever, what is your most recent act of kindness and how did this affect others?
Maureen Montagne: During the pandemic, I was in Siargao, and together, friends and I banded together and we created a Siargao community kitchen. It was a trying time and everyone felt how hard it was. Our hearts were heavy but together. we rose. Together, we supported our communities and provided our hot meals and assistance to everyone on the island, and helped as much as we could, and for me, it proved that together, community conquers all.
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