Emmanuelle Vera, the representative of Cebu Province in the Miss Universe Philippines 2023 pageant, recently sat down with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) for an exclusive interview.
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During the interview, Emmanuelle talked about her experience during the preliminaries, upcoming plans post-pageant, and honest feelings as she nears the age limit for most pageants.
On the preliminaries, Emmanuelle stated, "I think it was most important that I pulled out all the stops today at the preliminaries, and I feel like to the best of my ability, I did.
"So I'm pretty happy, but yes, there were last-minute preparations especially last night. That's the only time I really solidified my entire routine and what I wanted to do.
"Because you know we've been moving really rapidly, so I didn't have time to sit with my thoughts and really collect myself and be like okay, 'So this is what I want to convey.'
"I've just kind of been going through the motions a little bit. So I had to correct that and in the nick of time, I think we were able to."
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on HANDLING STRESS
On the topic of stress, Emmanuelle admitted that she gets kinda frantic, but is trying her best to plan everything ahead and pull herself together, to remain cool and collected.
"Okay, full disclosure, I'm typically a stress bunny when it comes to things like this," she revealed.
"My ADHD is no contributor to my calmness so you know, normally I'm like running around and freaking out.
"But hopefully, this time, I'm trying to get everything in order, like, way beforehand. So that come coronation night I'm relaxed and I'm just enjoying.
"That's the goal. Let's see if I succeed," she said with a chuckle.
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AFTER THE PAGEANT
Emmanuelle knows there's no hiding the fact that this may very well be her last pageant, due to age restrictions.
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The Iron Heart actress, expressed, "If I win the local pageant then I'll definitely have to compete internationally and that'll be my last pageant.
"I'm 28 turning 29 this year, so I'll be aging out of most pageants."
When asked what she thinks about beauty pageant organizations slowly adjusting the provisions around qualifications of candidates, particularly on age, she replied, "Am I hopeful for it?
"Honestly, I'm a very simple girl and on the daily, live a very simple life. So I'm kind of looking forward to going back to that.
Outside of pageantry, she also expressed going back to her main job as "an actress and a singer and sometimes a host. Just an entertainer basically."
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Despite her passion in the industry, she also loves spending time with her pets and enjoying outdoor activities.
"But as soon as the makeup comes off, I'm just back to my old self," she related.
"I'm hiking, I'm swimming, I'm at the beach. I stay in Cebu so I'm with the doggies and the cats."
