Miss Eco International 2025 Alexie Brooks shares that the passing of her beloved grandmother, Lola Basing, was among the reasons that pushed her to return to pageantry and join the inaugural Reina Filipinas competition.
Lola Basing, who raised Alexie in Leon, Iloilo, passed away in September 2024. The beauty queen and athlete has long credited her grandmother as one of the most influential figures in her life.
Alexie was crowned Miss Eco International 2025 on April 19, 2025, and is now among the candidates vying for a title in the first-ever Reina Filipinas pageant.
In an exclusive interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) during a sponsor visit at Beauty Project Aesthetic and Wellness Center and Dandy Glow in Mandaluyong City, Alexie reflects on the loss of her grandmother and shares the most important lessons she learned from her.
She says: "I feel like ever since my last national competition, sobrang dami nangyari sa buhay ko. One of the life-changing things that happened is my grandma passing.
"E, with her passing, you know, it's a different type of grief and pain when it's an eternal separation.
"So I've realized so much about life, of how fragile life is, of how important time is, and how, you know, how konti and how short life.
"So parang... in all those months and almost, I think two years na, what I've learned is to live the moment.
"Wag mong sayangin kung anong meron ka."
According to Alexie, the experience changed how she approaches life and competition, reminding her to always give her all and make the most of every opportunity.
"If you only have 30 seconds to answer the question, pour it your heart out.
"If you only, if you met your friends and then you're gonna say, 'See you next week,' you act like it's the last time you're gonna see them.
"So, this time around, I think kung saan ako nag-mature is on how I deal with things, understanding na, yun nga, we only die once but we live every day.
"So, huwag mong sayangin yung meron ka.
"And when you have a talent, you go out there, you explore more, you meet people more, you be friendly to everyone and kind to people.
"Kasi hindi mo naman alam kung anong pinagdadaanan ng tao. So that's I feel like something na emotional and mental na-understand ko."
Read: Alexie Brooks mourns death of grandmother who raised her
ALEXIE BROOKS: REINA FILIPINAS
For Alexie, returning to the national pageant stage feels vastly different from her previous competitions, especially now that she carries both experience and heightened expectations as an international titleholder.
She says: "Alam mo, I was just talking to all of them earlier. I was saying na parang it's different kasi this time around.
"Kasi, as much as of course there's pressure, kasi siyempre I've won a competition internationally, so hindi pwedeng kampante ka.
"Kasi there's pressure na parang alam mo yung you can't let go.
"But at the same time, yung... yung feeling of having fun, yung feeling of learning how to live in the moment with my sisters, but at the same time understanding that it is a competition.
"Kasi, I feel like that's something na medyo hindi ko nagawa on my last nationals, na more lang ako focusing on the crown...
"Na nakalimutan kong, you know, the sisterhood lasts longer than any crowns that you put in your head. So I'm trying to balance both. Yun naman now."
Alexie adds that she is handling the pressure more gracefully this time around, choosing to stay focused while enjoying the journey.
She explains, "I think that's the way or that's the strategy kasi, yun nga, I've won a competition. I'm very happy na I represented the Philippines well, na nanalo tayo.
"And this time around that I'm competing again, I'm hoping that, you know, I get the same support from the Filipino people and to all the supporters that I have.
"But at the same time, with the strategy nga... more graceful, calm, but at the same time never losing your focus on the competition.
"I think that's more of the game plan now."
Read: Angelica, Alexie join inaugural Reina Filipinas pageant
ALEXIE BROOKS: THE GAME PLAN
As finals night approaches on August 7, 2026, Alexie reveals that her team has been making subtle but intentional changes to further elevate her presentation and showcase a different side of her personality.
"I think I've shown it for the past two weeks na. I tried to change the hair a bit. There's a tweak to it.
"Even the makeup, medyo iniiba-iba namin. Even with the styling, kasi I listen talaga.
"So even with the styling, it took me two years to find kung saan ba mas maganda, paano bang bagay na styling sa akin, the colors, little things like those.
"Even the pasarela, the way I'm communicating, the way I carry myself to public or in public.
"So there's so many things na I'm showing out there to show to people na I can be so much more, na marami pa, like, hindi kayo magobo-bore."
Despite being a former international winner and a seasoned beauty queen, Alexie says training remains a crucial part of her preparation.
"To be honest, all of it pa rin. Kasi sabi nga nila, 'E, Alexie, parang nag-compete ka na naman, bakit kailangan mo pa mag-train?'
"So is every athlete that's competing internationally. Just because you're an Olympian doesn't mean you're gonna slack off and don't train.
"It's easy to go on top, but it's hard to maintain on top. So I think that with that mindset, I always know kung ano yung gusto ko, and I know na I work hard.
"Triple the hard work actually this time around, kasi ngayon yun nga, may pinanghahawakan ka.
"So you don't want other people to, you don't want that, na masayang e. So you want to keep going further, as I said, abanse."
When asked about her finals night looks, Alexie teases that their team is still carefully weighing their options to ensure every appearance makes an impact.
She shares: "Part of us wanted to do something na medyo different, then part of us also wanna do something different also, so two different things.
"Pero magdedepende kasi siya sa damit namin sa production number, sa damit sa swimsuit, sa damit sa gown.
"So we're still on the very critical stage ng planning namin with the team. But then, other than that, of course, what we want is the best for me and for how people view me and the judges view me."
As the competition heats up, Alexie also expresses her hope that candidates will be treated with kindness and respect online.
She says: "So hopefully talaga na everyone gets to enjoy the competition and hopefully everyone gets to be, you know, nice online also, kasi some of these girls bago kasi sila.
"So I understand na very critical tayo. But hopefully, you know, be respectful lang and make social media as a safe space for everyone."
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