Pauline Amelinckx is representing the Philippines at the Miss Supranational 2023.
The pageant is set to take place on July 14, 2023, at Strzelecki Park Amphitheater in Poland.
The beauty queen from Bohol is a familiar sight among pageant enthusiasts, who have witnessed Pauline's rise from a neophyte to a strong contender, year in and year out.
In fact, Pauline was among the favorites this year to take home the Miss Universe Philippines crown.
She had a strong showing at the recently-concluded pageant, where she won most of the special awards at the preliminary competition staged a few days before coronation night.
READ Bohol's Pauline Amelinckx bags ten special awards at Miss Universe Philippines 2023 prelims
Despite falling short and losing to the eventual winner, actress-model Michelle Dee, Pauline had captivated her kababayans who are all rooting for her to win in July.
READ Michelle Dee, hindi tanggap na winner ng pageant fans; MUPH Org, iniintriga na may "favoritism"
But before that, here are some interesting facts worth knowing about Pauline.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Pauline was born on August 26, 1995. Her zodiac sign is Virgo.
Her father Paul is from Belgium, making her half-Filipino, half-Belgian.
She stayed in Antwerp, Belgium for ten years, from the age of two until she turned twelve years old.
Her family would, however, visit the Philippines during summer.
"We're actually a family of three — it's just me, my mom, and my dad. I'm an only child," Pauline said in an interview uploaded on the YouTube channel Showbiz Tita.
"I consider myself a daddy's girl, yes," she said.
"But, of course, as I matured I also became closer to my mom. [Although] we used to be the ones who would always fight when I was a kid because our characters sometimes are complete opposites."
Despite her Belgian lineage, Pauline considers herself more Filipino than Belgian, thanks to her mom Linda.
She said, "My mom's influence and my mom's genes were very strong when it comes to that.
"Also, because I somehow choose to be more Filipino than Belgian.
"I think it's because it's here where I found myself more when we moved back to the Philippines."
Pauline’s hometown is Tubigon, Bohol. She travels from Manila to Bohol every month to see her family.
"Whenever I go home, I really try to make it a point that we have all of the quality time spent together," she said in an interview.
"And that at least we have some dinners together, then do our traditional games together after dinner, they're very important to me."
She described Bohol as "breathtaking" and the people "warm" and "hospitable."
EDUCATION
Although Pauline hails from Bohol, she went to college in nearby Cebu.
She took up International Studies and majored in European Studies at Cebu Doctor’s University in Mandaue City, Cebu. She graduated in 2017.
PAGEANT JOURNEY
Before her Miss Universe Philippines stints, Pauline joined and won Miss Bohol in 2017. She represented Barangay Tubigon.
Meanwhile, Gazini Ganados finished first runner-up in the same pageant. Gazini later represented the country in the Miss Universe 2019 pageant.
Perhaps winning the Miss Bohol 2017 pageant is a sign that Pauline could surpass Gazini's accomplishment in the international stage, and bring home the Miss Supranational crown.
Pauline joined Miss Universe Philippines thrice.
She finished 3rd runner-up in 2020, was named Miss Charity in 2022, and was recently proclaimed Miss Philippines Supranational for the pageant's 2023 edition.
"This is my third time [to join Miss Universe Philippines] and, honestly, I was afraid that people would be... naumay sa akin," she told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
"But I guess, I'm so grateful still with the support that I've been receiving from other people. So thank you for that."
Pauline used to work as a retail and sales consultant for a furniture store in Taguig.
ADVOCACY
Pauline became an Ambassador of Hope for the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation in 2019.
She supports the organization's advocacy of providing boats to bring children residing in coastal and far-flung areas safely to school.
Pauline also supported Yellow Boat's "Hope in a Box" initiative, where she packed and distributed care packages to children in her hometown.
The organization congratulated Pauline for being named Miss Supranational Philippines 2023. “Making an impact on the lives of the kids in our communities and being a role model worthy of respect and emulation are the greatest rewards you gave us,” it wrote on its Facebook page. “With that, you empowered children to have #HopeThatLasts, and you will always be our queen."
Another advocacy that Pauline supports is marine conservation, which just goes to show how much she really loves the water.
BEACH LOVER
Pauline loves going to the beach to unwind and relax.
She wants to explore more of Palawan, saying, "I've only been to Puerto Princesa and Coron."
Pauline, who also enjoys the waters of Boracay, is into freediving.