Another Filipina is getting the spotlight in the upcoming Miss Universe 2023 pageant—not as one of the contestants, but as one of the judges.
She is Dr. Eleonor Concepcion “Connie” Mariano, and her impressive credentials makes her a Pinoy pride.
She was born in Pampanga, but was raised in the U.S.
Being the first-ever Filipina rear admiral, Dr. Connie is a Filipino-American trailblazer in the U.S. Navy.
She became the first-ever female director of Center for Executive Medicine at the White House, and the first-ever female physician of three former U.S. presidents.
In short, she was the White House doctor that watched over the health of three former U.S. presidents, namely: George Bush (1989-1993), Bill Clinton (1993-2001), and George W. Bush (2001-2009).
Apart from the U.S. presidents, she served as the physician of the First families and the vice presidents and their families as well.
She has been the White House doctor for nine years, and even wrote a memoir entitled, The White House Doctor.
Being the doctor to the most powerful man in the world may have been a lot of pressure, but this woman made sure she was up to the challenge.
“I just did what I had to do. Doest matter what the title was I just did what I had to do,” she revealed in KTAR News interview February 2012.
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BORN IN THE PHILIPPINES, RAISED IN THE U.S.
About her background, Connie said, “I was born in the Philippines and my mother and father were from there.
“My father was in the Navy, he was enlisted. So, he was stationed in the Philippines when I was born.
“And then when I was two [years old], we moved to Pearl Harbor and I grew up in Hawaii. And I grew up in Washington DC, and every two to three years we travel.”
Like so many Filipinos before her, Connie has faced so many challenges growing up in a foreign land.
She said people would tell her, “you’re never good enough.” But this only challenged her to prove them wrong.
“And so, I just got tired of hearing that and I said, ‘Well, if I’m never good enough, I might as well do what I want to do, which is pursue the things that I did.
“I think one advantage to being the underdog [is] you never wanna be down there anymore. You wanna strive and succeed. You never wanna be poor again. You never wanna be nothing again.
“It would force you to move on.”
Connie became the first Filipino-American to finish medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Medicine, a U.S. federal government school.
She also reached the rear admiral rank in the U.S. Navy.
DOCTOR TO THE U.S. PRESIDENT
Connie also described how it was to be the physician to the U.S. president.
She said that before she secured the position, she had to go through a stringent clearance process to make sure her record is clean.
The Filipina doctor elaborated, "To make sure that you have nothing in your background, you have no skeletons [in the closet], you have no terrorist connections where you might kill the president because of your proximity.”
Emphasizing the tall order for her position, she pointed out how close she gets to the present, "...because of your clearance to go upstairs to the presidential bedroom, knock on the door and say ‘Hello, I’m here to do my house call."
She also candidly said that as the physician, she has seen some of the powerful men in the White House drop their pants down and “see all” of the person.
“Sometimes too much,” she said matter-of-factly.
Connie added, “But you have to respect them as a person, and then you say, ‘Why am I here?’ and you say, ‘I’m here to do my job.’ And if I treat him like any other patient, then I’m doing my job.”
Apart from Connie, the other nine selection committee of the Miss Universe 2023 pageant are, namely:
Halima Aden, American fashion model and humanitarian:
Carson Kressley, American TV personality, actor, and designer;
Mario Bautista, Mexican singer;
Sweta Patel – business executive of a well-known steaming service;
Janelle “Penny” Commissiong, Miss Universe 1977;
Giselle Blondet, Puerto Rican actress and TV host; and
Denise White, Former American beauty queen and businesswoman
The 72nd Miss Universe pageant will be held at El Salvador and will be televised on November 19, 2023 (Philippine time).