Daily Tribune
MISS Universe Philippines Ifugao Valerie West.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF VALERIE WEST
MISS Universe Philippines Ifugao Valerie West.
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF VALERIE WEST
The Ifugao representative for the Miss Universe Philippines 2025 is Valerie Pawid West. The 22-year-old makes everyone stop, look and listen because her presence in the highly-contested Philippine beauty pageant is at its most electric and palpable.
West is winning, thanks to her stellar presence, as the IT girl mixed with supermodel attitude is evident while she does her pasarela and sashays on the runway walk. Whether she dons chic and casual fashion choices and haute couture, elegance and sophistication become her. Most importantly, her gift of gab is impressive.
This Diva View columnist had a sit-down interview with West and the questions I prepared for her, were the queries for Janine Marie Tugonon, Miss Universe 2012 first runner-up; Miriam Quiambao, Miss Universe 1999 first runner-up; Maria Gloria Diaz, first Filipina to be declared Miss Universe in 1969; Maria Margarita Moran, the second Philippines’ Miss Universe 1973; Pia Wurtzbach, Miss Universe 2015 and Catriona Elisa Gray, Miss Universe 2018.
It was internationally renowned fashion photographer Nigel Barker who asked Tugonon this question: “As an international ambassador, do you believe that speaking English should be a prerequisite to being Miss Universe? Why or why not?”
Without missing a beat, West’s answer: “In this day and age, there are so many advancements in technology and society, I don’t think necessarily you have to speak English. There are so many resources out there that can be provided for candidates who are not English speakers to fully convey their messages. And, of course, we want someone relatable as queen, and it does not mean someone who is an English speaker. There are so many beautiful things from around the world that can be represented and that goes beyond language.”
The final question for Miriam Quiambao during the 1999 Miss Universe pageant was: “If Miss Universe were to become pregnant during her reign, should she be allowed to continue?”
“That is relevant right now because Miss Universe made the rules more lenient this year,” said West. “We have mothers, divorcees, even married women competing. And that is a beautiful thing in my opinion because we are celebrating the diversity of womanhood. Being a woman doesn’t mean being single, without a child. There are so many aspects and so much wisdom to learn from experience as a woman. If you are pregnant. it’s okay because you have wisdom to impart to the contestants and other women of the world.”
The question for Gloria Diaz in 1969 was, “If a man from the moon landed in your hometown, what would you do to entertain him?”
“Oh, she was our first Miss Universe, the big winner,” West said. “In my hometown, I am going to answer this in terms of me being from Ifugao. What will I do to entertain him? I think I will ask him to help me plant rice in the rice fields. That was the first thing I did when I came home. I was in my platform heels, mind you. Everyone should try it because it’s a fun experience.”
In Athens, Greece, this was Margarita Moran’s final question: “Let’s make believe all of a sudden you had one million dollars, what’s the first thing you would buy and why?”
To this, West replied: “Well, as a recent biomedical engineering graduate at the University of Delaware, I need to pay off my loans. I need to be practical. But then, I want to give back to the community. My advocacy, the Puso Foundation, is purposeful. It is my unconditional service to others. The basis of that organization is to pay it forward. I want to pay it forward, the give the money to others so that they get to buy the things they need to make their lives happy and more productive.”
A slightly changed question that Miss Catriona Gray slayed during the 2018 Miss Universe: “What aspects of being a Miss Universe candidate have you learned so far that you think you could bring to the Miss Universe pageant?
“I think a beauty queen needs to be able to adapt,” West said. “I learned through Miss Universe Philippines that schedules can change, outfits can change and things can work out way differently than you expected, but you need to be able to persevere and adapt throughout it all. Personally, in my journey, I came here from the US, out of my comfort zone and I am pushing myself to be my best always. And that is something I bring, pushing myself out of my comfort zone in Miss Universe so I can adapt to all its challenges.”
She was confidently beautiful with a heart, when Pia Wurtzbach responded to this query: “Why do you deserve to be Miss Universe?”
West responded: “Oh, I deserve to be Miss Universe because I think I could be a real role model, a genuine role model for our community. I think I can inspire the youth as one of the younger candidates, to always go and pursue your dreams, even if you think that maybe this is your path, maybe you need to explore some creative journeys as I am, in this competition so far.”
Without a doubt, with her beauty, intelligence and wow factor, Valerie West is in the Miss Universe Philippines pageant to win the most coveted title.
