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This 69-year-old candidate hopes to represent PH in Miss Universe

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Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Miss Universe hopeful Joyce Cubales. Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2024/news/01/20/012024_joyce-cubales.jpg"/><figcaption>Miss Universe hopeful Joyce Cubales. Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Sixty-nine-year-old Miss Universe Philippines-Quezon City candidate Joyce Cubales believes that it’s never too late to pursue one’s dream. “We are more experienced than the younger generation that’s a fact. And with these experiences that we have, ‘wag nating i-bury. Sabi nga nila eh &#x27;yung talents natin, we have to share it to the world,&quot; Cubales said.&quot;Kahit anong age ka pa, kahit ano pa yung panaginip mo, sundan mo lang, kasi ikaw lang ang meron nun eh. So let’s do that with perseverance, with a lot of prayers, and determination,” she added. This is Cubales&#x27; mindset as she pursues her dream of competing in Miss Universe Philippines, and hopefully representing the country on the international stage. Cubales, a woman of many passions, careers, and talents, admitted that she is a late bloomer in pursuing her career goals. After graduation, she first started as a model for luncheon fashion shows at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Manila, before becoming a flight stewardess at Philippine Airlines and Saudi Arabia Airlines. To add to her lengthy résumé’, she also completed an MBA at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and is a naturopathic and alternative medicine doctor. It was only at 50 years old that she decided to pursue a career in fashion design, one of her dreams ever since she was a little girl. Since then, her designs have been featured internationally, worn by international stars on the red carpet. Aside from local fashion weeks, she has also participated in showcases abroad, wherein she won numerous awards. She won the Grand Prize at the 2015 Los Angeles Design Competition, 2nd place at the 2015 Fashion Week in Brooklyn, 2nd place at the International Competition in Los Angeles, Grand Prize at the 2017 Coastal Fashion Week, and the first runner-up at Britain’s Top Design Competition In United Kingdom in 2019. Following this win, she was featured in NMB magazine’s Karl Lagerfeld tribute issue. It was also at 50 years old that she finally pursued her other childhood dream of joining beauty pageants, which she was not able to do in her younger years. Cubales became the first Filipina to win 2014 Classic Mrs. Asia International Global crown in Kuala Lumpur and Mrs. Eco Tourism International 2017. In 2017, she also joined Mrs. Universe in Duban, South Africa wherein she bagged the special award of Mrs. Mother of the Universe out of the 85 candidates there. She was the only candidate above 45, already being 62 years old when she competed. But like many other women immersed in the pageant scene, Miss Universe was her ultimate goal. Cubales is one of the women who were given an opportunity they never saw coming when Miss Universe decided to open its doors to women of all ages. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/09/13/23/miss-universe-announces-end-of-age-restrictions-for-pageants">Miss Universe announces end of age restrictions for pageants</a></li></ul>“Ang dami nung nagsabi sa’kin, ‘Joyce, pangarap mo ayan na, join na!’ Maliit pa kasi ako, pangarap ko na ‘yun. May chance na ako! Thank you, Lord. I thought na I would bury my dream already. Pero pangarap ko talaga yun eh,” she said. Despite her age, Cubales remains radiant and energetic and is facing the pageant with a belief that her age could serve as an advantage, rather than a drawback. “I think it’s my patience … ako na siguro &#x27;yung may pinakamahabang pasensya sa buong mundo. And I think it’s very important that you are patient. And I really have strong faith na whatever challenges I face, I can do this,&quot; the beauty queen said. &quot;Of course I’m not perfect but I have a lot of stories to tell and so much lessons that they can learn from me, which is I’m sure can benefit them. Kaya sabi ko, ‘Why not?’” she added. This has been her motto in pursuing her long-standing dream of standing on the Miss Universe stage, should she win the Quezon City crown. “Not everybody has a chance and not everybody has a platform like this for your voice to be heard. So for me, this opportunity is something that a person should cherish. Like ako, kung di nila in-open yung age limit, wala ako rito,” she said. Cubales is currently working on her designs for the gowns and swimsuit that she will wear for the upcoming pageant. She is also continuing her health and beauty routines to keep her glowing and fit for the competition. She is fervently praying that she will win the Miss Universe Philippines - Quezon City title so she can join the national pageant. “I would like to share it to everybody that if you have a dream you have to go for it with passion and dedication and perseverance and determination. I’m very much confident that you will achieve your dreams. And let’s not stop dreaming just because we are old already because we are more mature, we are more experienced than the rest of the world, of course, and we have to always remember that we are unique,&quot; Cubales said.&quot;And our experiences are the things that other people will not be able to experience. It’s only given to you, so you are the only one with the privilege to execute whatever it is that’s given to you,&quot; she added. &quot;So for me, I really want everybody to follow their dreams. And I’m sure that if you follow your dreams, and if you persevere and you do everything for the fulfillment of your dream, you will be able to reach that. There’s nothing impossible anymore.” At the time of writing, Cubales is the only regional pageant candidate aspiring for a national title who is in her late adulthood, aside from 72-year-old Iris Amelia Alioto who is competing in Miss Universe Argentina-Buenos Aires 2024. Cubales will be competing against 14 other candidates in the 2024 edition of the Miss Universe Philippines - Quezon City. The preliminaries will be held on February 1, 5 p.m., at the Trinoma Activity Center, and the finals will be on February 5, 6 p.m., in Seda Hotel Vertis North.<div>RELATED VIDEO:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2804351" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Sixty-nine-year-old Miss Universe Philippines-Quezon City candidate Joyce Cubales believes that it’s never too late to pursue one’s dream.

This 69-year-old candidate hopes to represent PH in Miss Universe

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This 69-year-old candidate hopes to represent PH in Miss Universe

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 20, 2024 01:40 PM PHT

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