MANILA — They may have been spared from Boy Abunda’s tricky question at the pageant, but the newly crowned winners of Binibining Pilipinas were still made to answer the same on Tuesday, during their first live interview as titlists with the veteran TV host.

Abunda was among the guests who fielded a question, through a taped message, during the Q&A portion of the July 11 coronation night.

Iloilo’s Karen Mendoza was the one assigned Abunda’s question, after picking his name at random.

Abunda’s question was: “Ngayon madalas nating naririnig, it’s okay to not be okay. My question is, when is it okay not to be okay? And when is it not okay to be not okay?”

Mendoza answered: “You know, sometimes it’s hard to move on especially if we lost our loved ones, when we’re depressed, when we have anxiety, but most of all, when we want to move forward in life. You know my favorite saying in a movie, ‘Inside Out,’ is embrace your sadness, because in embracing your sadness, you will feel happiness afterwards.”

Abunda’s question quickly went viral on social media, generating memes about dodging it or responding with a temper.

• Boy Abunda's tricky Bb. Pilipinas question sends netizens abuzz

In his sit-down with the set of winners on Tuesday, Abunda explained that the question was one of seven he had recorded for the finals night. It happened to be the producers’ pick for the coronation.

“It was my favorite question, because I felt, we have to step up. I know it was not easy. Remember the question of Gloria Diaz — ‘smart but not so beautiful, or beautiful but not so smart?’ — simple, but can be very confusing,” he said.

Abunda was referring the Miss Universe 1969 titlist’s question in the 2001 edition of Binibining Pilipinas.

“I’m not defending, I’m not apologizing for the question,” Abunda said of his own. “It was relevant, it became a phrase. It’s okay not be okay.”

“Obviously, I played with the words for it to be more interesting. And also, sobra ang tiwala ko sa inyo, girls, that you can handle a question like that. It could have gone to anybody.”

Prior to the coronation night, Abunda held a workshop on public speaking and Q&A for the current batch of Binibining Pilipinas candidates.

A second session of sorts unfolded on Tuesday, as he fielded anew his question about being “okay not to be okay,” this time with the new set of queens answering. (See the 1:05:30 mark of the video below.)

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Here are their answers:

Samantha Panlilio, Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental:

I think that it’s okay to be not okay especially during this time, living in the pandemic. Depression rates are high, suicidal rates are high. However, I also know that it’s not okay to be not okay, when you know that you need help, and when you know when you should reach out.

Because with social media nowadays, there are so many ways to communicate and reach out to friends and family. I think because you know yourself the most, you’ll be able to know for yourself when you need help, and when you need to reach out.

Gabrielle Basiano, 1st runner-up:

It’s okay to not be okay when you’re feeling sad, when you’re feeling lonely, because it’s normal. We’re all just human.

It’s not okay to not be okay when you lose someone. I myself have experienced losing someone, and up until this day, I’m carrying that pain. For me, that’s the reason why it’s not okay to not be okay.

Meiji Cruz, 2nd runner-up:

It’s okay not to be okay when we feel uncertainties. It’s part of life. We have to embrace it. We have to embrace sadness.

But it’s not okay to not be okay when we let those uncertainties, those anxieties to control our lives. At the end of the day, we have to have control of our lives.

Maureen Montagne, Binibining Pilipinas Globe:

It’s very important to process our feelings, whether it’s a loss of a job, of a loved one. We need to mourn in order to release the negativity. And we need to take that pain and turn it into purpose and passion.

Cinderella Obenita, Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental:

I think it all boils down to your feelings. It all boils down to your character. We have our personal timelines. We need to respect that. We need to appreciate each other’s coping mechanisms. We are not here to demand how that someone would feel. We just have to respect the feelings.

Hannah Arnold, Binibining Pilipinas International:

There’s a quote that I say: ‘To be a star, you must shine your own light and follow your own path, because in the darkness, that is when stars shine the brightest.’ Even in the uncertain times of this pandemic, it’s okay to not be okay, because you will come out okay in the end.