Dennis Gaviola

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17764185325151776418561034.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Miss Universe Philippines Tacloban 2026 Jacqueline Gulrajani in her Yolanda-inspired national costume. Charlotte Rodriguez/Facebook"/><span class="fr-inner">Miss Universe Philippines Tacloban 2026 Jacqueline Gulrajani in her Yolanda-inspired national costume. <em>Charlotte Rodriguez/Facebook</em></span></span></span></div><p>Jacqueline Gulrajani showcased the strength of the Tacloban spirit on the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) 2026 stage with a national costume inspired by super typhoon Yolanda, which killed thousands of people and left millions homeless.</p><p>Designed by Charlotte Rodriguez, &quot;Waves of Courage, The Heart of Hope&quot; features a voluminous skirt with sculpted waves of debris and humans reaching upward as they cry for help, mirroring the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/06/23/10-years-after-yolanda-tacloban-rises-from-the-ruins">catastrophic destruction of Yolanda across the Visayas region in 2013</a>.</p><p>The shell-like bodice represents resilience, with the shoulders expanding into cloud-like formations. A headdress shaped like a swirling vortex -- the eye of the storm -- completes the look. </p><p>&quot;We are unfazed and unbreakable in heart. We rose, rebuilt, transformed together. We are Taclobanons,&quot; Gulrajani said in an Instagram post.</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXNs3QyjygW/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=487&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A296548.5%2C%22ls%22%3A296256.6%2C%22le%22%3A296512.5%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="760" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachelle.e.pineda/posts/pfbid03xtFdrHTTBRNPuKA4bREtPqpBqv4BwHD7AhmMTZGWJMensv9Lu2Bxfmw3ehspXstl">Facebook post</a>, MUPH Tacloban director Rachelle Pineda said Gulrajani&#x27;s national costume is &quot;not just a reminder of the storm,&quot; but also &quot;a tribute to the resilience and spirit of Tacloban that continues to rise above it.&quot; </p><p>&quot;With so many concepts to explore, I found myself returning again and again to Yolanda,&quot; she shared. &quot;I&#x27;ll admit, I was hesitant. Carrying such a story comes with weight, especially for a city that lived through it.&quot; </p><p>&quot;But beyond the devastation, I saw something else, our people. Strong. Unyielding. Hopeful,&quot; explained Pineda, as she commended Gulrajani for &quot;doing full justice to the story we hoped to tell.&quot; </p><p>In the end, Tacloban emerged as one of the six winners of the MUPH 2026 national costume competition, along with candidates from <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/pageants-beauty-queens/2026/4/17/miss-universe-ph-2026-bet-stands-out-in-sardine-can-costume-1246">Negros Occidental</a>, Baguio, Pangasinan, Iloilo Province, and Pampanga.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17764186453431776418674605.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="MUPH/Facebook"/><span class="fr-inner"><em>MUPH/Facebook</em></span></span></span></div><p>The MUPH 2026 coronation night will be held on May 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.</p><p>The winner will represent the Philippines in this year&#x27;s Miss Universe pageant, set to be held in Puerto Rico in November.</p><p>She will succeed Ahtisa Manalo, who finished as third runner-up to Mexico&#x27;s Fatima Bosch in Miss Universe 2025 in Thailand.</p>

<p>Jacqueline Gulrajani showcased the strength of the Tacloban spirit on the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 stage with a national costume inspired by super typhoon Yolanda.</p>

Jacqueline Gulrajani showcased the strength of the Tacloban spirit on the Miss Universe Philippines 2026 stage with a national costume inspired by super typhoon Yolanda.

Yolanda-inspired costume honors Tacloban spirit on Miss Universe PH 2026 stage

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Yolanda-inspired costume honors Tacloban spirit on Miss Universe PH 2026 stage

ABS-CBN News

Published April 17, 2026 05:38 PM PHT

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