Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Dyan Castillejo

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/1777774362482Screenshot 2026-05-03 101230.png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Bea Millan-Windorski speaks to the media shortly after being crowned as the Philippines’ representative to the 2026 Miss Universe pageant on May 2, 2026. <em>Screenshot from a video by Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA  — La Union representative Bea Millan-Windorski was crowned Saturday Miss Universe Philippines 2026 winner, marking a dream realized and the start of her journey to represent the country on the global stage later this year in Puerto Rico.</p><p>Still overwhelmed moments after her victory, the 23-year-old beauty queen admitted the win had yet to fully sink in.</p><p>“This really is a dream come true. I still feel like I’m living [in a dream]. If you could see my reaction, I couldn’t quite believe it,” she said. “So, thank you to the Miss Universe Philippines organization for believing in me.”</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F856306150824988%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>The La Union bet shared that she initially thought another candidate had been called.</div><p>“I at first thought it was one of my very deserving co-candidates because this whole journey has just been a privilege to share the stage with them,” she recalled. “I was kind of zoning out. So when Miss Clara Locke said to me, ‘No, it’s you!’ I was like, ‘Wow, okay.’”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MORE CHARITY WORK</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>For the newly crowned queen, the mission begins immediately with purpose at the forefront.</p><p>“For me, it’s advocacy first, always,” she emphasized. “I’m excited to do more charitable work… because that’s what really drives me on this journey to the crown.”</p><p>Millan-Windorski, who described this as her second national pageant after joining Miss Earth in 2024, said representing the Philippines carries a deeper, more personal meaning.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/pageants-beauty-queens/2026/5/2/bea-millan-windorski-wins-miss-universe-philippines-2026-2338"><strong>READ: Bea Millan-Windorski wins Miss Universe Philippines 2026</strong></a></div><p>“Previously, I was just representing a place where I lived (USA)… but now that I’m representing the Philippines, it feels like I’m representing my family, where I come from, my heritage, and who I truly am,” she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>7 MONTHS TO PREPARE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Her journey, she added, was grounded in both faith and intention.</p><p>“I do really believe in the power of manifestation, but it was also a lot of prayer. Moving to the Philippines, I really reconnected with my Catholic faith,” she shared.</p><p>One of the most emotional moments of her coronation night was spotting her loved ones in the crowd.</p><p>“The best part was finding my mom and my lola in the crowd,” she said. “My mom came all the way from the U.S., and my lola came all the way from La Union. It meant the world to me that my family supports this journey.”</p><p>With about seven months to prepare, Millan-Windorski is already looking ahead to the Miss Universe 2026 pageant in Puerto Rico, where she hopes to bring home the Philippines’ fifth crown.</p><p>“It will be a long and intensive seven months, but I’m very driven to bring back the fifth crown to the Philippines,” she declared. “We’re going through so much right now, and we deserve a win. This crown would not just be for me, but for every Filipino within our country and beyond our borders.”</p><p>She revealed that her preparations will focus heavily on pasarela training under her mentors, alongside support from her team.</p><p>“It’ll be very intensive pasarela training… I’m really lucky to have an entire village around me that perfects different portions of the competition. I want to make sure I’m in fighting form for Puerto Rico,” she said.</p><p>Beyond performance, Millan-Windorski aims to use her platform for meaningful change.</p><p>“I want to be known as a public servant first and foremost,” she said. “I hope I can bring change within the system by really using the crown to promote different social causes.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CRITICISMS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>She also spoke candidly about overcoming criticism, particularly about her appearance, and choosing to embrace what makes her unique.</p><p>“My chin is something I love because it’s the same as my mom’s and my lola’s,” she said. “I would rather honor the stories of the women who came before me than fit a certain beauty standard.”</p><p>To others facing similar struggles, she offered a message of self-worth: “First and foremost, you need to be enough for yourself and who you were as a child.” </p><p>“The fact that I’ve been able to embrace my differences… is something that would’ve made the Bea who was bullied in high school really proud.”</p><p>Previous Filipino contenders who won the Miss Universe title include Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015) and Catriona Gray (2018).</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_w1E55npK30?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The La Union bet shared that she initially thought another candidate had been called.</p>

The La Union bet shared that she initially thought another candidate had been called.

Bea Millan-Windorski determined to win PH's 5th Miss Universe title

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Bea Millan-Windorski determined to win PH's 5th Miss Universe title

Dyan Castillejo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 03, 2026 10:33 AM PHT

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Miss Universe

Miss Universe Philippines

Bea Millan-Windorski

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