People are tagging you as they bash you?

Yeah. They don’t care. Siempre it’s hurtful, it’s distracting, nakaka-down.

After that, I started getting quiet. I think the other girls noticed also. I think it was one of my friends who commented, “She’s okay now, guys, medyo malungkot lang siya or medyo stressed siya or medyo off lang siya ngayon pero okay naman siya…”

They surprised me during the Chinese New Year event sa Araneta. When we arrived, nandun sila with the banners and they had this huge, I don’t know how they made that thing, ang laki talaga… P-I-A na color gold. Sigaw talaga sila. Nagulat ako. I didn’t tell them to do that. They just did it. They made me feel better. May laban pa pala ako. (laughs) That was the sweetest thing.

What would you like to tell Filipino fans?

Be supportive. I understand that some of you may have had your bets in Binibining Pilipinas who got other crowns or did not make it to the top seven.

But during Miss Universe finals night, I’m not there as Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, No. 10 of Bb. Pilipinas, I’m there as Miss Philippines. So all I’m asking is, you don’t have to praise me or be so supportive.

But just tone it down a bit if you have nothing good to say. Minsan nga hindi umaabot sa akin pero nababasa ng fans from other countries and, honestly, they wonder why fellow Filipinos are bashing the Filipina candidate.

And also, the issue with me not being pure Filipino, with me being half-German…I’m the first Miss Universe Philippines na mestiza. I’m the first with a foreign-sounding last name. Actually, ibang-iba ako sa mold ng Miss Universe Philippines. I know that. I know that I’m not the prototype. I understand… but the thing is, I have done nothing for Germany at all…

I was given the chance to live abroad with my family in England but I chose to live here on my own. This is home for me. This is where I want to live. This is where I see my potential will be appreciated. This is where I want to offer myself.

I’m not literally pure Filipino but my heart is 100 percent Filipino. That’s what I want people to know. Magkababayan po tayo. Diretso po ako mag-Tagalog, kumakain po ako ng kanin at kaya ko pong sumakay ng jeep, sumasakay po ako ng tricycle papuntang school.

Is there anything else you want to say?

To other girls who are dreaming of becoming beauty queens, first of all, you have to be aware. Ask yourself, “Do I really have the potential to be a beauty queen?” And you work from there.

You may not get it the first time. You may lose in a small pageant in your school or university or barangay, but don’t give up. You can actually go straight to Binibini because that’s what I did.

Kahit sabihin natin hindi beauty queen ang dream mo, if you want something, you have to keep trying, and you must be stubborn about your goals but flexible with your methods. Take every chance you can because you never know.

And once you’ve been given that chance—it could be a job, an opportunity to go abroad or to graduate or masagot ka ng nililigawan mo, it could be anything—when you get it, huwag mong kalimutan all the sacrifices you had to make to get there. Don’t take it for granted, don’t waste it.

Remember all the things you had to go through to get that. Don’t rub it in, but just remember so you’re humbled by it.