A Bolivian newspaper and online pageant portal has touted the Philippines’ Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez as the likely winner of the 27th Reina Hispanoamericana pageant in Bolivia on Nov. 4 (Nov. 5 in Manila).
Marquez, daughter of actors Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno, topped the predictions list in the Bolivian paper En Portada and the online site Miss Bolivia Club.
As the first Filipino and Asian delegate to the global tilt that celebrates Spanish heritage, she was dubbed “Reina de la Asia” or Asia’s Queen by the Latin American media.
She earned the right to represent the country in the Bolivia-based pageant when she was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas in the revamped Miss World Philippines pageant in September, where she was edged out by fellow TV personality Laura Lehmann for the top plum.
First staged as Reina Sudamerica, the international contest evolved into a bigger pageant and eventually accepted delegates from countries outside South America under the new name Reina Hispanoamericana pageant.
The 25-year-old Marquez said she took basic Spanish language classes to help her in the competition.
But she told the Inquirer that her years of exposure to television work will also help her bag the international crown.
“I think I’m more exposed to all aspects—the people, media, and social media as well. It is an advantage for me because I can handle these aspects,” she said. —ARMIN P. ADINA