MANILA, Philippines — “Crown or no crown, a queen prevails,” so said Miss Universe Philippines 2020 first-runner up Ysabella Ysmael of her journey throughout the pageant, despite not winning the coveted title.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, the beauty queen who represented Parañaque City said that while she failed to bring home the coveted crown, her crowning glory “has undoubtedly been my entire experience during Miss Universe Philippines 2020.”
“Our pillars and mentors in the pageant have taught us the value of being true and authentic, and that is something I can proudly say I am,” she said.
“Thank you for teaching me to stay true to myself and to remember that a queen is phenomenal not because of the crown on her head but because of her heart that is as big as the Universe,” she added.
It was 22-year-old Rabiya Mateo who was crowned Miss Universe 2020 during a pre-taped grand finale at the Baguio Country Club’s Cordillera Convention Hall.
Meanwhile, Ysmael also showed some love to her Miss Universe Philippines “sisters,” saying “(w)e made it, together.”
“The friendship and the sisterhood we have gained in the last 9 months is something I will treasure forever,” Ysmael said.
“You all turned out to be what I had never expected, and I am pleasantly surprised. I am proud to be a part of Batch 2020, the inaugural batch, because of all of you.”
Aside from her fellow candidates, Ysmael also showed gratitude to her fans and fellow “Paraqueños” for being my guiding light and my motivation to keep going.”
She also showed love to her friends and family: “I love each and every one of you. Thank you for being the rock that grounded me and the force that pushed me to keep chasing my dreams. This is not the end.”