Gabrielle Camille Basiano of Tacloban City has been crowned as this year’s first Ambassadress of Tourism Philippines.
Basiano, 21, competed with 19 other contestants during the first Ambassador and Ambassadress of the World-Philippines 2019 competition in Manila on June 22.
The 5-foot-nine beauty queen will now represent the Philippines in the Miss Friendship International pageant in China in July.
Basiano, the top-15 finisher in the Ms. Earth Philippines 2018 beauty contest, described the Ambassador of the World-Philippines beauty pageant as “nerve-racking and exciting.”
She said this was her first time to join a competition “wherein one’s pageantry experience and modeling skills will be tested.”
Basiano, a part-time model and a fourth-year Tourism student at the Asian Development Foundation College in Tacloban, says she has dreamed of representing the Philippines in an international beauty pageant.
“My advocacy is beauty and unity in diversity,” said Basiano who also hopes to become a flight attendant and businesswoman some day.
“It is about seeing and appreciating our cultural, physical and other differences, and using them to empower one another.”
Basiano was crowned Miss Asian Development Foundation College at the age of 17.
She was also the Mutya ng Prisaa (Private Schools Athletic Association) Region 8 and Third Runner-up in the Mutya ng Prisaa Nationals in 2017. The same year, she was selected as Miss Silka Leyte and Robinsons Tacloban Supermodel.