She can’t speak Spanish, and neither does she look Hispanic, but Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez captivated the judges at the Reina Hispanoamerican 2017 pageant prompting them to award the title to her instead of the candidate from Curacao.
And Teresita (she wants to be known from hereon by her real name) is finally home, arriving on Nov. 13, after her very eventful three-week stay in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia where she made pageant history as the very first Filipina and Asian to bag the Reina Hispanoamericana crown.
During her welcome/victory press conference at Annabel’s, T. Morato, Teresita still looked fresh and radiant as she reunited with her friends from the pageant scene and the entertainment press.
She was feted a warm welcome by Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas National Director Arnold Vegafria and her “sisters” from the Miss World Philippines 2017 court, – Miss Eco Philippines 2017 Cynthia Thomalla, Miss Multinational Philippines 2017 Sophia Senoron, and Miss World Philippines 2017 First Princess Glyssa Perez.
“I’m happy to be here wearing the crown. Para sa Pilipinas, para sa inyo po lahat ‘to,” she proudly declared.
After thanking her friends and fans for their unwavering support, she made it clear that she wanted to be known more as “Teresita,” her real name.
She explains, “When I was in Bolivia, I think a lot of people were confused because they were looking me up on social media and couldn’t find me because of my nickname. Apparently, they identify me better as Teresita because of its Hispanic origin, so I’ll make it a point to use that name more often now.”
The morena model/actress also shared some of her more pressing obligations as reigning Reina Hispanoamericana 2017.
She reveals, “When the RHA organization talked to me, they really want me to inform and promote Hispanic culture in my country, and if possible to inform neighboring countries as well. They just want Hispanic culture to be more felt and alive. So, we’ll be thinking of projects that can help promote that, as well as charity works.”
As part of her RH itinerary, she will be flying back soon to Bolivia for some special appearances.
Yesterday, she had a homecoming parade in Parañaque City.
Thanks to her groundbreaking victory, the Reina Hispanoamericana pageant will soon be recognized as one of the most-awaited annual pageant spectacles in the country.
Looking back at her previous pageant bids, Winwyn sees the wisdom in learning her lesson in humility and patience while waiting for the rightful time to claim her spotlight.
She confesses, “I learned so much after I lost the first time I joined. I gained experience and I had time to improve on my weaknesses and actually know my strength. God had a purpose and I now understand why that happened.
Prior to her welcome prescon, Teresita also signed a contract with Bench as one of its newest celebrity brand ambassadors, and was among the featured celebrities to walk the runway during the brand’s special 30th anniversary show Under the Stars at the MOA Arena last Saturday.
The Reina Hispanoamericana pageant was aired on GMA News TV last Sunday, 8:00 p.m..