Miss Universe Philippines, Michelle Dee Advocacies
“It felt like forever.” This is how Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Marquez Dee described the moment when she was announced as the winner last May.
“All you can hope for is that destiny is on your side — and it was on that night of May 13. When they finally called my name, honestly, I just felt like all the hard work paid off. When you’ve dedicated your whole life and everything for that moment to happen, mapapabagsak ka. I actually bent over because of relief, happiness, and gratitude.”
28-year-old Michelle will represent the Philippines at Miss Universe in El Salvador in November.
She is the finest fit, even PLDT Inc. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan himself said upon meeting her, along with the other Miss Universe Philippines queens at a PLDT and Smart exclusive meet-and-greet with executives and employees at Ramon Cojuangco Building in Makati City recently.
“We could think of no better woman to proudly bear the flag at this year’s Miss Universe pageant than Michelle,” Pangilinan said. “She is smart with her confidence and authentic with her advocacies. We at PLDT fully stand beside her. We have no doubt that she will be one of the strongest queens in the field, and that she will go very far.”
Deepening her connections
Michelle celebrates, and at the same time, bears on her shoulders the legacy of her mother Melanie Marquez in the pageant world. Melanie is the youngest Miss International, winning the title when she was only 15 years old in 1979. Later on, she became a successful actress, starring in comedy films and TV sitcoms.
An actress, model, and PLDT Home ambassador, Michelle enjoys a close relationship with her parents and siblings, with whom she always stays connected through video calls.
“My mom is one of my biggest inspirations. She is responsible for why I am so strong,” she says. “She is somebody that I really look up to. She was nothing but proud. She instilled in my mind that I should shine as my own woman, be confident in what I have and what I have to offer.”
On the night Michelle won, pageant fans went wild when they saw what netizens dubbed “the snake walk.” She recalls, “The inspiration was really my mother. My trainer Ian Mendajar and I were conceptualizing the walk and really trying to personalize my choreography. We had always aspired to integrate my mom as an inspiration throughout my journey and we felt like this was the right moment.”
Michelle wanted to do something special during the coronation night because it was Mother’s Day the following day. “I dedicated my whole journey to my mom and my family. I owe it to them that I’m a strong and empowered individual.”
Michelle’s international pageant journey would have commenced in 2019 when she won Miss World Philippines, but the pandemic happened. She then joined Miss Universe Philippines 2022, where she won Miss Universe Philippines Tourism, second to Filipino-Italian Celeste Cortesi who won the crown, with the two becoming close friends over time. Early this year, Michelle became part of the cast of the fantasy drama Mga Lihim ni Urduja, which premiered in February, and throughout the MUP competition — where she first had to compete to represent Makati — she was running on only a few hours of sleep between the pageant competition and taping.
Throughout her busy schedule, Michelle constantly communicated with her family and friends. And thanks to social media, powered by the fastest broadband connection provided by PLDT Home, she realized just how much of a positive impact she had on her fans and that she could have on young people – especially young girls who aspire to be successful in and outside the pageant circuit.
“Miss Universe is undoubtedly one of the biggest platforms to really create positive change around the world, and that’s my main goal. I want to set a great example for people to become empowered and transformational leaders,” she says. “To finally walk this path is absolutely amazing. I’ve had one of the hardest times in the past few months, and it was all worth it. Hard work and dedication can get you anywhere you want in life.”
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