Miss Universe Philippines: 'My role model for women empowerment is my mom'

Miss Universe Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez, who was in the pageant's Top 5, shone the spotlight on her mother during the Top 10 candidates' video segment, touching the hearts of many.

In the recently concluded Miss Universe 2021, where Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu, was crowned Miss Universe 2021, the Philippines representative shared about being raised by a single mother. Gomez's introduction video was played when asked by host Steve Harvey to join the Top 10 candidates, highlighting how her mother had singlehandedly taken care of both her and her sister.

"I was raised by a single mom, and she had quite a hard time managing our household," she said in the video. Gomez and her sister tried out for the volleyball varsity team, "and we were able to get an athletic scholarship, and that was how we were able to go through a good school, from high school to college."

For the 26-year-old beauty queen, the scholarship was not an achievement, "but it is something that changed my life for the better because I was able to help my mom in some ways, and I was able to make her proud."

When asked what it means to be an empowered woman, "My role model for women empowerment is my mom. She raised me and my sister; she was a single mom," Gomez shared.

"She showed me that the challenges you can go through in life, you can overcome it as long as you are determined and responsible for your actions."

Gomez was crowned Miss Universe Philippines in September 2021, where she made history for the pageant by being the first openly-bisexual Filipina candidate to win the title.