The Philippines has crowned its newest Miss Universe candidate, Bea Millan-Windorski. The country is known for its knack for beauty pageants, and is preparing to send its latest accomplished representative to the global competition in November.
The 23-year-old grew up in the US state of Wisconsin and holds a degree in history and international relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She stood out among seven finalists with her winning answer.
Asked why the Philippines was still worth representing on the global stage despite its citizens’ constant frustrations with the country, Millan-Windorski replied: “[It] is a place I fell in love with my whole life. Growing up in a predominantly non-diverse part of the US, I was identified as Filipina first and foremost.”
“I believe in the limitless potential of the Filipino people and ... that we need to create local opportunities here so that people don’t have to go abroad and be separated from their families in order to survive and thrive,” she added.
“If I were given the title of Miss Universe Philippines, I promise to be a public servant for all.”
Ariella Arida, national director of the Miss Universe Philippines organisation, said Millan-Windorski was “impossible to ignore”.
In a social media post, she said the beauty queen had a “statuesque presence, a humble spirit ... and a face that could launch a thousand ships.”
But some pageant fans question Millan-Windorski’s win, noting that she spent most of her life in the US and had previously won Miss Earth USA in 2024 before joining the Philippine competition this year.
“Home-grown Filipinas got played tonight ... all I [have to] say is that a foreigner won Miss Universe Philippines,” one comment read.
“I wouldn’t mind a biracial winner so long as she’s lived in the Philippines for some time ... knows our culture and speaks some Filipino, at least. [Not someone who obviously] came to the Philippines to increase her chances of winning,” another user wrote.
Millan-Windorski addressed criticisms about her citizenship and heritage on an entertainment talk show earlier this month, clarifying that she had held dual Philippine citizenship since birth and had documentation recognising her as a Filipino citizen.
“Throughout this whole journey, I’ve just been trying to be enough for myself and enough for younger Bea, who was proud to be Filipina and felt rejected by both Americans and Filipinos at home,” she said. “That’s why winning the crown was so emotional. I’ve worked so hard to pick the Philippines as my home, and by winning this crown, I feel like the Philippines has finally picked me.”
Many of the Philippines’ previous pageant winners have had mixed heritage. In 2024, Chelsea Manalo became the first candidate of African-American heritage to clinch the title.
Miss Philippines Earth 2025 Joy Barcoma rallied behind Millan-Windorski: “Don’t ever question her Filipino identity because she is even more Filipino than those who were born and lived in the Philippines but cannot even speak up and defend the country.”
