The recently held Miss Universe Philippines 2024 took the country’s pageantry supporters to another round of unique experiences, as it does year after year. This year, a pleasant surprise embraced everyone as the first woman of color, a Filipino with African descent, was given the crown: Miss Chelsea Manalo, who represented Bulacan. She was also awarded The Sampaguita Woman of Substance Award and Miss Megaworld Hotels and Resorts. It is inspiring how the stories of candidates and queens always come out rich in life lessons, with struggles they have overcome and hardships they must hurdle that go beyond the glamor we see on stage during the pageant.
This takes me to the story of our first Sampaguita Ambassadress herself, Maria Sesaldo Gigante, as seen in our Sampaguita Project photo and video materials. The Sampaguita Project is the banner campaign of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, showcasing the Filipino brand of service experience encompassing the five senses in key customer touchpoints.
This week, our schedules finally aligned, and we had a chance to share a two-hour lunch together to catch up on the many things that have happened to this queen, whom I have seen navigate life with grit throughout the years. Sharing a fun fact: back in 2001 to 2002, I was Maria’s teacher at the Arts Magnate School in Cebu. In my two years of teaching, she was one of the young souls whose lives God allowed to cross with mine. Maria, then a chubby yet very expressive young kid, was the big sister to Timothy and Veronica. Her parents, whom I met at school events and meetings, were obviously the source of great genes: her dad, a good-looking pilot, and her mom, a svelte and head-turning nurse. No question how Maria grew up with the kind of looks, grace, and stance that she has, just by looking at her parents, who both come from respected families in different parts of Cebu province.
Maria’s journey to being a queen spanned a decade of tries, wins, making friends, finding herself, and realizing what truly matters to her. Her story was not void of heartbreaks and life lessons that humbled her but ultimately built the kind of strong and persistent character that she has now. Strengthened by her personal and career motivations, Maria has built a name in the industry that’s synonymous with tenacity. She is one that others can describe as resilient and down-to-earth. This year she was appointed to represent the Philippines in the second Universal Woman 2024 Pageant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she bagged the crown, besting 47 candidates from all over the world. What an impressive way to garner an opportunity to represent the country and bring home a long-awaited and well-deserved crown for herself and the Philippines.
Beyond the crown, Maria has been making a name for herself as a model, host, and entrepreneur. Her story is nothing short of inspiring and motivating for women who have dreams and never gave up in the pursuit of them. Here are a couple of life lessons that I can keep, looking at the journey that my once grade-one student and now Ms. Universal Woman 2024 title holder can give:
Live life with good intentions
In life, failures are inevitable; wrong decisions can happen, but if one lives with good intentions and people can see the purity of your heart, they will be there to support you when you need it. Not every wrong turn will pull you down. It may give a momentary experience of pain and frustration, but with the right guidance and wisdom from our Creator, we can survive. Do good. Continue to do good no matter what. Never succumb to doing bad just because others do not give back the respect we give them. Hold dear in your heart that doing the best with what God has gifted you will always yield great surprises in the end.
Trust in God’s perfect time
If we have unanswered prayers or dreams that seem elusive and out of reach, trust that God is preparing you to have the best character for what you aim for. The answers sometimes are not the same as how we want them to be but exactly how God sees they should be. As we always say, it’s either God’s provision or protection. Even a delay is his way of better preparing us for great things.
We see beauty in many forms in life. We learn from each other, and we know even meeting someone has a purpose. In this life, knowing Maria and her story is one that’s going to be forever dear to me and one that I will always be proud to share. Here is an ode to you, Maria, and a silent prayer for you to keep winning in life and inspiring many more women who look up to you.