Tracy Maureen Perez, a 28-year-old Cebuana model and Industrial Engineering graduate will be the country’s representative in this year’s Miss World pageant after bagging the Miss World Philippines 2021 title during finals held at Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) on Sunday night.
Perez was crowned by Miss World Philippines 2019 Michelle Dee.
Perez, originally from Baguyan, Agusan del Sur, competed in the same pageant in 2019 and in Miss Universe Philippines 2020 where she won best in swimsuit and most photogenic. An advocate for equal access to quality education, Perez fell on stage twice possibly due to exhaustion over the seven-hour-long ceremony. Co-host actor Xian Lim and fellow candidate Emmanuelle Vera helped her back on her feet before the winners were announced.
Vera, an actress and singer-songwriter, was named ReinaHispanoAmericana Filipinas 2021, while Fil- Australian Kathleen Paton won Miss Eco Philippines 2021.
Other winners were: Trisha Martinez, a dentist, who was named Miss Tourism Philippines 2021; Michelle Arceo, GMA’s Gandang Filipina 2017 winner, was Miss Environment Philippines 2021; Shaila Rebortera, a dentist and former Sinulog Festival Queen 2018 won Miss Multinational Philippines 2021; and Tatyana Austria, an 18-year-old, model bagged the Miss Eco Teen Philippines 2021 title.
Riana Pangindian, a Bb. Pilipinas 2016 Top 15 semi-finalist, and Ganiel Krishnan, former Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia Pacific International 2016, were named First and Second Princess, respectively.
“After this pandemic, I hope that we never take for granted our family that we have, our health, and the people who protect us — our frontliners. We should always give importance to those people,” Perez answered when asked what she would want the people to learn from the pandemic when it’s over.
Miss World 2021 will be held at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 16.
