HINDI binigo ni Catriona Gray ang mga Pilipino nang iuwi niya ngayong Lunes ang korona ng 2018 Miss Universe, sa pageant na idinaos sa Bangkok, Thailand. Siya ang ikaapat na Pinay na kinoronahang Miss Universe.
Ipinasa kay Catriona ni Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, ng South Africa, ang korona bilang bagong Miss Universe, makaraang talunin ng Filipina-Australian ang 93 iba pang kandidata, ang pinakamarami sa kasaysayan ng patimpalak.
Pinahanga ni Catriona, ang mga hurado sa final question at preliminary competition ng pageant.
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Sa final question, tinanong ng host na si Steve Harvey ang Top 3 ng pageant, si Catriona at ang mga kinatawan ng South Africa at Venezuela: “What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in life, and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?”
Sagot ni Catriona: “I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila and life there is very... it’s poor and it’s very sad and I always thought to myself to see the beauty in it, to look in the beauty of the faces of the children and to be grateful. And I will bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining and to assess where I could bring something, where I could provide something in as a spokesperson.
“I could teach also people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world, where negativity could not grow and foster, and the children would have a smile on their faces,” pagtatapos ni Catriona.
Sa top five question and answer portion, kontrobersiyal ang naging tanong kay Catriona tungkol sa kanyang opinyon sa legalization ng marijuana.
“I’m for it being use in for medical purpose, but not so for recreational use. Because I think if people will argue then what for about alcohol and cigarettes. Everything is good but in moderation,” sagot ni Catriona.
First runner-up si Tamaryn Green ng South Africa, at second runner-up si Sthefany Gutierrez ng Venezuela.
Ang Top 5 ay kinumpleto nina Miss Puerto Rico Kiara Ortega at Miss Vietnam H'Hen Niê, habang pumasok sa Top 10 ang mga pambato ng Nepal, Costa Rica, Curacao, Canada, at Thailand.
Wagi sa national costume si Miss Laos, sa kanyang gintong “stream of generosity” outfit.
Samantalang, bagamat hindi umabot sa semi-finals, binigyan naman ng espesyal na pagkilala si Miss Spain Angela Ponce bilang unang transgender na kandidata ng Miss Universe, at tumanggap siya ng standing ovation mula sa mga manonood.
Sa semi-finals, pumili ang komite na binubuo ng pawang babae (Bui Simon, Michelle McLean, Iman Oubou, Janaye Ingram, Richelle Singson-Michael, Monique Lhuillier, at Lili Valletta) ng mga kandidata sa bawat kontinente.
Inaliw naman ng American singer at songwriter na si Ne-yo ang mga manonood sa awitin niyang Miss Independent bago inihayag ang bagong Miss Universe.
Si Catriona ang ikaapat na Miss Universe ng Pilipinas, kasunod nina Pia Wurtzbach (2015), Margie Moran (1973), at Gloria Diaz (1969).
Myca Cielo M. Fernandez
