Miss Universe Philippines 2024 and PLDT Home Ambassador Chelsea Manalo talks about staying connected with her loved ones and being her best self in Metro.Style’s latest digital cover story.
Speaking to Metro.Style, Chelsea candidly talks about being away from her family in Bulacan, especially now that her Miss Universe journey is running at full speed. A lesson that she learned from her Miss Universe Philippines stint is the importance of maintaining connections with loved ones.
“(I always) value the time with the people who are really close to my heart,” she tells Metro.Style. When away from home, Chelsea makes sure to keep in touch with loved ones via landline, mobile, or the internet with reliable connection powered by PLDT Home. The new PLDT Home Fiber Unli All Plan 1399 with speeds of up to 100 Mbps and unlimited landline and mobile calls covering 5 Smart/TNT numbers in the family allows her to go all out with stories and updates for her loved ones – providing her no limits as she inches closer to her dream.
Get to know more about Chelsea in this video by Metro:
TRANSCRIPT:
How she’s preparing for Miss Universe 2024?
My preparation has already been starting. I know it has been a long time since we brought back the crown here.
But of course, I want to give back to the Philippines, so whatever it is that I’m preparing for – it’s promoting the Philippines in so many ways. And of course, going back to my roots as just a Bulakeña – very simple, very humble as she is.
And with the training proper, like the pasarela with the Q&A and all that, I love it! I love the training process that I’m now doing! And meeting different people, like creatives, influencers, leaders – it’s what I’m always looking forward to do.
The best thing so far about being a Miss Universe Philippines titleholder…
What has been the best thing that happened so far as Miss Universe Philippines is to go around the city. I now live in the city. I do come home to Bulacan, but being in the city, of course, seeing the other side of it is what I look forward to. And working on the organization, with Miss Universe Philippines — and yeah, meeting with different people.
What she learned from her Miss Universe Philippines journey?
It’s always (to) value time. This is something that I kind of lost track of when I was still a candidate for Miss Universe Philippines because even though I was still with my parents, I wasn’t able to celebrate their birthdays kasi… our activity was just everyday, continuous , so i really didn’t get to spend time with them.
So, the thing the I would love to pursue or learn from my experience is to just value time with the people who are really close to my heart.
What she learned about herself during her Miss Universe Philippines journey…
Well I’ve always known that I’m an independent woman. I like taking risks, and I saw it. I saw the best of myself when I was still a candidate. It wasn’t easy. I don’t think any pageant is easy.
I mean, many people can say it is just because you come to a shoot, you have makeup. Maganda, you know. It’s not really just that.
You really challenge yourself from all the things that happen to your everyday activity. Your biggest competition, it’s true what they say, is yourself.
And going through Miss Universe Philippines, I saw that within me. That everyday, I try as much as I can – to tell myself that I can, you know. And even if you have a lot of competition around you, it’s yourself who’s your biggest competition.
And yeah, and you’ve become independent. You may have a small team or a big team, but at the end of that night, it still only leads up to you.
The Miss Universe Queen she looks up to…
I always look up to Ms. Pia Wurtzbach– I mean, look at her right now. Looking at her right now, she has accomplished so many things. She’s not just a beauty queen. She is so many things. She’s an entrepreneur, she’s even an author. So, I really do adore her for that.
But even as in the pageant itself, it really did show her determination, just to go forward to her dream and it will never change.
I (did) met her already. I saw her already. Getting to talk to her actually, having a conversation with her, it fascinated me to just have that connection with her. She’s so humble and she’s so kind at the same time.
Her advocacy on youth empowerment and education…
It started since I was a little girl. I don’t remember what age but my mom and my ninang brought me to an orphanage supporting kids, specifically, and we loved it.
And actually, my first time, I loved it that I kept telling them to come back.
To just be there, talking with the kids and playing with the kids. Probably, it also brought me so much joy to just be with other kids there because they are the nicest. They are very humble and they have so many dreams that led me, until now, I do support an orphanage and give my love and support to them.
That way I have been volunteering in different work field also but of course with the youth supporting their education. I mean, when you ask these kids what it is they love the most, it’s just always — they would always say, ‘To just go to school.’ They want to go to school and finish college.
What her childhood life was like…
So, my childhood life was very simple. It wasn’t that nice at first because I was always bullied because of my color, because of my hair. I had curly hair, and I still do have (it).
And when you’re still a child, many won’t understand what your background is or what your ethnicity is until I tell them, “Oh, I’m half-Filipina, half-American-African. So, that’s why I have this distinct look.”
And it wasn’t easy because I would always cry to my parents when I played outside. It wasn’t that easy but of course, it was still colorful because of my parents, the people who supported me, around me, were always there to tell me, otherwise what other people would tell you.
And if not, yeah, she (Chelsea) was just always at school and she would come home to her parents. And growing up, I started to become a model, it’s a really beautiful journey that I did not expect and through this, I gained my confidence.
What she was like as a student?
She loves attending extracurricular activities. So when I was in school, I joined choir, I joined sports, I did volleyball, basketball, and I did swimming. I did a lot of things, and I love joining such competitions and pageants.
So, I still remember, my first pageant was in school, also because I dreamed to become being in a beauty pageant.
Before I became a model, I dreamed of being in a beauty pageant or a beauty queen. So, joining beauty pageants in school was the first activity that I think I ever did.
And then, I thought I’d be singing, so, I thought, ever since I was a little girl, I’d become a pop star – something like that.
What ignited her interest in pageantry?
It started to be an influence, so, my mom would love watching pageants. Parang nung bata ako, ‘di naman ako interested that much.
But I remember, Ms. Venus Raj was the first beauty queen– na parang na-interest ako, like “Ah, ganito pala ang beauty pageants na mas malaking stage.” Because of her beauty and unique color as well, na I could relate to when I was still a little girl.
It started there, kada-taon nanonood na kami ng mga iba’t-ibang beauty pageants. And then, because of that, dun na nahilig, dun na na-build up yung dream ko.
It started in school namin, and my first ever international pageant was, of course, Miss World, but that was in 2017, and I was still like a… I was 17, very teen. So, dahil nag-aaral pa ako I couldn’t really focus on both. So, mas prionorioritized ko muna yung pag-aaral. And then, whenever I finish or I’ll graduate college, then I’ll pursue it again.
Dealing with and overcoming bullying…
That kind of bullying was only by words, like, harsh words. And they would call me names just because of how I looked physically or what I appear to be like.
So, of course, (I would be) crying. Parang iniyak ko lang siya nang iniyak, instilling what my parents would always tell me. Friends who really know me. Those are what I was only listening to. Hanggang sa parang you don’t really get affected anymore by other people.
It never led to a point – actually, it led to a point that I didn’t see myself beautiful like when I hear, “Oy, ang ganda mo,” I just (didn’t) believe it anymore. But because the confidence only happened, when, of course, I had a dream to become a beauty queen or I worked as a model. I had so beautiful support from my mom and my dad, the support that I had with my friends, that is where it grew to me.
Parang even if there are people who would say some negative things, it’s okay to sometimes just keep silent because bullies just only do that because they want to get something out of you. And it’s never okay. Bullies are never okay. What you can do is just give them that silent treatment or not pay attention to that because that is not who you are. If you get affected in such thing, then you are going to let them win. You just keep the positive and let the negative out.
Looking back on those painful experiences
I want to say that it was still a beautiful experience for me. We don’t always have a beautiful story. It doesn’t always start that way. Some may, and some may don’t but for me, it never started beautiful.
And looking back at it, I want to see it in a beautiful story, you know… I feel like my life is a book talking about (a) beautiful life story. It didn’t end right, but we’re already in the process of, you know, something beautiful.
So, looking back at it, it was really painful but I knew that I grew from it. There’s always a learning for something that happens in our life.
Honoring her parents who have been supportive of her
My mom and my dad have always been supportive of my ambition. Hindi naman nila ako hinadlangan. They would rather I pursue things that I really love to do.
And because I joined Miss Universe Philippines, I didn’t have a really big team, I wasn’t in any camp or anything like that, so my mom and my dad would always be with me anywhere I go. Sila na yung lahat-lahat ‘no – assistant, driver. Yeah, I mentioned in all my interviews that my dad does my makeup (and) my lashes. My mom would be my own stylist.
But yeah, that’s how supportive they are that even until Mexico, they are always here around me, supporting me.
My mom and biological dad had been divorced since I was at the age of two. But, I did met my dad when I was in States and then my stepdad was the one who raised me until my mom and my stepdad got married. But I never saw him as my stepdad because he provided everything from me. He went abroad, he worked in Singapore just so he could provide for my mom and me, I would describe si Daddy na very supportive, parang ‘di ko alam yung tamang term, but siya yung dad na he would do just anything for you, literally catch a bullet for you. Sa sobrang supportive niya kapag may mga bad comments siyang nakikita online, gusto niya na ring sumagot. Sabi ko, “No, it’s not like that. You know, I know that you love me but if you really do, you’ll do this in a right way.”
Yeah, not just me but also my mom, he loves my family. He loves me for who I am and my mom for who she is. And anything that we just love to do in our lives, he’s always there to support us. He doesn’t really like it when we do things at home, he’s the one who wants to do everything, like cook, clean. Everything, I feel like a princess ever since.
My mom and I are, like, besties. Even though, sometimes, when you say besties, sometimes we fight. It’s not always a good relationship but it’s not always a good relationship but it’s a mother-daughter kind of thing. It’s a kind of relationship that I don’t think I could ever trade with anyone.
Since I’m an only child, I saw both my mom and dad like my best friends. Anything that happens in my life, they just know. They never forget to remind me to pray. To keep yourself grounded.
Even way back, when I didn’t have a name yet in the industry, that was what they would always tell me. To keep your feet on the ground. And if you dream, then dream big.
What does winning in life mean to her?
For me, winning really goes through failure also. I want to say that, for me, personally, I’ve gone through it. I did face a lot of challenges but through this is what keeps you winning in life. That when you fall down, you get back up.
What she’s most proud of as a Filipina
The spirit of a Filipina is what I’m very proud of. That we are hardworking, we are proud. We are unstoppable in creating and innovating our life.
