At her send-off press conference in Pasay on November 3, Bea Millan-Windorski spoke about the six Southeast Asian delegates who will not be joining her in Puerto Rico. She said she respects the Miss Universe Organization’s business decisions, and she also recognizes the sadness and sense of loss her ASEAN sisters are going through. Her pride in their journeys, and in the advocacy work they continue to do, she said, does not hinge on whether they get to compete.

She chose not to dwell on the controversy, pointing instead to the shared values and friendships among Southeast Asian nations. Bea was set to fly out on November 5 after a public send-off at NAIA Terminal 1, going for the Philippines’ fifth Miss Universe crown. The country has won four times: Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margie Moran in 1973, Pia Wurtzbach in 2015 and Catriona Gray in 2018.

Why Six ASEAN Queens Won’t Be in San Juan

On October 21, it was announced that the representatives of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Laos, all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), would not travel to Puerto Rico. The cause is a dispute over who holds the Miss Universe franchise rights in those six countries, which we explained in our earlier report on the dispute weeks before the announcement.

Among those affected are Thailand’s Tharina Botes, who won her national crown in August, Vietnam’s Nguyen Quynh Anh, Malaysia’s Eunice Wong, Indonesia’s Alda Callista and Singapore’s Vion Erico Tan. Thailand and Vietnam in particular have large followings among Miss Universe fans, and their absence takes two of the region’s strongest delegations out of the field.

Her Pitch for the Crown

At the same press conference, Bea described the kind of titleholder she wants to be. True leadership, she said, is defined “not walking ahead or standing ahead, but by walking together,” and she wants to use the crown to connect other people to international platforms so their voices are heard. She also said she would love for Bad Bunny to watch the pageant in his home territory, calling his album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS special to her because its themes of development, gentrification and resilience under pressure speak to many Filipinos.

Fans have compared her to Catriona Gray since before her national win, pointing to her eloquence and even her resemblance to the 2018 Miss Universe. Bea has addressed the comparison openly rather than deflecting it, as we noted when we covered her path to the crown. Gray herself has backed her, saying Bea speaks well, carries herself with poise and is a great representative of the country. “If I were one of the judges, she would do really, really well,” Gray said in May.

Miss Universe Philippines national director Ara Arida has said she is confident Bea can bring home the crown, and early rankings by pageant watchers placed her third among the contenders. Her preparation has centered on the pasarela, the pageant walk, which she called a main priority soon after her win and began formal training for in July.

The Schedule

• November 21: National Costume Competition, where each delegate wears a design inspired by her country’s culture and history
• November 22: Preliminary competition, with the swimsuit and evening gown segments
• November 24: Final, in San Juan, Puerto Rico (November 25 in the Philippines)

Puerto Rico is 12 hours behind Manila, which is why a Tuesday evening final there arrives as Wednesday in the Philippines. Reigning Miss Universe Fatima Bosch of Mexico, who was at the center of last year’s sashing ceremony controversy in Bangkok, will crown her successor at the end of the final. Last year, Ahtisa Manalo finished as Third Runner-Up, and she is the one who passed the national crown to Bea in May.

The Stage

All three nights take place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, the island’s largest indoor arena, which locals call “El Choliseo.” It is the fourth time Puerto Rico hosts Miss Universe, after 1972, 2001 and 2002, and the pageant marks its 75th anniversary with more than 120 delegates. The women spend about two weeks on the island, staying in hotels between Río Grande and San Juan.

Dayanara Torres, the Puerto Rican queen who won Miss Universe in 1993 and has long been a beloved figure in Philippine pop culture, is among the hosts. ABS-CBN is the Philippine broadcast partner. In the United States, the final airs live on Telemundo and streams on Peacock.

Who She Is

Beatrice Rebecca Millan-Windorski, 24, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a Filipina mother whose parents came from San Juan, La Union. She studied history and international relations at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 2024 she won Miss Earth USA, then represented the United States at Miss Earth 2024, where she took the Miss Earth–Water title.

She was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2026 on May 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, ahead of 49 other candidates. Her environmental advocacy draws on childhood summers in her grandmother’s hometown in La Union, and her Beyond the Crown video for Miss Universe highlights sea turtle conservation and community involvement in protecting the environment. She has also named OFWs and the LGBTQIA+ community among her causes.