Here’s a version of the pageant story you don’t hear as often: two women compete for the same crown, don’t get it, and instead of disappearing from the circuit, go on to win something arguably harder to get.
That’s exactly what happened to Gwendoline Meliz Soriano and Sasha-Juli Belle Lacuna. Both represented their provinces at Miss Universe Philippines 2025. Neither one walked away with the crown. Both came back this July and won Binibining Pilipinas instead — the pageant that predates Miss Universe Philippines by over half a century, and the one a lot of pageant purists still consider the real prize.
The Long Way Around
Soriano’s road here started with a withdrawal, not a win. She was set to represent Pangasinan at Binibining Pilipinas back in 2022 and pulled out for personal reasons before ever reaching the stage. She spent the years after building an actual career instead — professional runway modeling, a stint on Kwentong Jollibee that pulled in over 10 million views, work with established Filipino designers — before trying again through Miss Universe Philippines 2025, representing Baguio City, where she finished Top 12.
This July, third time genuinely being the charm, Soriano returned to Binibining Pilipinas and didn’t just win — she swept it, taking Best in Swimsuit, Best in Evening Gown, and two other special awards on top of the Binibining Pilipinas International 2026 crown itself. That title doesn’t send her to Tokyo just yet — Miss International 2026 this November belongs to Katrina Anne Johnson, last year’s Bb. Pilipinas International titleholder, who’s chasing the country’s seventh win in Tokyo Dome City Hall on November 25. Soriano’s own shot at Miss International comes in 2027.
Lacuna’s version of the same arc moves faster. She won her provincial title, Binibining Kanlahi, in 2024, which sent her straight to Miss Universe Philippines 2025 representing Tarlac — a Top 24 finish, solid but not a placement that makes headlines. A year later, back for a second national pageant, she went all the way, winning Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2026 and a ticket to The Miss Globe in Phuket this November.
What stands out about Lacuna beyond the placement: she’s been open about living with Nevus of Ota, a skin condition that causes hyperpigmentation around the eye, and has said outright that showing up without makeup was never something she feared — crediting her parents for raising her to treat it as nothing to hide. In an industry still routinely (and fairly) criticized for narrow beauty standards, that’s not a small thing to say on a nationally broadcast stage.
Why the “Consolation Prize” Isn’t One
It would be easy to read this as two women settling for pageant number two after missing out on the bigger one. That reading doesn’t really hold up. Binibining Pilipinas has been running since 1964 — it’s the oldest active national pageant in the country, held the Miss Universe franchise itself for decades before that title moved to Empire Philippines in 2020, and still funnels winners into Miss International and The Miss Globe, both members of what the industry treats as a genuine top tier.
Framed that way, Soriano and Lacuna didn’t take a smaller trophy. They took a different, older one — arguably a harder one to get precisely because Miss Universe Philippines has spent the last few years pulling the flashier headlines and the bigger sponsorship money, which means Binibining Pilipinas’s remaining prestige is now built almost entirely on pageant-world reputation rather than mainstream buzz. Winning it in 2026, competing against a field that included plenty of first-timers with nothing to prove wrong, says something about staying power that a first attempt never could.
Both were crowned by a judging panel that included Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz, Senator Risa Hontiveros, reigning Miss International Catalina Duque, and reigning The Miss Globe titleholder Cheraim Chayathanus Saradatta — not exactly a lightweight panel to convince twice.
The Company They’re Keeping
Neither pageant Soriano and Lacuna are headed into is a minor stop. The Philippines is the second-most successful country in Miss International’s history and the best-performing nation from Asia, with six wins on the board: Gemma Cruz (1964), Aurora Pijuan (1970), Melanie Marquez (1979), Precious Lara Quigaman (2005), Bea Rose Santiago (2013), and Kylie Verzosa (2016). Johnson is chasing win number seven this November; Soriano will get her own shot at extending that streak the year after.
The Miss Globe’s modern era — run by Deliart Association since 2015, distinct from an older, now-defunct version of the pageant — has been just as good to the Philippines relative to how young the run is. Ann Colis delivered the country’s first win in 2015, its very first year back on that stage; Maureen Montagne followed with a second title in Tirana in 2021. The Philippines has placed in every edition since Colis’s win — eleven straight years, with Annabelle McDonnell keeping the streak alive with a Top 11 finish in 2025. Lacuna picks up that streak in Phuket this October and November.
Field Notes
Binibining Pilipinas 2026 — Winners 👑 Binibining Pilipinas International 2026: Gwendoline Meliz Soriano (Baguio City) → Miss International 2027, Philippines’ streak currently at 6 wins 👑 Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2026: Sasha-Juli Belle Lacuna (Tarlac Province) → The Miss Globe 2026, Phuket, October 24–November 7 · Philippines’ 11-year placement streak on the line 🥈 1st Runner-up: Julianne Raine Antonio (Dumaguete City) 🥉 2nd Runner-up: Tracy Mae Sunio (Bacolod City) 📍 62nd Grand Coronation Night, Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City · July 18, 2026
Also watch: Katrina Anne Johnson, Binibining Pilipinas International 2025, competes for the Philippines’ 7th Miss International crown on November 25 in Tokyo — the title Soriano inherits her shot at next year.
Streamed via the official Binibining Pilipinas YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok channels. Hosted by Catriona Gray, Nicole Cordoves, Mary Jean Lastimosa, and Miriam Quiambao.