GANDANG FILIPINA began as a beauty-pageant segment tucked inside Wowowin, GMA Network’s daily game show hosted by Willie Revillame — and after a two-part grand finals on March 30 and 31, 2017, it produced its first-ever queen.
Twenty-three finalists made it to the grand finals, judged in part by designer Randy Ortiz and Miss Universe Philippines 2014 titleholder Mary Jean Lastimosa. Between the production value and the caliber of the candidates, the segment ended up outperforming the modest expectations that come with watching a pageant unfold inside a game show.
March 30: National Costume and Evening Gown
March 30’s episode opened with National Costume, and it was a surprisingly grand affair given the format — all 23 finalists turned out in elaborate, fully realized looks. Five were singled out as winners: Yricka Mongcopa (#23) of Medellin, Cebu; Martina Fausta Diaz (#1) of Muntinlupa City; Jessica Estillore (#4) of San Mateo, Rizal; Lady Justerinnie Santos (#13) of Bulakan, Bulacan; and Rosette Joyce Tayam (#14) of Subic, Zambales.
An Evening Gown segment followed, and three candidates took home Best in Evening Gown: National Costume winners Rosette Joyce Tayam and Martina Fausta Diaz, plus Camille Angelica Canlas (#22) of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. With two wins apiece already, Tayam and Diaz emerged as the clear frontrunners — though nothing was settled until Swimsuit and Q&A the following day.
Amal Rosaroso (#6) of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, rounded out the day’s awards with Miss Friendship — a fitting nod, given how much social-media buzz her humor and personality had already generated among viewers.
March 31: Swimsuit and the Top 10
The next episode opened with Swimsuit, where Martina Fausta Diaz picked up her third award of the competition and locked in her spot in the Top 10 alongside fellow early winners Rosette Joyce Tayam, Camille Angelica Canlas, and Amal Rosaroso. Joining them in the semifinals were Lady Justerinnie Santos, Grace Buenconsejo (#15), Jaymalin Santiago (#21), Michelle Arceo (#8), Rowena Sasuluya (#10), and Yricka Mongcopa.
The Question and Answer round is usually where a pageant’s sharpest candidates separate themselves, and this one was no different — Arceo and Canlas were the standouts on wit alone, with Canlas edging it for this writer. Diaz’s three earlier wins, though, meant she was never far from contention no matter how the Q&A round played out.
Top 5 and the Question That Decided It
The Top 5 came down to Michelle Arceo, Lady Justerinnie Santos, Yricka Mongcopa, Martina Fausta Diaz, and Camille Angelica Canlas.
With scores reset to zero, the crown came down to a single question: “Ano sa tingin mo ang pinakamatinding isyu na kinakaharap ng mga kabataan?” (What do you think is the most pressing issue facing today’s youth?)
Yricka pointed to the lack of attention given to uneducated youth. Michelle named easy access to social media — and the bullying and judgment it enables, sometimes to the point of suicide — as the bigger threat. Lady Justerinnie spoke to the pressure of being compared with previous generations, adding that she was there to prove she’s an empowered woman capable of great things. Martina pointed to a lack of self-confidence, noting how easily youth give up on their education once it gets difficult. Camille Angelica named the inability to set priorities — peer pressure, she said, pulls focus away from long-term goals.
The Crown
The answer to that question set the first-ever Gandang Filipina grand winner: Michelle Arceo took the crown, with Lady Justerinnie Santos named first runner-up and Camille Angelica Canlas second runner-up.