By Shayne Elizabeth Flores

Far Eastern University (FEU) first-year Nursing student Trisha Nadal Rosales makes pageant history as the first Miss Morayta in Miss Manila 2024, with its Coronation Night held at the Metropolitan Theater last Saturday, June 22.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Rosales took pride in representing FEU’s Morayta Street given its lack of visibility in pageantry.

“Wala pang nagre-represent ng Morayta sa any pageant ever, I think ano lang… Miss U-Belt [University Belt] (No one has represented Morayta in any pageant ever except Miss U-Belt, I think),” she claimed.

As a Tamaraw, the Nursing student chose to represent Morayta despite the offer to represent Mendiola because of FEU.

“They mentioned na baka (if) [I] want to represent Mendiola, but the thing is I've never been to Mendiola... Parang (It’s like) my heart is not there and araw-araw kasi akong nasa FEU (while I’m in FEU daily),” the beauty queen explained.

Rosales, who identifies as a lesbian, campaigns for LGBTQIA+ rights along with women empowerment and domestic violence awareness.

If given the chance to win, she aims to maximize the Miss Manila platform to help the local community through projects such as teaching pageantry’s essence to marginalized women.

“It’s not about kung sino ‘yung pinakamaganda, sino ‘yung pinaka-sexy, sinong pinakamahaba ang legs, sinong pinakamagaling magsalita. It’s sino ang, through their experiences and through their confidence, sino ang may pinakamako-contribute sa table when it comes to the community (It’s not about who is the most beautiful, who is the sexiest, who has the longest legs, who speaks the best. It’s who, through their experiences and confidence, can contribute most to the table when it comes to the community),” Rosales expressed.

Despite being the youngest in the pageant’s lineup, the 18-year-old Morayta representative highlighted her theater experience as an edge over other competitors.

“Aside from wala nang stage fright, wala nang masyadong kaba when being in front of people, there's also yung confidence mo na okay so I've been on the stage all my life, alam ko na kung anong gagawin ko (With theater, aside from there is no more stage fright, there is also not much nervousness when being in front of people, there’s also the confidence that I’ve been on the stage all my life, I already know what to do),” she said.

Further, the beauty queen cited her girlfriend and mother, former Binibining Pilipinas General Santos City 1994 Maria Theresa Nadal Rosales, as key people who motivated and trained her in pursuing Miss Manila.

The Morayta representative vied for the Top 12 roster but failed to secure a spot.

Preceding Rosales, Tamaraw Nursing student Francine Tajanlangit placed in Miss Manila 2023 as second runner-up, but represented Roxas Boulevard.

Following a five-year hiatus, the pageant was relaunched last year by Manila City Mayor Honey Lacuna to crown an empowered Manileña who has the ability to lead and contribute to fellow citizens.

Miss Manila 2024 Coronation night was hosted by former Miss Universe titleholders Catriona Gray and R'Bonney Gabriel and GMA Network Global Endorser Gabbi Garcia.

- With Reports from Mark Vincent A. Durano

(Photo courtesy of Miss Manila Facebook page)