Did you know that this year’s Philippine representative to Miss Universe 2021 is a reservist?
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and its Civil Services Relations unit offered a toast to Miss Universe Philippines 2021 Beatrice Luigi Gomez for besting 27 other candidates for the crown.
AFP on Friday posted a congratulatory message for the 26-year-old Cebuana who is the first openly bisexual winner of the national pageant.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines congratulates Reserve Marine Corporal Beatrice Luigi Gomez for being crowned as the 2021 Miss Universe Philippines,” it said on a Facebook post.
“Marine Corporal Gomez of Cebu City is assigned at the Naval Reserve Center – Eastern Visayas,” AFP added.
The post also included the hashtags that the official page of Miss Universe Philippines uses, “#PhenomenalWoman” and “#InspireYou.”
AFP’s Civil Relations Service unit also dedicated a social media post to Beatrice who is a reservist of the Philippine Navy, the naval warfare service branch of the military.
“The newly crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2021 is not just a crowned queen but also fills the coveted shoes of a warrior,” it said.
Outside the pageant scene, Beatrice is a community development worker who is also part of the military’s reserve force.
Reports said that she underwent basic citizens military course training in Eastern Visayas last January and finished the class to be a reservist of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) with a rank of Corporal.
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PMC is a naval infantry force under the command of the Philippine Navy.
It conducts amphibious, expeditionary and special operations missions.
Beatrice is also reported to be a self-confessed adrenaline junkie who used to be a volleyball varsity player. She also does boxing, scuba diving and MMA fighting.
She will represent the Philippines in the 70th edition of Miss Universe to be held in Israel this December.
