Myrna Esguerra, the 24-year-old beauty queen from Abra, has transformed over a year of waiting into a period of growth and advocacy ahead of the Miss International 2025 pageant. Drawing from her humble beginnings, she champions quality education and shares Filipino resilience on the global stage. As she heads to Japan, Esguerra aims to embody hope and authenticity.
More than a year after being crowned the Philippines' representative for Miss International 2025, Myrna Esguerra views the delay as an advantage for thorough preparation. 'Because it’s really all about perspective, and the way I see it, it’s an advantage for us because I was able to do everything and prepare everything in one year. And right now, if there’s going to be a mistake, actually, there will not be a mistake because we are so prepared for everything, everything is in place,' she said.
During this time, Esguerra and her team traveled across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, engaging in community outreach. They visited the Tboli people in South Cotabato, Santa Fe in Bantayan Island, and collaborated with organizations like World Vision Philippines and SOS Pilipinas. These experiences deepened her commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4: quality education, inspired by her own struggles.
As the only one of 16 siblings to graduate college, Esguerra supported her family through side hustles like selling candies in school, online selling, working in a coffee shop, and freelance modeling. 'I’m doing this to help my family and also support my studies. And I am very fortunate because I have 16 siblings and I am the only one who was able to graduate with a four-year degree in college,' she shared.
She partnered with Adarna House Publishing to donate books and launch literacy programs in marginalized communities, addressing reading gaps among Filipino children. 'And I think that’s what matters most because we’re really here to serve a purpose, and that’s what I did, because the rest of the preparations will only take a little bit of my time. We’re preparing for Miss International, and they’re looking into the hearts of the ladies,' Esguerra reflected.
Esguerra also highlighted Filipino resilience amid corruption scandals and recent earthquakes. 'You know, despite all the things that are happening in our country, especially the things regarding corruption, one thing that is never going to change is the Filipino heart. We Filipinos are very hopeful. And as long as there is hope in our hearts, there will always be change,' she said.
She departs for Japan on November 9, with the pageant set for November 27 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo. The Philippines has six prior Miss International winners, including Gemma Cruz Araneta in 1964 and Kylie Verzosa in 2016. Supporters like Dalia Varde Khattab and Nicole Cordoves praise her inspiring story. Esguerra hopes to bring home the seventh crown, proving 'With God’s grace, He made all of this possible in my life, so with the Miss International crown, it’s going to prove God’s power in my life and that faith will never let me down.'