NIKKI De Moura, 19, a Filipino-Brazilian model from Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao, was crowned the Miss Grand Philippines 2023 during the pageant held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay Thursday night, July 13, 2023.
De Moura bested 29 other candidates from different parts of the Philippines.
Other title holders were Herlene Budol of Angono, Rizal; Michelle Arceo of Bagumbayan, Quezon; and Francine Reyes of Tarlac City.
Budol was crowned Miss Philippines Tourism 2023, Arceo was Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2023, and Reyes was named Miss Eco Teen Philippines 2023.
First runner-up was Shanon Tampo of Caloocan City, and second runner-up was Charie Sergio of Caluya, Antique.
The other ladies who made it to the Top 10 were Dayanara Maurer (Pampanga, Skin Element ambassador), Rona Lalaine Lopez (Pangasinan), Aeroz Ganiban (Nueva Ecija), and Maria Gail Tobes (Northern Samar, Miss Bench Body).
De Moura, as this year’s Miss Grand Philippines, will compete for the Miss Grand International title in Vietnam on October 25, 2023.
De Moura is not new to pageantry, as before her Miss Grand Philippines stint, she was named Miss Teen Philippines 2019 at 15 years old.
The Filipino-Brazilian beauty queen also has a rich background in modeling.
She was the youngest girl at 17 who joined the SupermodelMe Revolution Season 6, which is an Asian-based modeling competition show.
Her extensive experience in modeling and pageantry became her strength and power throughout the Miss Grand Philippines 2023 pageant, as she garnered special titles, such as Miss Photogenic, Miss Bench, Skin Elements Ambassador, and Miss Philippine Airlines.
In her message, De Moura said: “Coming from Mindanao, where the stigma of no peace often characterizes our identity. I am angry. No, I am infuriated by violence and war and that is a pointless disregard to not only human life but human dignity.”
She emphasized the importance of stopping war and violence and moving forward to peace-making, peacekeeping, and peace building.
Asked what slogan she would create if given the chance to promote the Philippines, De Moura answered: “It would be to Love the Philippines. I think being a Brazilian and Filipina, makes me love both cultures, both heritage and two different traditions and so I am proud to say that I love the Philippines despite having its flaws.”
Warm greetings poured in for the newly crowned Miss Grand Philippines from her friends and family from Cagayan de Oro who described De Moura as “humble,” “goofy,” “talkative,” and “spontaneous lady.”
Budol, in the question and answer portion, used an interpreter to help her translate her answer into English.
She was asked about her take on the most urgent problem in the Filipino youth sector and how she plans to address it.
“Para sa akin, ang pinakamalubhang problema ngayon ng mga kabataan ay ang edukasyon. Dahil ang kailangan ng mga kabataan ngayon ay edukasyon para mamulat sa kinabukasan at naniniwala pa rin po ako sa kasabihan na ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan at para maging pangdayo tayo, taas noo dahil Pilipino tayo kagaya ko, maliit lang ang bansa ko pero pinagmamalaki ko,” she said.
(For me, the most serious problem facing young people today is education. Because what the young people need today is education to be aware of the future and I still believe in the saying that the youth is the hope of the motherland and for us to be able to compete in the international scene, we must be proud as Filipinos like me. My country is small but I'm proud of it.)
All of the winners in the pageant received their corresponding cash prizes, a management contract with ALV Pageant Circle, and movie deals with Octo Arts Films and ALV Films. (Erica Abella, CNU Intern)