Nicole Borromeo hopes to ‘give justice’ to PH’s diverse culture at International

CEBU, Philippines — Three weeks after winning the Binibining Pilipinas International 2022 title, Nicole Yance Borromeo was back in Cebu for a homecoming press conference at Golden Peak Hotel & Suites, followed by a meet & greet at SM Seaside City.

The 21-year-old Cebuana shared, among other things, how after her coronation, her victory had yet to completely sink in until she received a phone call from her father who told her she was going to help so many people and do great things. “That just hit me real hard,” said Nicole, who was glowing during the media event in an Edward James Castro-designed modern Filipiñiana.

She also didn’t fail to credit her team from Origin Model & Artist Management for “always keeping in touch with how I was doing mentally, because it’s the mental aspect of the pageant journey that really matters. It builds your mental fortitude to keep on going. I’m happy to have a support system through it all.”

More of Nicole’s interview, edited for brevity and clarity:

On being part of one of the most competitive Bb. Pilipinas batches:

I wish I could tell you I was a hundred percent confident. But I’m only human and had moments of self-doubt. It really helped that I had the right people around me to tell me that I am capable. I wouldn’t have joined this pageant if I didn’t think I had a fighting chance. As cheesy as it may sound, there were times I would look at myself in the mirror and really try to manifest the crown, say my name, and say the title right after. Even though it was unnatural, it was a way of trying to bring it to reality. Because once you can envision and believe it, then it won’t be so difficult for it to come to life. I also prepared as much as I could. I joined this pageant with the right mindset. I told myself, if it’s for me, great. If not, that’s okay. Because even without the crown, I’m still going to be me. I’m still going to continue doing what I do.

On talking about her Odette experience for her Top 12 speech:

That question was actually given to us right before the special awards so it was a little more spontaneous rather than if it was given to us a few days before. What I wanted to see in the next six years from our current administration, I wanted something substantial, something we can see. Given what happened to us during Typhoon Odette, it felt like the only point I wanted to make. It was devastating. I think we can all agree it was like an apocalypse with the posts falling down, the roads were blocked, we were struggling to find gas, we had to find water, we didn’t have electricity. We had to visit our Tita’s place just to take a bath. Even then, we were still considered more fortunate than others. Others didn’t have roofs over their head. I had messages from people asking me for donations because they’ve been sleeping without a roof a few months after. No one deserves to experience that. The Philippines is prone to typhoons so we should ensure the houses we build are resilient. People need to feel safe, because once they do, they can feel they have that mental fortitude to help others and themselves.

On what she hopes to improve on:

I’ve always had this desire to go out to connect with people, and be a part of a community that contributes to society. I have yet to know the ins and outs of myself entirely. There are some things I want to improve on. A big factor is my Filipino identity. I have a lot of guilt with the fact that I’m not as competent when it comes to my history and culture. I used to think that the Western culture was better. But I realized how rich ours is. And that we should focus on promoting what we have here. And also, hoping to learn how to speak better Tagalog and to give justice to our traditions and cultures.

On her state of mind during coronation night:

I’m a little critical of myself. I remember sitting backstage after the evening gown, after the swimsuit, after the Q&A, that I didn’t feel very satisfied with my performance. I felt that I could have walked larger strides, made my Q&A much longer – who knows? I was already putting myself in a state of acceptance that it wasn’t for me. And that’s okay. So when my number was called after the long deliberation, I was in shock! I felt like my soul was out of its body for a good 30 minutes. Everything that happened after my name was called, I barely even remember. When I watch videos of the announcement, everyone around me was congratulating me – and I don’t remember a thing. I was just in this state of euphoria.

On what’s next on her plate:

I’m very, very blessed that I have at least a year until I compete internationally. That’s a privilege that not everybody gets to have. Some think a longer reign is not a good one. But I think it’s more time to contribute, more time to reach out to organizations, and more time to make a bigger difference. So I’d say that’s my advantage. In the meantime, I get to be a cheerleader to my [fellow] queens that are competing this October, and of course to our reigning Bb. Pilipinas International Hannah Arnold this December. Hopefully, I get to see her perform myself so I can envision what it’s like for me to be bringing the Philippines to the international stage next year.

On how she plans to prepare for next year’s Miss International:

I have booked a meeting with the head of Habitat for Humanity, so that’s one step. Hopefully we’ll be able to reach out to more organizations and have a proper definite timeline with Bb. Pilipinas so we can see how things are in the long run. Aside from working with government organizations, I also hope to learn more about the Japanese culture and parts of their language. So I’m hoping to take classes. And, the Philippines has such a diverse culture and it will be a shame if I didn’t get the opportunity to ensure that it’s justified on the international stage – throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. So given that I have an entire year, I feel we can properly give justice to the entire country there [in Japan].

On the best tip she received from a fellow beauty queen:

Maria [Gigante] was actually with me the majority of my journey. She’s seen me at my worst and best. She would be the brutally honest type too. It’s out of love of course. I was asking her about Q&A because I would have all these thoughts and over-think things. How to answer this and that? What if it’s wrong? What if it’s not impactful enough? Because that’s the essence of Q&A. It’s more than what you say – it’s how you say it. It’s so overwhelming. She simply said to me, ‘Empty your mind.’ And I looked at her and was like, ‘I have to answer a question and I need to know what to say, and you’re telling me to empty my mind?! Why would you say that?’ And she goes on to explain, ‘You have studied this for months, if not years. You already have the stock knowledge that will just come out naturally if you let it. If you have all these answers bombarding you, the answer you’re looking for will never come. So take a deep breath, empty your mind, and be in the moment.

On her advice to young Cebuanas who want to be a beauty queen:

When I was younger I didn’t actually want to become a beauty queen. My dream then was to become an artist. I wanted to paint and just be in solitude. It took somebody to push me out of my comfort zone to see what it was like to join pageants. I realized that you can do so much more. I used to be afraid of public speaking, to be in front of a large audience. Although the fear still comes, it doesn’t mean that you can’t push through. It just shows that you have so much room for growth. And then you have the power to inspire others to grow as well. So I guess my advice is, always have the courage to do the things you think you can’t do because you never know until you try.

On keeping her long-term relationship with her high school sweetheart intact:

I don’t control what happens. We’ll probably just take it one day at a time. We have to continue to communicate with each other respectfully. And treat each other with trust – because that’s the foundation of a relationship. But yeah, as long as the trust is there, I think we can last as long as we can. It takes two to tango. As long as both of us are still willing to give it our best in our relationship, I don’t see why we can’t continue. I don’t believe in [beauty queen] curses. I believe our relationship has a stronger foundation.