Youngest Miss Universe Philippines bet joins pageant to honor late photojournalist-dad
Touted as the face of Generation Z and the youngest candidate in the ongoing Miss Universe Philippines 2021, Kristina Alexandra Rodriguez encouraged the youths of today to “take risks” and chase their dreams “even if the odds seem insurmountable.”
“Generation Z is the doer, the giver, the disruptor, we are the invincible youth of today. I want to inspire everyone and make them believe that there is beauty in this world,” said the 18-year-old hopeful in an exclusive interview with The STAR.
She noted how it is a “struggle to remain positive because of the uncertainties” around us, especially during this time of pandemic. However, she refuses the “overcast to overwhelm” her and instead focuses on the “great things that happen every day.”
Kristina believes that hard work, stewardship and determination are the qualities that one needs to cultivate in society. “We must be able to bring something to the great big table of this nation, in whatever way we can, it is important to give. We must keep striving towards change for it is the only way to progress. Something’s got to change and a disruption is needed,” she said.
She may be the youngest among the “delegates,” but she fights like a “true warrior.” “Anything new is a welcome treat and there is the proverbial beginner’s luck. I am all that and have all that in my pocket,” declared Kristina.
“But some would take my inexperience against me and deem me unworthy, too naive, may be difficult to train, unprepared for the bigger fight, a dwarf to the giants and a ‘Tarzan’ in the midst of the ‘Disney princesses.’ That’s tough,” she said.
Nonetheless, Kristina turns this to her advantage, “But I feel like a true warrior, fighting battles one day at a time, just like what I’ve been doing in the past 18 years.”
She went on, “I work hard to ensure that I deliver what needs to be accomplished in the best possible manner at the appointed time. I let myself to be tided over to the next day, the next deadline, the next season, the next chapter and enjoy watching myself evolve across phases and cycles of life. This I believe is the beauty of youth and its advantages. I have time on my hands.”
It was her father, Val Rodriguez, the late chief photographer of The STAR and close-in photographer of former Pres. Corazon Aquino, who inspired her to try the prestigious beauty pageant.
She “grew up under the lens literally” and was “lavished with affection” by her father who treated her “like a queen.”
She spoke fondly of her father, “I was around three years old when my father told me I would become Miss Universe. It made an impression so great and created beautiful images in my mind. I’ve always heard people say my father has an eye for beauty. So, I decided to believe him.”
“Joining the MUPH seems closest to becoming a real queen. Since I lost my father, I’ve missed being a queen. I regret he is no longer with me as I join this year’s pageant,” shared Kristina. Her dad passed away in 2015.
Kristina hopes to someday look back on her milestones at the age of 18. “I want to someday tell my story. I want people to know what remarkable things I did when I was 18 — how I lived through the pandemic, how I first fell in love, how I almost lived and studied in New York with my acceptance at the Fashion Institute of Technology, how I passed the entrance exams in the top universities of the country and how I navigated my journey to wear the Miss Universe crown,” she narrated.
Moreover, she takes pride in representing Baguio City in the highly-anticipated beauty pageant. “Baguio is as splendid as it is popular and lovely in people’s minds and I would like to give her justice by being her powerful face in the fight for the Miss Universe crown. I intend to honor the city by giving a good fight, to show her my gratitude by leaving a remarkable impression and by inspiring people living in the midst of a pandemic.”
“Like the city that remains standing after earthquakes, storms and landslides, people should feel that in spite of adversities and even if everything has changed, we are still alive and tomorrow the sun will rise,” she continued.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong expressed his support to Kristina during a courtesy call last Aug. 4 at his office.
Standing 5 feet and 3 inches tall, the young aspirant from Baguio City admires Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen and Miss Universe 1969 Gloria Diaz, who both won at 18.
Kristina’s hobbies include gourmet cooking, baking, singing and playing the guitar.
She supports the preservation of arts as her advocacy, which is close to her heart because of her father. It involves the documentation, preservation and archiving of Filipino images by the Generation Z.
“This is meant to start organizing an efficient recording of the history, culture, heritage, the places and faces in our beautiful country. This way, we can touch the past and (share) it to future generations,” she asserted.
Likewise, she encouraged conscious photography, “Wherein people take photographs, mindful that they are capturing a moment in time. I would like a repository of photographs taken and submitted to the archive for classification, recording and filing purposes.”
Kristina studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran from kinder to Grade 10 through a scholarship. She was a student leader, student council president and editor-in-chief of the Letran Scroll.
She graduated Senior High School with honors at Lourdes School Quezon City and is currently enrolled at the Ateneo de Manila University.
Kristina concludes the interview by inviting everyone to vote for her in the Miss Universe Philippines 2021, “I am requesting all of you to place your bet on ‘Tarzan.’ I promise myself that I will use this opportunity to bring to the country her most hardworking beauty queen.”
To vote, download the Miss Universe Philippines app on your Android or iOS device, sign up, go to the voting tab and press the star icon on your favorite delegate’s video.
Book your tickets via ktx.ph to stream the preliminary competition, the Q&A special show and the coronation night from Sept. 21 to 25.
The Top 50 delegates will be announced on Aug. 23.
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