MANILA, Philippines — Another Binibini queen did it!
Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2021 Maureen Montagne bested 50 other delegates and became the third Filipina to win the Miss Globe crown, after the victory of Maricar Balagtas in 2001 and Ann Colis in 2015, respectively. Mau was crowned by last year's winner, Lorinda Kolgeci of Kosovo.
An early favorite, Mau won the second spot in both the swimsuit preliminary, as well as the head-to-head challenge. In the final Q&A, her espousal on the merits of beauty to winning the crown gained applause and approval - not only from the ten-member panel of judges, but from her co-candidates as well.
Mau's court is comprised of Nigeria (1st runner-up), Turkey (2nd runner-up), Venezuela (3rd runner-up) and Canada (4th runner-up). Interestingly, the Top 5 finalists happen to represent each of the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and North America.
The show began with a production number of the ladies performing a sedate choreography while sashaying to the beat in their silver and muted metallic outfits. After the break, the candidates scorched the runway in their skimpy swimwear. The ladies were clad either in monokinis, maillots, or bikinis.
The winning performances during the Talent Night show were presented by Miss Siberia, who did a splendid rhythmic gymnastics routine using the ribbon, and a Latin dance from Miss Greece and her partner.
The competition resumed with the girls battling it out further in the evening wear showcase and the national costume competition, prior to the announcement of the Top 15.
Aside from the winners, the other ladies who made it to the semifinal round were Estonia (winner of the People's Choice Award, for topping the online poll), Brazil, Dominican Republic, Germany (who won as Miss Social Media), Greece (who won as Miss Talent), Kazakhstan, Romania, Malaysia (winner of the Head-to-Head Challenge), USA, and Guyana (who won as Miss Bikini).
The other winners of the minor awards were South Africa (Miss Friendship), Finland (Miss Photogenic), Siberia (Miss Elegance), Italy (Miss Runway Model) and Peru (Best National Costume).
All the Top 15 semifinalists wore golden creations by Louis Pangilinan in the evening gown competition. The Top 5 were then asked pre-recorded questions from former Miss Globe winners.
The 2021 Miss Globe pageant was live streamed from Tirana, Albania by the Albania Radio Television network via YouTube. The Miss Globe is the only pageant platform that did not miss a year of competition, despite the worldwide pandemic.
Mau's winning is an apt farewell to her pageant journey. You could say she ended it with a bang!
Editor's note: An earlier version of the story showed that the Philippines won the second Miss Globe crown. This has been corrected.