Baguio’s Verzosa wins as Ms Binibining International

By Jobelle Anselmo Batanes

BAGUIO CITY -- For the first time in the history of the Summer Capital of the Philippines, the candidate of this city, Kylie Verzosa (No.31) was crowned Bb. International on the prestigious Search for Bb. Pilipinas 2016 April 17 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Kylie also bagged two minor awards; Ms. Manila Bulletin and She’s So Jag on coronation night.

“The person who deserves to win the Bb.Pilipinas crown tonight is the person who worked hard for it and is willing to do everything to continue the legacy of the Philippines. She is confident with an attitude and has a personality and I believe I am her,” answered Kylie Verzosa when asked the question, “Why do you deserve to win a Bb. Pilipinas crown tonight?” by USA Universe, Olivia Jordan during question and answer portion.

Kylie is a 24 year old,  5'7" and with vital statistics of 32½ - 25½ - 32½ . She was awarded one of Cosmo’s Sexiest Models in 2013.

She is also a member of the Philippine Model Association of the Philippines.

At an early age of 14 she was modeling in Singapore and Hong Kong and was a recipient of the Model of the Year Award by the Fashion Council of Baguio City at 16.

She was an academic achiever since her pre-school and belongs to the Science Class of Saint Louis University Laboratory High School in Navy Base, Baguio City.

She is also a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2013 at Ateneo de Manila. Last year, she also represented Baguio City in the same nationwide battle of beauty and wits and bagged Ms. Philippine Airline Awards among the Top 15. Ms. International is the eldest daughter among the five children of Ari and Raquel Versoza, who were both former flight attendants and now business owners in Baguio.

In 1985, her mother, Raquel Verzosa, also joined the Bb. Pilipinas and was chosen as one of the Top 10.

In interview, Kylie revealed she likes to surf, read books, bake, compose songs, and writes her journal every day.

Her greatest asset for her is her personality. She is bubbly and loves to make other people feel good about themselves and wants to motivate them to have high self-esteem for them to be positive and happy.

“People think that I am not approachable. They have to get to know the real me. I love being with people and like what I mentioned, I value relationships. I am easy to talk to. I like helping people that is why I volunteered to assist in the Natasha Goulborn Foundation to help people who suffer from depression. I know I can help them,” Kylie said when asked the common notion of people about her.

She is also proud for representing the City for she believes that the people here are naturally friendly, warm and caring.

She also wants to promote beautiful tourist spots in the Baguio especially Wright Park, Burnham Park, BenCab Museum, Tam-awan Viilage, Mines View Park, and Camp John Hay.

When asked to describe the real Kylie she answered, “I am strong but a simple person. I love having fun and exploring new places and things. I love family and friends and I value relationships. I value honesty, integrity, and hard work. I like reading books, spending time with nature, good music, and time with loved ones.”

Kylie also aims to promote mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being and to spread message of balancing whole lifestyle especially to the youth who have a bright future ahead of them.

After the coronation, Kylie thanked her supporters on Instagram, "I am still in awe. I can't believe it. I am ecstatic and overjoyed. I am so grateful to have this moment; it took some time to sink in. Thank you to everyone who supported me, especially to my Angels, you were also the stars of the night. To my parents, you are the best. I love you. To Aces and Queens, Mama Rommel, Mac, Harry, Francis. Thank you for believing and helping me win that night.I'll be representing the Philippines for Miss International 2016 and I promise I won’t let you down."

The other winners are: Maxine Medina – Ms. Universe Philippines, Ms. Joanna Eden – Bb. Pilipinas Supranational, Ms. Jennifer Hammond – Bb. Pilipinas Intercontinental, Ms. Nichole Manalo – Bb. Pilipinas Globe, Ms. Nicole Cordoves – Bb. Pilipinas Frand International.

The Runners-up are: Ms. Angelica Alita – 1st Runner Up and Ms. Jehza Mae Huelar – 2nd Runner-up