Miss Universe Philippines

From 1964 to 2019, Binibining Pilipinas held the national franchise for Miss Universe, wherein it was responsible for selecting Filipinas to represent the Philippines and compete at the annual Miss Universe pageant.^[1] Under Binibining Pilipinas, the Philippine representatives to the Miss Universe pageant were crowned with the title of Binibining Pilipinas from 1964 to 1971, and Binibining Pilipinas Universe from 1974 to 2011.^[2] In 2012, the franchise renamed the Binibining Pilipinas Universe title to Miss Universe Philippines. The title was first used at Binibining Pilipinas 2012.^[3]

In December 2019, the Miss Universe Organization granted the Philippine franchise to a new organizing body led by Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2011 and Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup-Lee as national director, and Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2006 Lia Ramos as Women Empowerment Chair. The creation of the new Miss Universe Philippines Organization formed a separate, standalone pageant responsible for the selection of the Philippine delegate to the Miss Universe pageant.^[4][5] Since 2024, the pageant's offshoot organization The Miss Philippines has selected contestants from main competition to compete in several other beauty pageants.^[6]

In February 2025, Ariella Arida, Miss Universe Philippines 2013 succeeded Supsup-Lee as national director after the latter launched a bid for councilor in the 2025 Pasig local elections.^[7][8] The pageant announced that Arida's role as national director will emphasize the training and development of its competitors.^[9]

From the 2020 to 2023, candidates for the competition were recruited through a process of application and subsequent screening.^[10] At the same time, local pageants affiliated with the pageant were given the right to nominate delegates to the pageant.^[11] In 2021 and 2022, the organization partnered with the Philippine social networking app Kumu in determining the final entrants from longlisted candidates through online contests.^[12] In April 2023, the Miss Universe Philippines introduced the Accredited Partners Program, allowing local pageants to access MUPH branded merchandising.^[13]

The organization abolished the application process in 2024, after which all delegates would be coming from the accredited partners of the pageant, whether through a local pageant or appointment.^[14] The national director Shamcey Supsup-Lee, explained the change intended to "even the playing field" between delegates in Metro Manila and "in the provinces" by ensuring that delegates to the competition were supported by local organizations.^[15][16] That same year, competitors representing Overseas Filipino Communities were sent for the first time.^[17] The following year, diaspora competitors were required to represent a Philippine locality at the same time.^[18]

The Filipina crown, as worn by Miss Universe Philippines 2021, Beatrice Gomez (left) and the La Mer en Majesté crown, as worn by Miss Universe Philippines 2024, Chelsea Manalo (right)

• Filipina (2020–2021) — Named for the feminine form of Filipino, the crown was crafted by the Villarica family jewelers of Bulacan. According to the designers, the elements of the crown represent the "qualities, aspirations, values, and symbols of the Filipino people". The swirl of leaves represents every woman who aims for success in "different forms" but still keeps "the Filipino values in their hearts"; diamond embedded in each leaf signifies "the sparkle" in the lives of people that each woman encounters; golden South Sea pearls represent four values of creativity, intelligence, optimism, and fear of God; sapphire, ruby, and topaz were patterned after the blue, red, and yellow colors of the flag of the Philippines.^[19][20] The crown has an estimated value of ₱5 million (nearly $100,000).^[21]
• La Mer en Majesté (2022–present) — The name translates to "The Sea in Majesty". According to the organization, as the crown pays homage to the sea for "she is the queen of the elements". Embedded in the crown are golden South Sea Pearls, the national gem of the Philippines, which represents "a radiant symbol of the harmonious relationship between man and nature, capturing the very spirit of the Filipinos". The crown was crafted by the French and Filipino fine jewelry brand Jewelmer.^[22][23]

Legend

Miss Universe Philippines was awarded as Best National Host Tour Country in 2024 and Best National Pageant in 2025.^[37]

• Philippines at major beauty pageants
• Big Four international beauty pageants
• List of beauty pageants