Early Monday morning, August 1, Nicole Borromeo of Cebu was crowned as Binibining Pilipinas International 2022 after 3 hours at the Smart Araneta Coliseum which started late due to technical issues and a tense moment marred by some confusion with the production team and its hosts Catriona Gray and Nicole Cordoves.

But at last, the 21-year-old Interior student was crowned, succeeding Hannah Arnold as the new queen. Nicole will prepare for the 61st edition of Miss International scheduled in 2023.

The journey for Nicole has been crazy but this didn’t hinder her from being the lady of the night.

Missing in action at the press presentation

Many fans worried about Nicole’s performance when she didn’t show up at the press presentation. We later learned that she got sick. But later on, she was back on track and made sure to make up for her absence in the next rounds of the competition.

Prior to the press presentation, Nicole participated in the talent competition, where she showed her skills in drawing.

National costume and fashion show

Nicole got to show her different sides at the national costume and fashion show as well as the Parade of Beauties.

The Qrown Philippines was also fortunate to interview Nicole alongside fellow sisters Nyca Bernardo, Patricia Go, and Joanna Ricci Alajar.

Cebu is once more in the spotlight

While Nicole kept her composure amidst the challenges she faced, the Qrown Philippines also got to see her up close several times including a mock Q and A session where our correspondent Christian Baking and photographer Jonathan Santos got to know her more.

At the finals held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Nicole enjoyed the show and moved to the Top 12 where she spoke about going through typhoon Odette last December.

Nicole also showed good performances during the swimsuit and evening gown competitions.

During her final Q and A, she was asked by young actor Donny Pangilinan how she would rate herself as a responsible Filipino citizen. She answered: ” As a responsible Filipino citizen, I’d like to give myself a good 8. Because I know there’s always room to improve; there’s so much I don’t know, but there’s so much I’m willing to learn. I hope to do that with you.”

The International crown is back in Cebu after a decade

After a delay due to some confusion and reconfirmation of the envelopes, Nicole was crowned as the new Bb. Pilipinas International 2022 succeeding Hannah Arnold. Nicole will compete in the 2023 edition of the pageant in Japan, giving her enough time to train.

Nicole’s win is also a big win for Origin Management, the agency handling her career. Last year, it fielded Beatrice Luigi Gomez who won Miss Universe Philippines 2021 and finished in the Top 5 in Israel. It also fielded Tracy Maureen Perez who won Miss World Philippines and finished in the Top 12 in Puerto Rico.

Its roster includes Gazini Ganados, Miss Universe Philippines 2019, who was part of the Top 20 in Atlanta, Georgia USA, and Jamie Herrell who won Miss Earth in 2014.