Miss Universe Philippines-Quirino 2025 Bianca Ysabella Rei Olay Ylanan. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina

Filipinos are touted as some of the most passionate pageant fans in the world, but many take it too far that they resort to online attacks. Quirino’s Miss Universe Philippines 2025 bet, Bianca Ysabella Rei Olay Ylanan, hopes to see a more positive atmosphere.

“We get into beauty pageants with such a positive outlook, and a positive change that we want to happen. I think that just by bringing that positivity, I hope that those viewers as well could kind of hold from that,” she told INQUIRER.net on the sidelines of her press conference in Quezon City on Monday, March 3.

“Being in a beauty pageant, we have this platform to show our concerns, our advocacies. And alongside that we can also dust a little bit of positivity,” said Ylanan, who holds a degree in laboratory medicine from the University of Tasmania in Australia.

Just recently, her fellow scientist and Miss Universe Philippines 2025 candidate Yllana Aduana was accused of “fakery” by a pageant vlogger for claiming to be in the scientific field, a claim that was supported by the community.

Ylanan said, “None of us (candidates) are bringing negative comments or bashing each other. So I hope those pageant fanatics and fans can get on to that, too.”

Roots in health science

With the celebration of International Women’s Month this March, she has found more confidence as a pageant girl to raise concerns affecting women. “A lot of our problems with women’s laws is that we don’t voice it out. Having this platform in Miss Universe Philippines, I wish I could have some change with that,” Ylanan said.

One of the changes she wants to see is access to health measures. As a student in Australia when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in 2020, Ylanan saw the glaring difference in the situation between the Land Down Under and the Philippines.

“Even for me who is not Australian, it was easy for me to get my vacccine, to get into clinics. ‘Oh, I feel sick,’ there’s always already somewhere there,” she shared.

Ylanan also noted how Filipino nurses are thriving in Australia because of “the right access to facilities to be empowered and to be comfortable in doing their profession.” For her, health workers in Australia are able to help more because they receive “the right attention.”

Pageant dark horse?

She is pushing for positive changes on her first pageant ever, a challenging undertaking given the fact that this year’s competition has attracted more seasoned aspirants. But Ylanan remains optimistic, especially after popular American vlogger Dani Walker praised her headshot, boosting her as a pageant dark horse.

“Honestly, it’s so good to hear, but it’s a shock. What I actually sent was not the one that was presented. So I was so unsure with what was presented if that’s really what we wanted. But seeing Dani Walker’s reaction was so reassuring that I’m still on the right track,” Ylanan said.

She also draws inspiration from Chelsea Manalo’s victory over more popular candidates in last year’s national pageant. “It really is reassuring. It’s quite intimidating having these quite strong competitors. But, I am competing alongside them, and not against them,” Ylanan said.

She has tapped on her scientific background to prepare for the challenge. “I’m quite objective, step-by-step process. And with that process, I try to learn. I think that my [objectivity] and having a methodological way of doing stuff helps me have the right headspace,” Ylanan shared.

“Having that process really helps me, because it keeps me sane, really. At the end of the competition, one of the other goals is to keep sane. And being a STEM major and having that process helped me to deal with that,” she continued.

Ylanan is one of the 69 contenders vying for the right to represent the Philippines in the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Thailand in November.