From 'Whooo' to 'E-englishin niya po,' here's some noteworthy moments from Miss Grand PH 2023

A new set of beauty queens were hailed on Thursday, July 13 at the inaugural Miss Grand Philippines, which took place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Outgoing queen Roberta Tamondong crowned her successor Nikki De Moura of Cagayan de Oro. While Michelle Arceo and Herlene Nicole Budol were named Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2023 and Miss Tourism World 2023, respectively. Francine Reyes of Tarlac was crowned Miss Eco Teen Philippines 2023.

But it wasn't just the beautiful faces and gorgeous gowns and national costumes that kept the people talking, as the pageant also featured notable moments that sparked entertainment on social media.

Herlene Nicole Budol's moments

One such moment was when comedienne Herlene Nicole Budol, who also took home five other special awards, delivered her message about her advocacy.

The former Wowowin co-host used a translator to talk about cyber safety in English. However, Herlene got lost in words and resorted to "whooo" to move on.

"Bilang isang influencer, isusulong ko ang cyber safety. Proteksyon sa kahit anong uri ng online harrassment. Gagamitin ko ang aking lahat na plataporma upang sa mapang... whooooo," she said then continued her speech, "upang sa pang malawakang kapayaan." 

"Sana pati yung whooo, trinanslate ng translator," one netizen joked.

Moving on to the question and answer portion, Herlene was asked about her thoughts on the most urgent problems in the Filipino youth sector and how she will plan to address the issue.

With the help of a translator, the 23-year-old beauty queen answered, "Para sakin ang pinakamalubhang problema ng mga kabataan ay ang edukasyon dahil ang kailangna ng mga kabataan ngayon ay ang edukasyon para mamulat sa kinabukasan at naniniwala pa rin po ako sa kasabihan na ang kabataan ay ang pag-asa ng bayan at para maging pangdayo tayo, taas-noo dahil Pilipino tayo kagaya ko maliit lang ang bansa ko, pero pinagmamalaki ko." 

The crowd burst into laughter when she said "e-English niya po" while the translator was about to translate her answer.

And finally, when Herlene was called Miss Tourism, netizens can't help but point out her reaction during the announcement of the winners.

One Twitter user even asked: "Bakit malungkot ang beshy ko?"

Bea Fajardo's energy

Candidates of the Miss Grand International are known for their very energetic introduction and San Leonardo's bet Bernadette Fajardo's opening spiel is no exemption.

Gabrielle Basan Runnstrom's pause

Miss Grand Occidental Mindoro Gabrielle Basan Runnstrom displayed grace under pressure when she forgot her advocacy speech. But instead of expressing fear and disappointment, Gabrielle ended her segment with confidence.

"Yung nagreview ka naman talaga pero nakalimutan mo lang talaga," one netizen wrote on Twitter.

LET US TAKE A MOMENT TO REMEMBER!

Periodt!!#MissGrandPhilippines #MissGrandPhilippines2023 pic.twitter.com/L5g9R6LMY8

David Licauco's performance

Dubbed "Pambansang Ginoo," David Licauco serenaded the Top 15 contestants with his rendition of Wherever You Will Go by The Calling. 

However, a deluge of tweets pointed out David's performance... or lack thereof.

"Inaantok na yata si @davidlicauco sa performance nya in Miss Grand Philippines," one user tweeted.