ASIA ROSE Simpson, the Philippines’ delegate to the 2026 Miss World pageant, has officially entered the contest’s Top 40 more than a week ahead of the final competition.
The 18-year-old contestant topped the “Head-to-Head” challenge for the Asia and Oceania group at the preliminary event held in Nha Trang, Vietnam, on Monday, Aug. 24.
Three other delegates also earned guaranteed slots in the Top 40 for dominating their respective groups–South Africa’s Romanda Hombir for Africa, Georgia-Lee Gill from Trinidad and Tobago for the Americas and Caribbean, and Germany’s Julia Kuhnle for Europe.
During the first round of the competition, Simpson discussed her SĒD (Sports and Dance) Initiatives, a program that promotes physical, mental, and emotional health among the youth through sports and dance.
Her initial performance merited her entry into the Top 5 of the Asia and Oceania group.
For the second round with the continental Top 5, the finalists were asked to speak as though they were tourism ambassadors of Vietnam using their experience in the pageant.
Simpson shared about and her first trip last year for her advocacy work, and her visit to different places in Vietnam as a candidate this year.
She sealed her placement in the Top 40 with an impressive response to the final question: “Asia and Oceania includes some of the world’s oldest traditions and some of its fastest-changing societies. How can a new generation embrace progress without losing what makes its culture unique?”
Simpson opened her answer with the quotation, “A people who do not know their history, origin, or culture is like a tree without roots,” and said the best way to preserve cultural heritage is by passing it down to the next generation.
She also delved into the Filipino concepts of “kapwa” which she framed as interconnectedness, and the “bayanihan” spirit, which she explained as neighbors helping one another.
“In a fast-paced, modernized digital world, things like ‘kapwa’ or the ‘bayanihan’ spirit will not be lost. In fact, they will be the things that ground us fully, because that is what roots are for. And every generation learns from the last and the next,” Simpson said.
She had earlier advanced to the Top 24 of the Sports Challenge. She had also moved on to the final round of both the Top Model and Talent Challenges.
The Philippines’ first, and so far only, Miss World victory was courtesy of Megan Young, who won the title at the pageant’s 63rd edition held in Indonesia in 2013.
The Miss World pageant is holding its 73rd edition this year, which marks its 75th anniversary. Reigning queen Opal Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand will crown her successor on Sept. 5. (Armin P. Adina © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
