“IT was a moment in life that I would always cherish because it might be once in a lifetime, but it was a moment that would really mark how I have grown as a woman and how I have grown from that childish, wala naga-gwa sa balay kid, and I’ll forever cherish it,”
This was the heartfelt statement of Miss Iloilo 2023 Raniele Shaine S. Saulog.
The 20-year-old beauty and third-year architecture student at Iloilo Science and Technology University hails from Cabatuan, Iloilo.
Shaine was crowned Miss Iloilo last Jan. 18, 2023 at the Iloilo Convention Center in Mandurriao district, Iloilo City, besting 17 other Ilongga beauties.
Within a year of pageantry, Saulog admitted that many aspects of her life changed for the better, especially as she gained more friends and opportunities to help her family.
She particularly loved serving as an inspiration to the rookies in beauty pageants.
“May na-meet ako nga mga kabataan, nagahambal sila sa akon nga na-inspire sila because, as a first-timer, nadaugan ko gid ang pageant. I think daw namulat ako, sa kon diin ang imo na-obra sa kabuhi maka-ripple effect. And that’s why nga gina-make sure ko nga ang akon nga gina-obra subong is maging role model ako sa kabataan as well as other people,” Shaine shared with Panay News.
Shained represented the City of Love in The Miss Philippines, where she placed among the Top 10.
The Miss Philippines is a beauty pageant that selects Philippine representatives for Miss Supranational, Miss Charm, and Miss Asia Pacific International. The Miss Philippines 2023 pageant was the first edition, held on Oct. 24, 2023 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
One of her unforgettable impressions while competing was that there are many Filipina beauties around the country and other parts of the world who deserve the title.
“I think it’s a new experience for me, and as a first-timer in so many ways, it’s a great first time for me,” she recalled.
What is her next plan?
After gaining a name in the pageant industry, Shaine, for now, wants to focus on her studies.
“Need ko mag-focus sa akon academics since I’m a third-year student of architecture, and architecture is not an easy course, so dapat tutukan ko because this will not only hold my future but also the future of my family so I could help them,” she said.
During her spare time, however, Shaine serves as a judge or guest at beauty pageant events around the region to inspire fellow aspirants.
If it is God’s will, she is open to the possibility of returning to the beauty pageant world after graduating. This is why she maintains her figure, skin routine, and good, healthy lifestyle.
Shaine encourages aspirants not to be shy and grab the opportunity that comes in life, despite having no pageant experience, so they don’t regret it later in life.
Despite not being a frontrunner in the early parts of the Miss Iloilo 2023 pageant and not getting any major awards except for the Best in Theme Costume, her “raw and authentic” self makes her fit for the crown.
“When duha na lang kami ni Chloei Darl Z. Gabales (Miss Iloilo 2023 1st runner-up ), I accepted, and I talked to God, saying nga whoever will be the queen between the two of us, I’ll accept it wholeheartedly because I didn’t expect to be in the top two,” Shaine said as she recalled her crowning moment./PN
