Hannah Arnold on importance of social media during elections
Hannah Arnold becomes the newly-crowned Binibining Pilipinas International. And she revealed how she once tried her luck in the same pageant two years ago.
Hannah Arnold told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Tuesday what it was like to join Binibining Pilipinas for the first time in 2019.
The 25-year-old beauty from Masbate shared the major lesson she learned when she failed to bring home the crown. The newly-crowned queen, who finished as a top 15 finalist at the time, said,
“Back in 2019, I guess there was so much expectations and I was kind of forcing myself to be someone else. However that night, I realized it’s better for me to just truly be me, Hannah Arnold. And that’s what I really brought on July 11. I just gave my all to God and said it’s His plan if I will win or not and I just enjoyed the night so much.”
Hannah gave an impressive response during the Q&A segment in the Binibining Pilipinas 2021 competition. It happened at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Sunday.
CNN Philippines anchor Pinky Webb asked her,
“Given the reach and power of social media, do you believe that genuine freedom of speech exists in the Philippines nowadays? Why or why not?”
The beauty queen expressed how social media can be vital in choosing today’s leaders. She shared how it has influenced her own decision-making process for the upcoming elections.
“First of all, freedom of speech is a basic human right that we all must remember. It is important for a democracy. With our upcoming election, we definitely need freedom of speech. For example, on Twitter, we are limited to a few characters, and what I have seen in these Tweets is powerful. That has helped me think about who I’d like to vote for in the upcoming elections.”
Bea Patricia Magtanong is the predecessor of Hannah Arnold as Binibining Pilipinas International. If Hannah wins at the Miss International competition in November in Japan, she will be the country’s sixth titleholder.
Previous title-holders include Aurora Pijuan, Melanie Marquez, Precious Lara Quigaman, Bea Santiago, and Kylie Verzosa in 2016.
Three other queens were also crowned during the ceremony. Samantha Panlilio of Cavite won Binibining Pilipinas Grand International; Cinderella Faye Obeñita of Cagayan De Oro – Misamis Oriental achieved the title of Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental; while Maureen Montagne of Batangas got hailed as Binibining Pilipinas Globe. They will be representing the country in international pageants.
These queens have shown great wit, intelligence, poise, and grace in the Q&A segments. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who can’t wait for their answers in the international pageants that they will be competing in.
