By Tom Choy
Vancouver, British Columbia
“ The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.” AUDREY HEPBURN
Our very own ( Fil-Canadian) Ms. Justine Felizarta is Eastern Canada bound to compete for the Miss Universe Canada Crown. This will be her ticket, if chosen, to represent Canada in the Miss Universe Pageant. Three Filipinas already won the crown: Margie Moran, Gloria Diaz and Pia Wurtzbach.
Unlike some Latin American countries who prepare for a whole year to hone their beauty contest candidates to win the crown, in the case of Justine, all she had was the beauty boot camp for half a year she took with Aces and Queens in the Philippines to prepare for this pageant. Her being a professional ramp model boosts her confidence and the way she carries herself.
At 5’9”, Justine is not far from looking statuesque compared to the likes of former Ms Universe Pia Wurtzbach and Miss World Megan Young. She exudes a big dose of confidence because this is her second run at a beauty pageant. She vows to just simply enjoy the pageant and be less stiff.
Justine is a mix of Spanish, Chinese and Filipino heritage. Her eyes is more Latina than Chinese. Her skin colour is naturally tanned. Despite her undeniable beauty, Justine believes the pageant can focus on other attributes other than just looking at the beautiful faces and bodies of the contestants.
Justine believes that if the pageant can focus more on the personalities and world views of the candidates, perhaps there would be more public viewerships of the event. She is aware that for example the TV ratings of Miss Universe pageants have slipped even during the time Trump owned the pageant. Justine firmly believes that the candidates have also the smarts aside from their pulchritude. There is more than just the physical.
Ms Felizarta loves helping and entertaining the children from some orphanages run by the Catholic Church in the Philippines. She still has both parents and she knows how much it means for the children to have people who care and love them. Her voice training helps her serenade the kids. She hopes to be successful professionally and financially to help more people.
Beyond the pageant, Justine is already looking forward to running her own skin care company. She has professional education and training from the BC Institute of Dermatology. Her parents also were both involved in their own skin care company back in the days. There is no doubt Justine is on her way to fame and success. Win or lose in the forthcoming pageant, she has already won. Her vision of her future is clear and she will just be having a good time in the pageant.