Dabawenya beauty queen Maria Isabel Pelayo is set to bring pride and honor as she represents Davao City in the Hiyas ng Pilipinas 2024 pageant on October 20, 2024.
Before this, Pelayo also represented Davao City in Miss Universe Philippines 2024. While she didn't make it to the Top 21, she brought pride to the city with her strong performance and determination.
Reflecting on her journey, Pelayo shared that after Miss Universe Philippines, she took more rest than expected, but it was much needed. During her Miss Universe Philippines 2024 experience, she gained valuable lessons that helped her reconnect with herself and decide on the next steps in her journey.
Pelayo explained that she was at a point where she needed to decide whether to continue with pageantry. Like many others, she faced that moment in life, especially considering her age. In pageantry, it's often better to be younger, and at 24, she felt caught in the middle — not too old, but not too young either.
Traditionally, pageantry had an unofficial "expiration" around 28, though now there are no strict age limits. She mentioned that, while she can still pursue pageantry, she is also considering other opportunities she hasn’t yet explored.
“I chose to move forward with pageantry because I fell in love with it, especially with the sense of empowerment it brings. Contrary to what you might expect, it’s not just the coronation night, the glamour, or the platform that drew me in. For me, the real empowerment happens behind the scenes — it’s the girls, the organizers, and everyone involved. It’s about sisterhood and helping each other. In the end, the pageant is a celebration, but a lot of people work hard and go through so much to make it happen,” Pelayo shared.
According to Pelayo she auditioned for various national pageants, but it was Hiyas ng Pilipinas that opened the door for her. She’s excited to see where Hiyas ng Pilipinas will take her and to experience the journey of pageantry once again.
Pelayo will bring her advocacy for the preservation of natural resources, focusing on the reforestation of ancestral domains, to the Hiyas ng Pilipinas stage, where she will compete against 47 other girls.
Regardless of the outcome of this year's Hiyas ng Pilipinas 2024, according to Pelayo she will continue to pursue her passion for pageantry. She expressed her openness to rejoining and representing Davao City once again on the Miss Universe Philippines stage. AJA