Who is Chelsea Manalo? 5 things to know about the Miss Universe Philippines 2024 queen

Chelsea Manalo of Bulacan was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2024 on Wednesday's coronation night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

As Chelsea prepares to represent the country in the much-awaited Miss Universe 2024 in September, get to know more about our new queen.

She is a Filipino-American

Chelsea, 22, is a loud and proud Filipino-American. After her biological dad passed away, she was raised by her mother, Contessa Manalo, and her stepfather.

In her winning answer in the Q&A portion of Miss Universe Philippines 2024, Chelsea spoke about being a woman of color after being asked how she would use her beauty and confidence to empower others.

"As a woman of color, I have always faced challenges in my life. I was told that beauty has standards, actually," she said. "But for me, I have listened to always believe in my mother, to always believe in yourself, uphold the vows that you have."

"Because of these, I am already influencing a lot of women who are facing me right now. As a transformational woman, I have here 52 other delegates with me who have helped me to become the woman I am. Thank you," she added.

She started her modeling career at 14

Chelsea exuded overflowing confidence and charm during the run of Miss Universe Philippines 2024, and it's all thanks to her experience of being a model since she was 14.

Over the course of her modeling career, Chelsea has worked with print magazines, fashion designers, and commercial companies, including MEGA, Preview, Job Dacon, and Mark Bumgarner.

She is an advocate of body positivity

In Chelsea's profile video for Miss Universe Philippines 2024, Chelsea opened up about suffering from insecurities as she had been bullied growing up because of her dark skin and hair type as a Filipino-American.

"My self confidence became poor and I started to become indifferent, but I did not let this shed my own light," Chelsea said.

"I have a strong support system. They made me realize that I am beautiful in my own extraordinary way," she added.

She also advocates for youth education

Aside from being an advocate of one's individuality and body positivity, Chelsea is also a woman of substance for shedding light on indigenous young people's education in her pageant journey, as well as her social media platforms.

She embodies the beauty of a "La Bulakenya"

Chelsea is proud of her hometown, Bulacan, and she made sure to make the province shine throughout her Miss Universe Philippines journey.

Before the coronation night, the beauty queen shared outtakes from a photoshoot inspired by Juan Luna's "La Bulakenya" (The Woman from Bulacan).

In the photos, she wore a glamorous version of Terno by Glen Lopez: a dress with butterfly sleeves accentuated with gold floral embroideries.

Congratulations, Chelsea! We'll be rooting for you! —JCB, GMA Integrated News