Miss Universe Philippines (commonly abbreviated as Miss Universe PH, MUPH, or MUP) is a beauty pageant and organization that selects the Philippines' official representative to Miss Universe—one of the Big Four international beauty pageants.
The reigning Miss Universe Philippines is Michelle Dee of Makati who was crowned on May 13, 2023 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines.
History
From 1964 to 2019, Binibining Pilipinas held the national franchise for Miss Universe, wherein it was responsible for selecting Filipinas to represent the Philippines and compete at the annual Miss Universe pageant. Under Binibining Pilipinas, the Philippine representatives to the Miss Universe pageant were crowned with the title of Binibining Pilipinas from 1964 to 1971, and Binibining Pilipinas Universe from 1974 to 2011. In 2012, the franchise renamed the Binibining Pilipinas Universe title to Miss Universe Philippines. The title was first given to Janine Tugonon during the Binibining Pilipinas 2012 coronation night, and has been continuously given to the competition's annual winner since.
In December 2019, the Miss Universe franchise in the Philippines was officially granted to a new organizing body, with Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2011 and Miss Universe 2011 3rd Runner-Up Shamcey Supsup-Lee as national director, and Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2006 Lia Andrea Ramos as Women Empowerment Chair, paving the way for the creation of the new Miss Universe Philippines Organization. Under the new organization, a separate, standalone pageant is now responsible for the selection of the current and future Miss Universe Philippines titleholders (2020—present).
In April 2023, the Miss Universe Philippines introduced a Accredited Partners Program, allowing accredited partners to hold local pageants in their respective areas with access to MUPH branded merchandising. Starting from the 2024 edition, MUPH would stop holding the traditional screening process to determine the entrants for its pageant and contestants would only be able to enter through local pageants held by accredited partners.
Crowns
Filipina (2020–2021) — Aptly named as Filipina, a feminine form of Filipino, the headwear was crafted by the Villarica family of Bulacan, a Filipino family of jewelers known for their Villarica Pawnshop Chain, along with an all-female staff. The elements of the crown represents the "qualities, aspirations, values, and symbols of the Filipino people". Swirl of leaves represents every woman who aims for success in "different forms" but still keeps "the Filipino values in their hearts"; diamond embedded in each leaf signifies "the sparkle" in the lives of people that each woman encounters; golden South Sea pearls represent four values of creativity, intelligence, optimism, and fear of God; sapphire, ruby and topaz was patterned after the blue, red, and yellow colors of the Philippine flag. The crown has an estimated value of ₱5 million. (Nearly $100,000).
La Mer en Majesté (2022–present) — Aptly translated to "The Sea in Majesty", the crown aims to pay homage to the sea for "she is the queen of the elements". Embedded in the headwear are Golden South Sea Pearls, the national gem of the Philippines, which acts as "a radiant symbol of the harmonious relationship between man and nature, capturing the very spirit of the Filipinos". The crown is crafted by Jewelmer, a French-Filipino fine jewellery brand based in the Philippines.