Lars Pacheco, the Philippines’ bet for Miss International Queen (MIQ) 2023, was applauded on social media for her answer to a question about the youth today.
Lars, who is also a digital content creator, finished as a Top 6 finalist in the international pageant. It was held in Pattaya, Thailand last Saturday, June 24.
Filipino fans and pageant pages have earlier hailed her as a strong contender during her journey in the competition.
Lars, however, was talked about online because of her statement during the Question-and-Answer Portion of the event.
The question was: “What are the challenges that [the] new generation is facing today and what will you say to them to solve the problem?”
For Lars, “pressure” is the main thing the generation has to deal with. But the feelings of pressure, she said, are not just limited to the young members.
Here’s the full transcript of her answer:
“I think the problem that the youth is facing today is pressure. I believe that in life, even if it’s not youth, we have pressure. We have challenges that we have to face. But I think the most message that I could give to everyone is whatever problems and challenges you have, you just have to keep going. You should never let any circumstances stop you from reaching and achieving your dreams and your goals in life. Because I believe that at the end of the day, no matter how hard the pressure is, life always goes on.”
Lars soon received praise on social media for this response.
“Congrats parin sayo idol Lars. Ang ganda at galing niya,” a Facebook user said.
“Galing! We are still proud of you, Lars,” another Facebook user commented.
Pageant fans also praised her for her delivery onstage.
“Queen @pachecolars answer during the top 6 Q&A portion. I thought that she’ll make it to the top 3. We’re proud of you, Lars!” a pageant page called For the Philippines said on Instagram.
“Minukbang na ni Lars, kaso forda laglag. Di pa yata sila ready sa B2B [back-to-back]. We are so proud of you our kween,” a Twitter said.
Some social media users also uploaded videos that showed the moment where Lars expressed her answer onstage.
“That Pia Wurtzbach quiet confidence dashed with Miriam Q styling,” blogger Hey Adam G said in his post.
Solange Dekker of the Netherlands was crowned as MIQ 2023 at the event’s concluding night.
Zairyah Kamsir of Singapore was named the first runner-up and Melony Munro of the United States was the second runner-up.
The MIQ competition is considered the world’s largest beauty pageant for transwomen.
Three Filipina transwomen have won the MIQ crowns in the past, namely, Kevin Balot in 2012, Trixie Maristela in 2015 and Fuschia Anne Ravena in 2022.
