In the interest of public service, The Adobo Chronicles is posting these unsolicited tips for aspiring beauty queens when answering questions from the media or the judges:

Never answer a question with:

1. 1. Can you please repeat the question? (It shows you weren’t listening in the first place, or that you are trying to buy time.)
2. 2. I’m sorry, I’m very nervous right now. (Confidence, dear. Confidence!)
3. 3. Thank you for that long question. (Don’t insult the judge or news reporter who asked the question.)

Avoid using the word “advocacy” if you don’t know that the accent is supposed to be on the first syllable.

Many international pageant winners are not fluent in English. They’ve used language interpreters and still won the crown. (It’s okay to use yours native language or dialect.)

Don’t stare blankly at the camera or the audience. Every second counts towards your time limit in answering the question.

Don’t digress. (Address the question directly and it’s not the end of the world if you admit you are not familiar with the issue brought up by the questioner. You may even get points for honesty.)

The Q&A is a separate pageant segment than the cat walk. Striking a pose without answering the question won’t cut it!

If you’re serious about winning the crown, practice, practice, practice. (Even heads of state and political candidates hold mock Q&A’s especially when preparing for a debate. Hire a coach.)

It’s not all about beauty, but the entire package that makes a queen a queen.