MANILA— Bea Gomez of the Philippines showcased her grace and form in the swimsuit round of the Miss Universe 2021 preliminary competition in Israel early Saturday morning (Manila time).

Wearing a one-piece swimwear, Gomez flaunted her impressive pasarela that catapulted her to the Miss Universe Philippines crown last September.

Hosted by reigning Miss Universe Andrea Meza of Mexico, the Filipina beauty was described as an aspiring life coach and a proud bisexual, who experienced insecurities when she came out. Gomez is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

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In her intro video released Tuesday, she also shared that she is currently a mass communications student, a community development worker, and a Philippine Navy reservist.

"I'm very grateful that the Philippines is very supportive of sending an LGBTQ member to represent our country. It's a big deal because we are here to give positivity and be an inspiration," she said, adding that she wants to encourage children to believe that "they can be whoever they want to be when they grow up.”

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Gomez is the second candidate sent by the newly formed Miss Universe Philippines organization after Rabiya Mateo, who concluded her stint on the international stage in the Top 21 earlier this year.

She is hoping to win the fifth crown of the country in the competition after Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), Pia Wurtzbach (2015), and Catriona Gray (2018).

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The 70th Miss Universe pageant is set to be held at the Red Sea Resort in Eilat, Israel. It will be aired live on A2Z channel 11 starting on Dec. 13, 7:30 a.m.

The coronation night will have a same-day replay on A2Z at 11 p.m., and will be shown on later dates on the ABS-CBN cable channels Kapamilya Channel and Metro Channel, and streaming platform iWantTFC.

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