Anita Rose Gomez, 1st Runner-Up in the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant. Photo from Gomez’s Instagram page
The Philippines’ Miss Asia Pacific International 2025 contender Anita Rose Gomez has been crowned First-Runner Up during the pageant’s coronation night hosted at Cebu Complex Coliseum on Wednesday.
She came second to Brazilian bet Isabel Fernandez; Hsin-hui Chen, representing Taiwan, followed Gomez as Second Runner-Up, with Belgian contestant Jana Jannsens landing as Third Runner-Up and The Netherlands candidate Delilah Almira Wildboer finishing as Fourth Runner-Up.
Gomez, a native of Zambales, stunned in her white, rhinestone-embellished gown and flowing cape—a decadent creation by Rian Fernandez, a Filipino designer—during the finale.
In the Q&A segment, the beauty queen said her legacy as a woman “grounded, driven, and full of heart” would keep her story burning bright.
“I think what will keep it burning is the legacy that you will leave behind. I grew up without the edge of comfort, and I experienced so many challenges in my life. But those challenges, I learned to turn my struggles into my strength and my pain into my purpose,” she told the panel.
“And, through that, I was able to cope up and I was able to be the woman that I am today—grounded, driven, and full of heart. And I believe that, through the legacy that I will leave, that no matter what challenges you’ve been through, no matter what your beginning, if you’re dedicated and if you put your heart into doing something, you will definitely succeed,” she added.
Prior to this, she had amassed the following awards:
-
Miss Asia Pacific Pageanthology
-
Miss RMBC Café
-
Miss Pomp & Pageantry
-
2nd place Darling of the Press
-
Miss Mestiza (National Costume event)
-
Miss Zen Institute
-
2nd Best National Costume for her “Pearl of the Orient” ensemble
-
Best in Swimsuit
-
Best in Evening Gown (1st Runner-Up)
The Philippines has won five Miss Asia Pacific International crowns in the past, the last of which was accorded to Sharifa Akeel in 2018.
