Esguerra previously competed in Miss Teen Philippines and Miss Abra 2023, being crowned as the winner of the latter pageant. Esguerra is an advocate for environmental preservation and has centered her advocacy on sustainable development.
Early life and education
Esguerra was born on October 2, 2001, in Pidigan, Abra, to a Kapampangan father and Ilocano mother.[1][2] She has sixteen siblings.[3] In her teenage years, Esguerra moved to Angeles, Pampanga, to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in tourism and management with a specialization in meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE), at the City College of Angeles, where she began her career in pageantry by participating in its annual beauty pageant, winning its 2022 edition.[1] She financed her studies independently from the age of 17 and graduated in 2024.[4][5]
Modelling career
Esguerra began her career in modelling at the age of 20, appearing in advertisements for Philippine Airlines, Clark Marriott Hotel, and Omni Aviation.[1] Esguerra also works as a part-time event coordinator and host.[6] Esguerra presented the Mutya Ning San Antonio pageant in 2023 and the preliminary competition of the Miss Abra 2024 pageant.[7]
Pageantry
Early pageants
In 2019, Esguerra competed in the Miss Teen Philippines 2019 pageant where she failed to enter the top five.[1] Her second stint in pageantry was in 2023, when she competed in Miss Abra 2023, representing Pidigan. She would go on to win the pageant against 26 entrants. At the end of her reign, Esguerra crowned Jeralene Acosta as her successor.[1]
On April 5, 2024, Esguerra was announced as one of the 40 delegates to the Binibining Pilipinas 2024 pageant.[8][9][10] Having previously won Miss Abra 2023, Esguerra entered the pageant as the first delegate to represent Abra in the pageant's history.[11][12] Leading up to the pageant, media outlets praised Esguerra for her "impactful showmanship" in pre-pageant contests and emerged as a frontrunner for the crown.[11][13] In the preliminary contests, Esguerra was named as one of the winners of the national costume competition with her Dulimaman ensemble dedicated to her mother's profession as a weaver.[2][14]
"I will tell the women of the past we have achieved our goal, which is to empower women. Standing here, at the age of 17, I started to finance for my own studies and help my family financially. I was able to do this by all these women who paved the way to empower us to always reach for our goals, no matter what it is. Because in life, we can always achieve our dreams, as long as we believe we can. And thanks to them all. Thank you."
Esguerra's response in the top 15 question and answer round
The pageant was held on July 7, at the Araneta Coliseum.[15] Early in the competition, Esguerra won the Best in Swimsuit and Best in Evening Gown awards, as well as two awards from the pageant's sponsors.[16][17] Esguerra would progress to the top 15 question and answer round where Miss Universe 1973Margie Moran asked her "If a time machine brings you back to 1964, 60 years ago when Binibining Pilipinas began… what message would you tell the Filipino women of that time about the women of 2024?".[18][19] In her answer, Esguerra stated that she will tell the women of 1964 that the next generation had succeeded in empowering women, emphasizing her financial independence from the age of 17 and the support given to her by the women around her.[20]
Esguerra went on to win the pageant as Binibining Pilipinas International 2024, being crowned by her predecessor Angelica Lopez and Miss International 2023Andrea Rubio.[21][22] As a winner of the pageant's 60th edition, Esguerra, along with co-winner Binibining Pilipinas Globe 2024 Jasmin Bungay, received a cash prize of ₱1,000,000, the largest cash prize in the pageant's history.[23][24] She would partly donate the prize to World Vision Philippines.[25]
Online, observers drew parallels between Esguerra's win and that of inauguralBinibining Pilipinas titleholder and namesake Myrna Panlilio, dubbing the former's win as being "written in the stars".[12][26][27] The Abra provincial government honored Esguerra with a homecoming parade, with her leading the community dance during festivities for the 37th Cordillera Day on July 15.[28][29] The festival was also celebrated as "Myrna Day" in commemoration of her victory.[12]
Miss International 2025
As Binibining Pilipinas International 2024, Esguerra will represent the Philippines at the Miss International 2025 pageant.[30]
Advocacies
An advocate for environmental preservation, Esguerra has worked with the National Cleanup Coalition Philippines and has centered her platform for Binibining Pilipinas on sustainability.[3][6][31]
