MANILA, February 12 ------ Stacey Gabriel brought her game face on at her official sashing as Miss Cainta, full of energy, and definite about her return to compete at the Miss Universe 2024.
In her opening statement, she addressed the media: “Here we are sa ating digmaang pangkalawakan! I’m just so grateful to have you in my corner. Thank you for being here. I’m excited to speak to you and let everybody in on what we have cooking for Miss Universe Philippines. Stacey said she has been preparing for the last two years to join Miss Universe ever since her Bb. Pilipinas pageant in 2022 where she placed second runner-up. "I decided in my heart that I would be joining Miss Universe Philippines. We will not be holding back. I have been silently, incessantly working on myself behind the scenes. I will be more intentional about mastering my mind, and controlling that which I can control and letting go of the things that I cannot. That was something I struggled with in Binibini, but this time I’m gonna do it well,” she said. She was emotional, as she thanked her mom — her Number 1 supporter: : "Everything I am I owe to my mother." She also emphasized one of the things she wanted to do during her journey is continue the prison ministry of her grandmother “I have seen the lives of the prisoners completely make a 180 because we have embraced them. We have shown them that they do matter and they are a part of our community. My grandmother taught me growing up kung sino yung outcast sa lipunan, siya yung mahalin mo because they are the ones who need love the most,” she added.
Stacey introduced some of her team including her Passarella trainer, make-up artist, stylist, and said that they are preparing many “pasabogs” for the February 18 press presentation, that they will “hold each others hands all the way to the universe stage and (they) are so excited to show what (they’ve) been working on behind-the-scenes.” Stacey said she also really put emphasis on her mental, emotional and spiritual health. She was very open about her struggles and how she overcame them, saying: “I was diagnosed with anxiety and OCD a couple of years ago, and I realized that most of our hormones come from our gut." "When you’re depressed—and I was in a season of depression—it’s easy to eat junk. When you think you’re worthless, you treat your body like it’s worthless. But going to therapy has taught me that I have everything within me to succeed. I must have a strong inner kingdom, and that begins with thoughts that I feed myself, but also the food that I feed myself.” She keeps her super trim figure with help from her mom as her nutritionist. “‘We were training last night at 9 p.m.Stacey Gabriel brought her game face on at her official sashing as Miss Cainta, full of energy, and definite about her return to compete at the Miss Universe 2024 in preparation for this. Gusto nilang magalit yung abs! We have been training at the gym. My mom has made wholesome nutritious food for me. It all starts with your diet. Everything starts and ends with your diet so I feel myself happier and have more clarity of mind,” she said. Stacey doesn’t believe that her height of 5’5” is any disadvantage to her. “There have been so many miss universe winners who have made an impact on my life. I don’t think about their height, I think about how they made me feel.” She added: “What I can bring to Miss Universe is the warmth, the generosity, and sincerity of my heart. So I hope that whether it be through the prison ministry that my family started in 2011, I am constantly inspired by how I can improve people's lives, and that is what the universe platform is all about. It’s all about forging a path and taking people along with you. This is not a journey for one, but a journey for all and once people remember me, and people remember my legacy, I know they will not remember my height, they will remember my heart, and they will remember how I made them, and I know what happened. Some women may tower over me, but I will stand tall, knowing that the universe will always have my back.”
Binibining Pilipinas International 2022 Nicole Borromeo was one of those who came to show her support for Stacey who was her batchmate back in 2022 Bb. Pilipinas. In her heartfelt message for her good friend, Nicole said: "I’m really happy that finally, it’s the other way around. We are here to send you off to battle. We are here to send you off on one whirlwind of a journey and we’re doing it with so much confidence in our hearts. We’re here because we believe in you, we believe in your power, your ability to change people's lives to impact them in ways that other people can’t, simply because it’s you.” Daily positive affirmations and the word of God in the Bible are two musts for Stacey to keep her focused on her mission for joining the Miss Universe. For her daily routine, she believes that “every thought is a manifestation, I try to speak life over myself, and that comes from the Word. I am made in the image of God, so I must honor myself by speaking words of kindness for myself. Because when I put myself down, I put God‘s creation down. I start my morning off saying : ‘I am worthy of love, I deserve peace, or the universe always has my back.’ I am led by those words throughout my day. I set my intentions at the top of the morning so that my day can flow.” Knowing the fierce battle that awaits all the universe's candidates, with so many strong contenders, Stacey said she is 100% ready for the “bardagulan.” “I’ve got a lot of heart and I cannot wait to show it on that stage. It’s about how you carry yourself, and I will carry myself with power knowing the universe has my back and knowing that I’ve got an incredible team who has helped me to reach that stage.”
Source: news.abs-cbn.com