**Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, was crowned Miss Universe 2015 on December 20. When I first heard the news — Steve Harvey’s major blunder aside — I felt very proud. My family is originally from the Philippines.** Seeing a beautiful pinay on TV, or rather German-Filipina in Wurtzbach’s case, is such a rare occurrence that it just feels nice to be represented in some way. While some people know where their allegiances lie, my sense of pride as a Filipino American has always been scattered. I have identified as Filipino, whenever there was an appropriate box for it, and I have identified as American, when pop culture made more sense to me than the Ilocano language my mother grew up speaking. Though confusing, I have grown accustomed to living in this middle ground where I could pick and choose. As I thought more deeply about the pageant, my thoughts began to turn. Wurtzbach, 26, was asked this loaded question: “Do you think the United States should have a military presence in the Philippines?” She responded: “”” I think that the United States and the Philippines have always had a good relationship with each other. We were colonized by the Americans and we have their culture in our traditions even up to this day. I think that we’re very welcoming with the Americans and I don’t see any problem with that at all. “”” My heart fell. Filipino scholars, activists, and members of the community together with the help of other minority groups have worked painstakingly to get history right — its atrocities as well as its triumphs from the Filipino perspective — and to see all those efforts being pushed back was heartbreaking. In light of Jennifer Laude, a transgender woman who was strangled to death by a U.S. Marine in Olongapo, it is difficult — impossible for many — to say that there are no problems with Americans on Philippine soil. Conversely, as one Facebook user pointed out: “”” What’s going on inside her head and her real feelings on the issue are beside the point — what’s really alarming is the blatant use of the pageant to justify US military presence on countries such as the Philippines. “”” Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is an intelligent young woman. Though we are alike in age, she has faced the tremendous pressure of responding to a question delivered by a very Western audience as millions listened in. In my opinion, she delivered a safe answer. With a bright smile, she has expressed how complex Filipino identity is today. As a Filipino, one can speak aloud — as many do — and still be tight-lipped. **Before I say anything else, I simply want to congratulate Pia. I think the best way to do that is by learning more about her and sharing my findings with all of you.**
