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Winwyn Marquez on why Philippines is eligible for Reina

The beauty queen says a lot of Hispanic people are questioning her involvement in Reina Hispanoamericana

16 Oct - Winwyn Marquez recently admitted that she has received a lot of backlash, not only from her own countrymen, but also from Latin Americans for joining Reina Hispanoamericana.

As reported on PEP, the actress, who is representing the Philippines in the country's first attempt at winning the crown, shared that there have been a lot of people from the region who are questioning her participation.

One netizen stated, "I don't agree with them participating in our competition. The Philippines is not in the Americas", while another asked, "Why is a Filipina joining Reina Hispanoamericana? You should just change the name of the competition then."

"I understand that we're not really a Spanish-speaking country. But our heritage also comes from Spain," said Marquez recently, when mentioned about the criticism.

Referring to Spain's occupation of the Philippines for three centuries, the actress continued, "Our words come from them, as well as our traditions and our faith. So you can't deny that there are many similarities."

Marquez also stated that she hopes people will understand that it was the organisation that sent the invitation to the Philippines.

"I don't think that they would give us the opportunity to join if there's no connection. I respect their opinion, but they also need to know the history on why we are joining," she said.

Marquez will be flying off to Bolivia in preparation for the pageant on 19 October. Reina Hispanoamericana will be held on 4 November.

(Photo source: Winwyn Marquez Instagram)