Meet the First 69-Year-Old Woman Who Will Vie for Miss Universe Philippines 2024

In recent years, the Miss Universe has embraced a more diverse definition of beauty, eliminating restrictions such as height and age. However, Filipino pageant enthusiasts were still pleasantly surprised when Quezon City introduced one of its potential Miss Universe Philippines candidates, Jocelyn Cubales, who is 69 years old.

Following the Miss Universe Organization’s announcement in September 2023 to remove age restrictions from all its pageants, 69-year-old Joyce Pilarsky Cubales was overwhelmed with supportive messages from friends and family. Those close to Cubales knew that her lifelong dream was to become a beauty queen.

Encouraged by their suggestion to participate in the Miss Universe Philippines pageant, her enthusiastic response was, “Why not?” Cubales is now among the 15 candidates competing to represent Quezon City in the Miss Universe Philippines 2024 competition.

“Meet Jocelyn Cubales. At 69 years old, she believes that the younger generation can learn a lot from her life experiences, most especially grit. See her give light to the universe,” Miss Universe Philippines posted on its Facebook page.

The coronation night for the Miss Universe Philippines-Quezon City title is scheduled for February 5.

Jocelyn’s husband, singer-actor Marc Cubales, shared that her motivation for entering the pageant was, because she wants “to inspire other Filipino women to pursue their passions and achieve their dreams.”

If she wins the crown, Cubales will make history as the inaugural Miss Universe Philippines — Quezon City and the oldest contestant in the beauty pageant.

In a landmark decision, the Miss Universe Organization lifted its age restrictions for all women participating in its pageants starting in 2024. This change applies to the 2024 Miss Universe and all related pageants globally.

Despite celebrating the diversity, not all contestants are welcomed with kindness. Recently, the 22-year-old Miss Nepal has made history with her confident display of her impressive physique, but a notable segment of the international audience expressed criticism.