My Emmazing Queen 👑

Emma Mary Tiglao, at 24 years old, is at the prime of her beauty. She is a head turner with her winsome smile and commanding presence on or off stage. What people do not see behind that glamorous persona is her fun spirit (she is still a girl after all), her good heart and her genuine desire to make a difference - no matter how simple - in the lives of others.

"She does not want to be beautiful. What she wants is to be relevant, to do good and to inspire others. She wants to leave a mark because she knows she has something to offer, something more than the superficial idea that her beauty is all she has. She simply has so much more to give. She is more than just a queen. She is a beautiful human being." 

Thank you My Queen for being the real, authentic person that you are. In my heart, I know that wherever this journey takes you, you will stay grounded and remain humble like you have always been. We need more beautiful people like you to make this universe a much better place to live in.

A Queen Loved for the Rest of Her Life

(Author's note: This is the last of three parts about my feature on Ms. Emma Mary Tiglao, BBP 2019 candidate representing the province of Pampanga. Get to know more about Emma's #BeyondBeauty persona behind all the glitz and glam of pageantry.)

“Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.”

The Tiglao Family

Emma Mary Francisco Tiglao is blessed to be born to an amazing family.

Emma is the youngest among the four lovely daughters of Tony and Lhita Tiglao, both Kapampangans. Emma’s father has been working as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) for more than 30 years. Emma’s mother, on the other hand, is the perfect lady of the house for the Tiglao clan.

Emma proudly told me that despite the many years that their parents had to live apart because of her father’s job abroad, their children have always felt their parents’ love for each other. “Lumaki kami na hindi namin naramdaman na hindi sila magkasama. We never felt that something was missing. That love has kept our family together and happy all these years,” she said.

Emma would often lovingly talk to me about her mother, the queen of their home. “Mama taught me one priceless lesson when I was just starting at yun ang nag-stick sa mind ko. Sabi nya sa akin ‘anak, hindi araw-araw ay Pasko’. What she meant was that I cannot win all the time, but I must remain optimistic, and to learn from the sad experiences,” Emma said.

Emma is also proud of her mama’s culinary skills. “She is the best cook,” she said. Among Emma’s favorite dishes are sinigang na baboy, kare-kare and batswi/batsui.

I had the privilege of tasting Ma’am Lhita’s dishes last December when Emma invited us for lunch in their home. The pochero that Ma’am Lhita cooked for us was delicious. After that visit, I remember telling Emma that just by looking at her mama, I fully understood where Emma inherited her admirable behavior. “Now I know where you got your quiet strength,” I told her.

Emma with her Mama and sisters.

The youngest among four sisters, Emma was born after her Ate Jack, Nette and Isza. They all grew up close to their parents and are grateful for their sacrifices for the family.

According to Isza, their father decided to work abroad to be able to provide for his family’s needs. “From the start, sya na talaga yung nagtrabaho para sa future ng family namin. Matagal na syang OFW. Kaya kaming magkakapatid, we did everything to finish our studies. Our diploma makes them happy. We are proud of our parents and we love them,” she added.

When I asked Isza to describe Emma as a daughter, she said their bunso is “Loving and caring. She will do everything for our parents.” As a sister, Emma is sweet. “She makes sure that everyone is happy. She is also a joker,” Isza added.

According to Isza, Emma inherited their mama’s facial features and her height from their papa. “Parehong matulungin at mabait ang parents namin so sa tingin ko namana at natutunan din namin yun sa kanila,” she noted.

The Tiglaos love their family time.

Like any typical closely knit Filipino family, the Tiglaos cherish their time together. Isza shared that the first out-of-town trip they had as a complete family happened this year when they all went to Bataan.

“Usually kasi kapag summer vacation namin laging wala tatay namin or last time kami naman ni Emma ang wala.  Pinaka first time sana na kumpleto kaming mag-family outing itong last week ng May papuntang Cebu. But since kasali si Emma sa Binibining Pilipinas, hindi namin siya makakasama,” Isza said.

All their family outings to Vigan, Pagudpud, Zambales, Bataan, Baler and other places have been memorable. “Sa lahat ng napuntahan namin, merong sarili-sariling story na kapag nakita mo ulit yung pictures, merong mga pangyayari na matatawa ka na lang. Memorable din when we visit churches as a family, and we pray sincerely,” Isza noted. 

The Tiglao family is bonded by their Faith in God.

I recently got a chance to talk to Emma’s mom when we visited Emma’s young friends at Bale-Balay in Angeles City. According to Ma’am Lhita, Emma was boyish when she was younger. “May school activity sya na sinalihan, street dancing sa isang event sa Angeles, nagustuhan nya. Meron syang naging classmate na nakita ang potential nya, kinuha syang model. Doon nagsimula si Emma.”

Meanwhile, Isza recalled that Emma first joined a school pageant when she was around 13 years old. “I think she won the title during her first try. After that, her classmates wanted her to always represent their school in different pageants. Nag-join sya sa Binibining Dau, Miss Mabalacat, and so on. That started her dream to join national pageants and to represent our country.”

There was no apprehension from their family when Emma started joining pageants. Isza said they supported her right away. “Kasi sabi ng parents namin, kahit anong gawin or gustuhin namin susuporta sila as long as maganda ang hangarin at makakatulong sa sarili namin yon. Lagi lang kaming nasa likod ni Emma. Kapag nadapa siya, bangon ulit. Hindi pwedeng forever na lang nakadapa. As a family naman ganon ang ginagawa namin. Suportahan ang bawa’t isa sa mga laban ng buhay.” 

When asked if there is anything that they do not like about the path that Emma chose to tread, Isza said “Wala naman po. Minsan syempre nasasaktan kami sa mga bashers. Pero tulad nga ng sinasabi namin kay Emma, gawin na lang namin inspiration yun to strive harder at ipakita na kaya nya. Minsan kasi akala natin yun na siya. Pero minsan kailangan din natin kilalanin yung tao bago natin sabihan ng kung ano-anong mga salita na masasakit.”

Isza added they are very proud of Emma. “We support Emma kasi gusto nya ang ginagawa nya. She is enjoying it, she gets to meet a lot of people. We are so happy that she became the woman, the person that she wanted to be.”

The admirable character of the Tiglao sisters was molded by the lessons they learned from Sir Tony and Ma’am Lhita.

“They taught us to always keep our feet on the ground. Sa kahit anong achievements na natatamasa or kung ano man ang meron kami ngayon, laging maging mapagkumbaba at huwag na huwag mang-aapak ng tao. Laging magdasal, magpasalamat sa lahat ng mga narating namin sa buhay,” Isza said. 

More than the accolades and titles she has won in various local and national pageants, Emma’s family feels pride for her other successes in life.

“Emma was a school achiever. She finished her college degree kahit nagpa-pageant sya. Proud kami sa kanya because she achieved her dream to have her own house and lot, and buy her own car with her hard work. BUT FOR US, HER FAMILY, EMMA IS OUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT,” Isza proudly said.