AKLAN鈥檚 Miss Universe Philippines candidate may not have won the crown but some may argue that being named Ginebra San Miguel鈥檚 2021 Calendar Girl is a very good consolation prize for Christelle Abello.
鈥淭his is more than just a dream come true for me,鈥 Ms. Abello said during the calendar鈥檚 launch on Oct. 19 via Zoom.
鈥淚鈥檓 so overwhelmed, thrilled and excited all at the same time. It鈥檚 a blessing from above and I can鈥檛 believe I鈥檓 actually chosen to be the Ginebra San Miguel Calendar Girl,鈥 she added.
Ms. Abello, the 26-year-old model based in California, takes the calendar girl spot from actress Sanya Lopez who graced the liquor brand鈥檚 calendars for 2020.
The 2021 Ginebra San Miguel (GSM) calendars feature six layouts of Ms. Bellow being motivated and productive even during a pandemic by working from home, being creative, discovering new skills, and taking care of her body and well-being.
鈥淲e were not only charmed by her intelligence, but also by her optimism, her courage, her never-say-die spirit, her heart for others, and love for her kababayan (countrymen). We feel that she best represents the brand and we are very happy to welcome Christelle to our Ginebra San Miguel family,鈥 Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (GSMI) Sales and Marketing manager Allan Mercado said in a release.
She may have spent much of her life in the US but Ms. Abello noted that she is still very much in touch with her Filipino roots as her mother, she said, 鈥渉eavily enforced Filipino culture and values at home,鈥 which includes learning Filipino.
Ms. Abello鈥檚 mother hailed from Cavite while her father was born in Aklan, the province she represented in the Miss Universe Philippine pageant. She landed in the Top 16 of the pageant, with the crown going to Iloilo鈥檚 Rabiya Mateo on Oct. 25.
鈥淭he world of pageantry fascinated me so much because I witnessed phenomenal women and beautiful and confident women like Pia Wurtzbach who made a mark in this world. And they impelled me to say that I can do this too,鈥 she said of her dream of becoming a beauty queen.
The Ginebra San Miguel tradition of releasing calendars featuring beautiful women started in 1988, inspired by the US TV series Charlie鈥檚 Angels. Through the years, the calendar has become a collector鈥檚 item.
Some of the previous calendar girls were: Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach (2019), actress Arci Mu帽oz (2018), actress/model Kim Domingo (2017), and actress Marian Rivera (2009 and 2014). 鈥 ZBC
