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After an eight-year hiatus to focus on her family, Muntinlupa’s Winwyn Marquez returned to the pageant scene. More than the comeback of a pageant veteran and international winner, she stands to bring pride to the Marquez family name. Supporting the beauty queen is her cousin and Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee.
To the Marquez family, the title is a legacy as heavy as the crown. It is a symbol of the family’s longstanding presence in pageantry. Reminiscent of the crown, the title gleams with honor but carries the weight of expectation and the pressure to uphold the name that Melanie Marquez and Michelle Dee have built.
RELATED: Can Winwyn Carry the Marquez Legacy in Pageantry?
The Marquez Pageant Legacy
Their legacy started with Michelle Dee’s mother. Melanie Marquez, crowned Miss International in 1979, established the Marquez family’s mark in Filipino pageantry. Succeeding in her footsteps was her daughter Michelle Dee, who carried the weight and name of her mother along with the Miss World Philippines and Miss Universe Philippines 2023 crowns. Dee represented the Philippines on the international stage for both pageants. While her search for the Miss Universe 2023 crown ended as a Top 10 finalist, she held her head high, hoping for her family to enter the scene once more.
Marquez began her pageant journey as Parañaque City’s representative in Binibining Pilipinas 2015, the same pageant Pia Wurtzbach won. Two years later, the Marquez cousin joined Miss World Philippines, where she was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas. In the competition, she was the first-ever representative of the Philippines, as well as the only Asian candidate, which made her win even more important to the Filipinos. Eight years after her crowning moment, Marquez returned to the pageant scene, carrying the torch passed down by Melanie Marquez and Michelle Dee. It was another chance for the Marquez family to showcase their deep ties to the pageantry scene, their shared beauty, and their fire.
And it’s this very legacy that Dee honored when she voiced her support for Marquez during her Miss Universe Philippines 2025 journey.
Michelle Dee’s Message
“I’ve seen her move through this journey with quiet strength, unwavering grace, and a sense of purpose that speaks louder than any crown.”
– Michelle Dee
While Marquez fell short of the Miss Universe Philippines crown at the first runner-up spot, Dee remained a proud cousin. “Wyn and I have grown side by side—on our own paths, but always with the same fire,” she expressed on her Instagram post hours before the finals. Though much of Dee’s support remained personal, her public message reflected the deep bond they share.
To Dee, Marquez represents not just Muntinlupa, but also “mothers, second chances, and women who choose themselves again and again.” Familial support is meaningful, but when it comes from a queen who once carried the Philippine sash on the Miss Universe stage, it becomes an even greater honor.
The Legacy Lives On
Michelle Dee and Winwyn Marquez are proof that being a queen goes beyond a crown. In their own ways, they have honored their family legacy on both national and international stages. They may not have won the Miss Universe crowns, but in walking with meaning, displaying strength, grace, and beauty, Marquez and Dee have brought pride to their family name.
Featured Image and Photos: MICHELLE DEE (via Instagram)
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