03/05/2026
How Roxie Baeyens of Baguio brought Cordilleran culture to her Miss Universe PH journey
By Lyndee Buenagua and Dianne Ysabel Mallare
May 3, 2026
BAGUIO CITY — She may not have taken the crown, but Roxanne Allison Baeyens made sure her Miss Universe Philippines journey was never just about placement—it was about carrying the Cordilleras to the national stage.
Baeyens, who represented Baguio City in Miss Universe Philippines 2026, finished in the Top 15 during the May 2 coronation night, falling short of the Top 7. But her run told a bigger story—one rooted in identity, culture, and purpose.
A 29-year-old Belgian-Filipina, Baeyens—also known as Roxie Smith—is a proud Igorota who consistently wove Cordilleran heritage into her pageant journey. From wardrobe choices to advocacy, she brought the mountains with her every step of the way.
She is no stranger to the stage. In 2020, she represented the Philippines at Miss Earth and was named Miss Earth Water in the pageant’s first fully virtual coronation during the pandemic.
More than five years later, she returned to national pageantry, this time carrying Baguio’s name—and its stories.
Beyond pageantry, Baeyens is a Sparkle artist of GMA. A graduate of Saint Louis University with a degree in Tourism Management, she has appeared in Kapuso shows such as Hearts on Ice, Tols, and Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko. In 2025, she played Aimee Vergara in the Philippine adaptation of Shining Inheritance, portraying an antagonist—a contrast to how she describes herself off-screen.
In her Miss Universe Philippines preliminary interview on April 12, she spoke about building genuine connections, a trait reflected in her history of earning Miss Congeniality titles. She is also involved in community outreach, mentoring and teaching out-of-school youth.
Loss, she said, is part of the journey.
When asked about it during the pageant, Baeyens said losing means staying happy and celebrating others’ success—a mindset she considers a win in itself.
“I feel like a winner already because I pushed past fear and reached for the stars,” she said.
Rooted in the mountains
For Baeyens, the crown was never just an object—it was a symbol of where she comes from.
Her mother, Julia Agnaonao, is from Besao, Mountain Province, grounding her identity in the Cordilleras. Throughout the competition, Baeyens incorporated Igorot textiles into her wardrobe, making culture visible on a national platform.
Her national costume—designed by Erran Montoya—reimagined Baguio’s Burnham Park swan boats into a high-fashion piece. The mermaid silhouette featured moss-green details inspired by the lake’s vegetation, paired with a paddle adorned with traditional Igorot patterns, blending tourism and indigenous identity.
She also highlighted traditional practices such as clay pot molding in her home province, promoting it as both environmentally sustainable and culturally significant.
A nature-driven advocacy
Baeyens’ advocacy, “Nurtured by Nature,” is deeply personal.
After her father was diagnosed with a mental health condition, she saw how healing was shaped not only by treatment, but by environment.
“Healing does not only come from medicines but is also influenced by the environment we live in,” she said in a Miss Universe Philippines interview.
That belief shaped her work.
During the pandemic, she partnered with the Baguio City Veterinary and Agriculture Office for an urban gardening initiative aimed at improving food security in limited spaces. She also supports the Department of Agriculture’s KADIWA program, which connects farmers directly to consumers.
Baeyens has also spoken about the role of women in climate resilience, noting how women often manage resources and strengthen food security in their communities.
Her advocacy extends to animal welfare. Inspired by her own pets, she supports the “Save Ralph” campaign against animal testing and expanded her “STRAY-T from the HEART” feeding program during lockdowns to help stray animals in both Baguio and Manila.
More than a placement
Through Baeyens, Baguio—and the Cordilleras—found representation that was both modern and rooted.
Her journey showed that pageantry can be more than crowns and rankings. It can be about identity, memory, and carrying one’s origins into spaces where they are rarely seen.
Win or lose, she made sure of one thing: the mountains were never left behind.
Photo by Empire Philippines
