The Workhorses of Catriona Gray

Preparing for Miss Universe 2018, she had a team. She competed as a team! 

2 weeks before, Anj Sampayan had much to say ("Catriona Gray Is '9.9' Ready For Miss Universe 2018" (30 November 2018, pep, pep.ph):

The interview, along with other panelists including Miss Grand International Philippines 2016 Nicole Cordoves, doubled as Catriona's question-and-answer coaching session where host Boy Abunda taught her tips and tricks in composing powerful statements.

She admitted that there's a great pressure "that comes with the Philippines sash."

Given her team's efforts, Catriona said she's "expecting exactly what I put in, so if I'm rewarded for the effort of my performance, then I'll be happy."

During her interview with Boy, Catriona said that creating her own team was by far the "best decision" she made. "I mean instead of having a focus on multiple girls, I got undivided focus from a team of people that I chose myself, so I was allowed to be as creative and in that way I can surround myself with the core team," she said.

"I wanted to represent the authentic Filipino culture so I traveled and I researched… And I wanted to just showcase our culture in a way that maybe one Filipino be like, 'Wow, that makes me proud,' and another Filipino would be like, 'I never knew that about our culture, how amazing.'

"So that's what I'm doing."

Teamwork was what Team Catriona did.
Successfully.
Led by a winsome girl with a Mission Impossible.

Why Mission Impossible. Don't forget she had lost before – she lost the Miss World 2016 title, remember?

It was teamwork that won the Miss Universe 2018 title. It was Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray and Team Catriona who won.

White dress, sampaguita-inspired rattan bag, Tboli embroidery, inabel top, denim jacket embroidered with "Kababayan," T'nalak dress, Ifugao skirt, Yolanda survivors, Christmas lantern, baroque churches, Pintados, Baybayin, "Buong Pilipinas" (Whole Philippines) national costume and not the Filipino terno etcetera – you could go wrong if you're not a team.

You want names of Team Catriona: Calli, Carlos Buendia, Edgar Madamba, Jearson Demavivas, Jeffrey Catuira, Lahi, Mak Tumang, Mia Arcenas, Noel Crisostomo, Solenn Heussaff, Vavi Heussaff-Small (alphabetical by first name). You must include in that team these: Filipino artists, indigenous people, historians, pre-colonial Filipinos, and the Department of Tourism, DoT.

Berna Romulo-Puyat, Secretary of Tourism said, "We are so amazed kasi siya yong lumapit sa amin to ask help, kasi she really wants to showcase the culture of the country." It was Team Catriona who asked for help from the DoT.

What was the headline again from UNTV News from the President? "Catriona Gray's Miss Universe Win Further Empower Filipino Women – Malacañang" (ph.news.yahoo.com). (By the way, UNTV News has poor teamwork – that should read "further empowers," singular, present tense.)

I want to improve on that UNTV News headline and say, in truth, this:

"Catriona Gray's Miss Universe Team Win Further Empowers Filipinos In Winning." I repeat: It was Team Catriona who won. Let's celebrate the Miss Universe 2018 Team's victory!

You know what's wrong with your favorite President? No teamwork!517