Binibining Pilipinas 2019 - Malka Shaver

Malka Shaver, the tiny-faced, doe-eyed, cherub-like mestiza. Also the Persian/East European doppelganger of Miss International 2019 1st Runner Up Ahtisa Manalo. She's both the cuter and the harsher-featured version, which is an odd oxymoron until you realize that Malka IS cute and HAS strong features. She looks innocent AND intimidating, a child AND a diva.

From Malka Shaver's Twitter

She has an interesting set of features that when played right, theoretically can look doll-like and sweet and cute, like the Miss International prototype. Except she still looks a tad bit too fierce to be Miss International. Ahtisa has large, expressive eyes too, but I guess it's balanced by her adorable bedimpled smile and sweet aura. Malka, on the other hand, still looks strong, which makes you think she's better fit as Miss Universe.

Photo from Malka Shaver's Instagram

Here she is, channeling her inner Catriona and resembling Miss Universe 1994 Top 6 Charlene Gonzales:

I was under the impression that she's a young pageant newbie blessed only by Lady Luck to have made it into top 40. She looked raw, young and inexperienced. Surprise, surprise, though, this girl's far from a newbie. She's a veteran. And she's also not very young, despite looking like a reserved, shy teenager. At 23, here's her list of pageantry victories:

• Miss Dumaguete 2014
• Miss Mandaue 2016
• Binibining Cebu 2017 Top 12
• Miss Manila 2018 1st Runner Up
• Binibining Sibugay 2019 1st Runner Up

If you're wondering what she's like in motion, here's a video of her charming the audience with her sweet voice. She made a bit of a speech by the end of the clip. Transition from singing to speech wasn't smooth lol but girl could talk and charm. 

You won't find her in a lot of pageant pages' leaderboards. She also got a bit of flak when the unimpressive photos of the official candidates were first released, but I have a strong feeling Malka's going to snatch one of the crowns if the frontrunners turn out to be disappointing come finals night.

She went to UP Diliman, but graduated with a Mass Communications degree from Silliman University, so we're betting if this girl reaches Top 15, she's getting a crown. Which crown? At this point, she looks and talks like a Miss International, but she also somehow reminds me of Mutya Datul's charm and youthful playfulness, so there's Miss Supranational too. Malka's on the short end, and that could hamper her chances at the higher crowns. Whichever crown she ends up winning, I know she's going to do well on the international stage. 

Here's a glimpse of Malka's fun, charming, quirky personality:

What crown suits her? Here's her laudable answer to the question, "If you are given the power to be a man for one day, what is the first thing you will do to make the City of Manila a better place?"

"I don’t understand why I would have to be a man to make Manila a better place. I believe women’s nature is to nurture, and if women had more power in society, then we would have a better chance to really heal the world."

Is she now part of your top 8?