Last Wednesday, September 21, V81 Radio interviewed Miss Shirley Vy, winner of the Miss Chinatown 2016 pageant.

With big smiles, the 24-year-old beauty talked about her recent win as Miss Chinatown. “During the first week…sabi ko na sa sarili ko parang ayoko na…kasi antatangkad nilang lahat, and I was the shortest,” Shirley says with a laugh. She then recounted how it was her first time ever to join a pageant. “Nasurprise ako. At the same time, gusto ko rin ma-try, kasi I love taking challenges.”

Serr Chief also asked about her winning answer during the Question and Answer portion of the pageant. She was asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros how she would promote world peace now that the Philippines won the dispute over China on the issue of the West Philippine Sea.

“Ang sabi ko naman, we should not add fuel to the fire, like we should not post or rant on Facebook…na napunta na sa atin [ang West Philippine Sea].” She added, “Tsaka if we’re gonna go back to the history ng Philippines, ang tumulong naman sa atin sa pangangalakal are the Chinese. We should just continue [having good relations with them].”

When asked about her talent, Shirley mentioned how she started singing professionally 2 years ago. She released her OPM single “Sabihin Mo” in 2014, and her 16-track debut album with Universal Records “Simply Bossa” came out just last year.

Serr Chief then asked her to sing for audience, so she sang sultry renditions of the Bee Gee’s “How Deep Is Your Love”, Barry Manilow’s “Somewhere Down The Road” in bossa nova style, and some lines of Emil Chau’s “Peng Yu”, a song she posted a cover of on YouTube.

The two also touched on Shirley’s experience during the Yolanda disaster in 2013. “I was there with my whole family sa bahay namin.” She is thankful that her family was largely uninjured during the typhoon. “Thank God talaga. Sobrang nakakatakot yung time na yun, parang…apocalypse.”

Her family has since moved to Manila, but she still looks back to her Tacloban roots. During the show, she gave a quick shout out in her local dialect, Waray-waray, to her friends and family who were tuned in.

For her win, Shirley will be representing the Philippines for Miss Chinatown International in Malaysia next year.

To check out Shirley’s Sabihin Mo and other tracks, stayed tuned here at V81 Radio – All Hits All Pinoy!