Janine Marie Raymundo Tugonon (; born October 19, 1989) is a Filipino actress, TV host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2012. She represented the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

at the

Miss Universe 2012 Miss Universe 2012 was the 61st Miss Universe pageant, held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on December 19, 2012. The contest was won by Olivia Culpo of the United States, who was crow ...

pageant, winning 1st runner up.

Early life and education

Janine Mari Raymundo Tugonon was born and raised in Balanga, Bataan, Philippines. She finished her pharmacy degree with '' Latin honours'' (cum laude) at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, and became a licensed

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

in June 2010.

Pageantry

Binibining Pilipinas 2011

In 2011, Tugonon placed 1st Runner-Up in the Binibining Pilipinas 2011 pageant. The eventual winner was Shamcey Supsup.

Binibining Pilipinas 2012

In 2012, Janine once again joined the 49th edition of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant. During the question and answer round, she was asked: "Many women nowadays forego a happy family life for a successful career. How do you feel about this?" She responded:

''"I believe that women have the right to choose between what they want. But for me, just go for what God wants you to do. Between the two, whatever it is, you must do what's your purpose in this world. Just have a child-like faith and mature obedience, and everything will go smooth."''

At the end of the event, she won the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2012, gaining the right to represent the Philippines at the

pageant. On April 14, 2013, Tugonon crowned

Ariella Arida Ariella "Ara" Hernandez Arida (; born November 20, 1988) is a Filipino beauty pageant titleholder, actress, and model, who was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe, Miss Universe Philippines 2013. She represented the Philippines at the Miss ...

as her successor at the Binibining Pilipinas 2013 pageant held at the

Smart Araneta Coliseum The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed "the Big Dome" ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

, Philippines.

Miss Universe 2012

On 19 December 2012, Tugonon competed in

at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States where she finished 1st Runner-Up to

Olivia Culpo Olivia Frances Culpo (born May 8, 1992) is an American model, actress, and media personality. Culpo has won Miss Rhode Island USA, Miss USA 2012, and Miss Universe 2012. Early life and education Olivia Frances Culpo was born on May 8, 1992, ...

of the USA. Tugonon was the only Asian to place in the Top 5. Philippines placed in the Top 5 for the third consecutive year. During the final question and answer portion of the competition Tugonon was asked a question via Twitter and read by judge Nigel Barker: "As an international ambassador, do you believe that speaking English should be a prerequisite to being Miss Universe? Why or why not?" Tugonon replied:

''"For me, being Miss Universe is not just about knowing how to speak a specific language – it is being able to influence and inspire other people. So whatever language you have, as long your heart is to serve and you have a strong mind to show to people, then, you can be Miss Universe."''

At the end of the event, Tugonon finished as 1st Runner-Up,

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

won the said pageant. Tugonon is the second Filipina entrant at Miss Universe who finished as 1st runner-up after Miriam Quiambao in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. Tugonon's placement as 1st Runner-Up was the highest one of the

Miss Universe Miss Universe is an annual international major beauty pageant that is run by a Thailand and Mexican-based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stree ...

until the victories of

Pia Wurtzbach Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach-Jauncey (; ; ; born September 24, 1989), formerly professionally known as Pia Romero, is a Filipino model, actress, and beauty pageant titleholder best known for winning the title of Miss Universe 2015. Previously, Wurtz ...

's in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and

Catriona Gray Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray ( ; ; born January 6, 1994) is a Filipino beauty queen and media personality best known for winning the title of Miss Universe 2018. The fourth Filipina to win Miss Universe, Gray was previously crowned Miss Worl ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Modeling career

2012–2016: After Miss Universe 2012 and modeling career

After pageant, she graced to cover various Philippine-based magazines such as ''Preview, Metro'', and ''FilJap Magazine'', which eventually made it in international fashion industry. Tugonon is now living in the United States as she pursue her studies. She walked multiple fashion shows across America. Two of her biggest endorsements are

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with a significant global presence. The company operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. It is a systemically important fi ...

and

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

. Her latest stint was on the newest commercial of Victoria's Secret Pink.

Personal life

On October 30, 2024, Tugonon announced that she had given birth of her first child.

References

External links

*
Complete Profile of Janine TugononFast facts about Bb. Pilipinas 2012 Janine Tugonon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tugonon, Janine 1989 births Living people Filipino female models People from Bataan Binibining Pilipinas winners Miss Universe 2012 contestants Star Magic University of Santo Tomas alumni People from Balanga, Bataan