Teresita Marquez hurt by rumors she is an adopted baby

Reina Hispanoamericana Teresita Marquez has revealed that she was hurt by rumors that she was an adopted child because she doesn't look her mother actress-turned-politician Alma Moreno.

"There were rumors that I was adopted. I didn't look my mom. S'yempre masakit 'yun for me. I've asked my mom, 'am I your kid?' Tinatanong ko sya," said Teresita Marquez, when asked how she deals with the rumors, during an interview on "Tonight With Boy Abunda" on ABS CBN.

"Pero sabi ko nga, I am my mother's child. She always tells me that I am beautiful, I am unique in my own ways. I may not look like her but you know, I'm beautiful as I am, sabi nya," Teresita said.

Teresita, 25, is also the daughter of actor-turned-politician Joey Marquez.

Asked about her boyfriend actor Mark Herras, Teresita said: "He's my No. 1 supporter. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't join Miss World. He was the one who pushed me."

"Kasi lagi akong what if sumali ako, what if natalo ako. Ako yun. What if wag na lang, or sige na nga. 'Yung hndi ko alam ang gagawin ko;

"S'ya ang napu-push sa akin. He actually knew the screening, the schedules kung kelan at ano dapat ang gagawin ko. He wanted me to do photo shoots;

"He was very supportive kasi he knows naguguluhan ako pero alam n'ya na wala namang mawawala sa akin kung gagawin ko yung pangarap ko," she said.

Teresita vowed not to change even if she is an international beauty queen now. "With or without the crown I will still be the same."

The Filipino beauty queen also explained why Filipinos should cherish the Hispanic culture which is the advocacy of her pageant.

"Kailangan din natin sabihn sa ibang tao yung past. I know it's not beautiful but we all also have to think that we are our history;

"Kung hindi dahil sa history natin, hindi tayo magiging ganito katatag. At the same time, we need to celebrate 'yung mga magandang natutunan natin tulad ng religion festivities, lahat, the culture the food, yung mga magagandang bagay na natututnan natin sa kanila;

"Hindi natin dapat ikahiya yun. Kasi matatag tayo dahil dun. At the same time, we need to accept our unique heritage because if we don't accept our unique heritage, we wouldn't have our own unique identity," she said.

Teresita also said that there was a time when she wanted to go home days after she arrived in Bolivia for the Reina Hispanoamericana pageant.

"I couldn't understand what they were talking about. And dalawa lang ang pumapalakpak sa akin nun. Masakit sa akin yun," she said.

But Teresita said that she persevered and eventually won the crown. She became the first Asian titleholder in the 26-year-old pageant dominated by Latinas. - ROBERT REQUINTINA