While other Miss Universe 2022 contestants picked intuitive symbols for their national costumes, Celeste Cortesi took the fantasy route.
During the pageant's national costume round, Miss Universe Philippines surprised the audience when she hit the New Orleans stage dressed as Darna, a revered comic book superhero in the South-East Asian country.
Many of Cortesi's supporters hailed the bold and creative choice, with some saying it's "about time" the fictional Filipino heroine is showcased on the global stage.
The Filipino-Italian beauty queen, however, ended her Miss Universe journey earlier than expected, as she did not make it to the top 16 — ending the Philippines's 12-year semi-finals streak.
Who is Darna?
Darna is an alien super-warrior created by the late Mars Ravelo, who was considered to be the "King of Philippine komiks". She is channelled by her mortal alter-ego, Narda, and comes to life by swallowing a white stone and shouting the superhero's name engraved on it.
The concept is believed to be first created by Ravelo around the time of the Second World War, which was also when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Superman first appeared in comic books in the US, in 1939.
The Filipino artist was inspired by the American superhero, so just like Superman, Darna can fly, has superhuman strength, is immune to man-made weapons and comes from another planet.
The character was initially published as Varga in 1947. Then, in 1950, Ravelo moved to a different publishing house, and relaunched the character as Darna, which marked the beginning of a meteoric rise for the Filipino superheroine. She was illustrated by Nestor Redondo, who would later work for DC and Marvel comics.
"Darna captured many aspects of the Filipino culture," Cherish Aileen Brillon, a Filipino scholar who has studied the fictional character for years, tells The National.
"Her, being a woman, at a time when superheroes were mostly men, made her really distinct, and that really resonated with Filipinos."
Her mortal alter-ego in the story, Narda, embodied the common Filipino, she explains, "although she is poor, and she's an orphan who was the maternal figure to her younger brother, she thrived".
"When she summons Darna, she transforms into a totally different person. She becomes powerful, self-assured and confident. For a country that has been colonised for many years, Darna is a strong aspirational figure. We wish to be like her."
This is why Cortesi wearing the Darna costume is a moment of celebration. "Because Darna has become more than just a comic book character for Filipinos — Cortesi's choice to portray her showed our identity and aspirations in a superhero language, which is extremely relatable globally," says Brillon.
It was also a perfect opportunity to introduce Philippine pop culture to the world, she adds. "We have a superhero who is almost just as old as the most popular superhero in the world."
The many adaptations of Darna
The Philippines has other local comic figures, including Lastikman, Captain Barbell and Dyesebel, but all fall short in comparison to Darna, whose relevance is even more punctuated by countless adaptations — from the big screen to the small, to even ballet productions, and now on the Miss Universe platform.
In 1951, the first film adaptation of Darna was released, followed by a sequel the next year. Three more actresses played Darna in various adaptations from 1964 to 1969.
A dictatorial regime took over the Philippines in 1972, but Darna's wings weren't clipped. In fact, during the martial law era, there was a wave of new adaptations, played by acclaimed actress Vilma Santos in four movies.
"Vilma played a crucial role in further popularising Darna. Her portrayals earned the most box office success, with the first film even outside of the Philippines," says Brillon.
Brillon, who is a professor at the University of the Philippines, published a study in 2019, exploring how the story of Darna was made even more relevant during martial law, as she somehow became a symbol of the country's collective fight against fascist rule.
In 1986, dictator Ferdinand Marcos was toppled by Corazon Aquino, who, coincidentally, became the first female president of the Philippines, and also Asia's first female president.
Other iterations of Darna came out in the 1990s. In 2005, Darna was adapted for television again, this time appealing to a more contemporary audience. Angel Locsin, the actress who played her, has since been attached to the character, and is now almost synonymous with the name Darna.
Four years later, another Darna television series came out, and most recently, in 2022, another reboot premiered.
Scroll through the gallery below to see national costumes of Miss Universe 2022 contestants
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software
Size: Seven employees
Funding: $170,000 in angel investment
Funders: friends
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MATCH INFO
Northern Warriors 92-1 (10 ovs)
Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no
Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)
Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22
Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets
ARGYLLE
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Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
