Toa Payoh’s Bernadette Belle Ong, Miss Universe Singapore 2020, to train in the Philippines

Bernadette Belle Ong, 26, will represent Singapore at Miss Universe 2020. She is a model, an actress and an events host of Chinese descent.

Based in Toa Payoh, Singapore, Ong was introduced as Miss Universe Singapore 2020 during a press conference via Zoom on December 10, 2020. She was handpicked by Miss Universe Singapore national director Valerie Lim.

During the conference, Miss Universe Singapore 2019 Mohana Prabha joined Lim, who is Miss Universe Singapore 2011. They were both unplaced at Miss Universe.

Born to Chinese parents in the Philippines, Ong moved to Singapore in 2004. She is fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese and Filipino.

From Singapore, Ong moved to Australia where she took four jobs to self-fund her studies into a university in Melbourne. Aside from holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance, she has also completed a culinary arts training.

Training in Singapore as an artist, Ong is 170 cm tall. In 2014, Singaporean photographer Berlinda Lau took photos of her for OSMOSE.

On October 17, 2019, Ong was crowned Miss Charm Singapore 2019 during the Miss Universe Singapore 2019 coronation night in Zouk in Clarke Quay, Singapore aside from winning the Miss Aspirational award from Beaute Hub, which was one of the beauty pageant’s sponsors. She was supposed to represent Singapore in the inaugural Miss Charm International in Vietnam, which was postponed due to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

To prepare for Miss Universe 2020, Ong will go to the Philippines to be trained by Miss Universe Philippines creative director Jonas Gaffud. In 2019, he served as the Miss Universe Singapore creative director.

Ong will be the 60th woman to represent Singapore at Miss Universe. If the Toa Payoh resident wins Miss Universe 2020, she will be the international beauty pageant’s first titleholder from the country.

Among the previous candidates of Singapore at Miss Universe, only two were able to place. Katie Lee Lee Beng finished in the Top 12 in 1983 and Marion Nicole Teo finished in the Top 10 in 1987.