Instead of turning beautiful women into clones of the late Mother Teresa by making them embrace all sorts of advocacies that help the marginalized, The Miss Philippines, a new beauty search from the same people behind Miss Universe Philippines, empowers them to be advocates of the country’s rich culture and heritage.
By Alex Y. Vergara
Photos by Raymund Francis Vicente
A beauty pageant without the highly anticipated swimsuit round?
That’s what people behind The Miss Philippines (TMP) envision, as they recently announced the entry of the newest beauty search in an already crowded field, which includes their first baby Miss Universe Philippines (MUP). To further differentiate the two, organizers, led by MUP national director Shamcey Supsup-Lee and MUP creative and events director Jonas Gaffud, have also added the tagline “Culture and Heritage Celebration” to their second baby.
No details were revealed regarding future contestants’ qualifications, including age range and marital status. But Jonas intimated to this writer that they hope to formalize everything and begin the long screening process this August. Like in MUP, TMP is encouraging women from every corner of the Philippines to join the search, supported ideally by their respective local government units.
What was clear is TMP spun off from MUP (the contest) to accommodate two more crowns – Miss Supranational Philippines and Miss Charm Philippines. Anne Jakrajutatip, the new owner of Miss Universe, reminded all her franchisees the world over last year, including MUP, that only one winner – the representative to Miss Universe – will be crowned on stage during local pageants. Failure to do so, she warned, could lead to revocation of their franchises.
Thus, during MUP finals night won by Michelle Dee last May, Shamcey and company had to crown Pauline Amelinckx of Bohol and Krishna Gravidez of Baguio, Miss Supranational Philippines and Miss Charm Philippines, respectively, in a separate venue without any TV coverage.
During the recent launch of TMP at Enderun Coworking Space at Estancia Mall, organizers felt it was only fitting that the two beauty queens further explain what this latest animal is all about.
“In terms of the pageant scene and in terms of the pageant innovation, there really is so much more to pageantry than just the swimsuit portion,” Pauline said. In lieu of the swimsuit segment, which has become a staple in almost every competition, she added, “there will be a swimsuit photoshoot that will still show the beautiful landscapes of the Philippines as part of the celebration or coronation itself.”
And there won’t be two Miss Philippines just one as Pauline also clarified.
“The winner actually gets a chance to choose which of the two (international) pageants to join,” the Boholana beauty, who will compete in Poland this July, said. One of the runners up will also be given the opportunity to represent the Philippines abroad only after the winner has made her choice.
Organizers, perhaps aware of the glut of pageants, both on the home and global front, purposely tried to make their latest offering a tad different from the rest.
“It’s not just the typical pageant wherein candidates will just showcase their ramp skills, wit and charm,” said Krishna, who will be sent to the Miss Charm competition in Vietnam early next year. “It’s more about highlighting culture and the arts – the country’s heritage. There are a lot of undiscovered arts and crafts all over the country. This pageant has the capacity to highlight and show it to the whole universe.”
Jonas, again on the sidelines, added that delegates who didn’t win at MUP aren’t assured of automatic entry to TMP. Pauline and Krishna, for instance, came second and third, respectively to eventual winner Michelle Dee at the recent Miss Universe Philippines 2023 pageant. The two were crowned the same night in a different venue. This time, everyone would again have to go through the entire process of screening to gain a slot at TMP, he said.
Other than focusing on the arts and culture, no mention was also made on the need for future contestants to have an advocacy, a portion that has gained prominence and emphasis of late as beauty contests find their footing in a rapidly evolving society.
