First-ever Miss World Philippines for the most 'beautifully bewitching' Filipina

Miss World Philippines country director Cory Quirino

The crown for the first ever Miss World Philippines awaits the country's most beautifully bewitching Filipina, whose classic sophistication and outstanding personality has what it takes to outshine any other woman in the world.

For the first time ever, the country's representative to the Miss World international pageant—which happens in London this November—would have her own stage in a pageant held specifically to put the spotlight on her in a historic and pioneering effort.

It has been months since the search for the ultimate beauty has begun, with provincial searches around the country generating more than a hundred aspirants. They had since been trimmed down to 25 gorgeous finalists, vying for the prestigious title on the coronation night (September 18 at the PICC).

“The Miss World Philippines titleholder is someone whose personality is authentic, someone who can potentially make an impact with her beauty and bigness of heart,” said Cory Quirino, the pageant's country director.

According to Quirino, the first titleholder of the Miss World Philippines doesn't necessarily have to be kayumanggi (fair-skinned), which is traditionally considered to be a Filipino trait and one that is believed to be the key to grabbing the titles in similar competitions.

“The Filipina of today is a fusion of many bloods and inter-racial marriages. That's why, aside from our local provincial searches, we also held one in Los Angeles in the US to tap into Filipinos living abroad because, after all, they're still Filipinos,” she said.

Quirino, popularly known as a wellness and fitness guru, has a master plan in mind to finally take home the Miss World crown that has eluded the Philippines for 60 years—since 1951 when the first Miss World title went to Sweden's Kiki Haakonson.

The winner, she said, would undergo an extensive one-on-one training on projection, self-empowerment, and speaking (to prepare them for the “Question & Answer” portion that is crucial in determining the winner in international beauty pageants).

The first ever Miss World Philippines pageant is different from others in more ways than one. For one, interpreters would be allowed (as opposed to other pageants which discourage them).

“Why force one to speak in Filipino or English when she can best express herself in the dialect she learned growing up?” Quirino said. “Here, we not only allow interpreters, we encourage the girls to have one if it would help their cause.”

Another element that sets this pageant apart from the rest is the prizes at stake. Not only does the winner stand to take home P1 million in cash (“I want the titleholder to be part of the millionaire club right away,” Quirino said), she also gets a condominium unit from SMDC (a co-presenter of the pageant)—another first in local pageant history.

*** Read the full article and see the Miss World Philippines special feature on the Philippine Daily Inquirer on September 16, 2011 (Friday) ***