Amid the humidity, some misty-eyed moments…
- Miss Eco International 2018 Cynthia Magpatoc Thomalla. A prearrival favorite, Cynthia won this pageant, which “promotes the importance of saving our planet environmentally in addition to marketing tourism across the world,” focusing “on the wellness of the mind, body and spirit of all the candidates,” in the land of Cleopatra.
Before finals night on April 27, I asked Bessie Besana, fashion designer and general manager of Miss World Philippines (MWP), what his thoughts were of Cynthia’s prospects. He replied: “I have a strong feeling that she will take home the crown. She has figured at two preliminary activities crucial to the pageant. She is undeniably beautiful and very dedicated to the cause of the pageant. But most important, Cynthia is a very good person which makes her shine among the rest. I’m claiming that she will come home victorious after the competition.”
Indeed, Cynthia snatched the first crown for the country. “Thia bested 52 other beauties in the fourth edition of Miss Eco International conceptualized by Ecospire and its founder Dr. Amaal Rezk. She wore Malayka Yamas for her Eco Dress. Kim Gan for her National Costume. First gown [white] from Patty Ang and crowning gown by the incomparable Cary Santiago,” Bessie writes in a Facebook post.
Among the local pageant organizations, Miss World Philippines is the winningest with three crowns: Reina Hispano-Americana Teresita Ssen Marquez, Miss Multinational Sophia Señoron and Cynthia’s. Our Miss World 2017 bet, Laura Lehman, cracked the Top 40.
Handsome Filipinos won’t be left behind, Bessie shared: “After a very interesting twist of events, the franchise of the Mister Supranational Philippines has been formally awarded to [national director] Arnold Vegafria and with me as general manager. When we hold Mister World Philippines 2018, we will be electing three titleholders and two runners-up. Mister World Philippines will compete at Mister World in Manila, Mister Supranational Philippines will compete in Poland and Mister Eco Philippines will compete in Egypt. This is going to be a great pageant milestone yet again, for the MWP Organization.”
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Miss USA Most Likely. Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber is a captain in the United States Army Reserve. Miss USA 2017 Kára McCullough is a scientist at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The two placed in the top 10 at the Miss Universe. Both represented the District of Columbia.
Their DC successor, entrepreneur Bryce Armstrong, is another stunning threat at the Miss USA finals tonight, May 21. Should she win, it will be a three-peat for black queens, and DC’s winning streak will be behind the five-year run of Texas from 1985 (Laura Martinez-Harring) to 1989 (Gretchen Polhemus).
I’m also keen on Génesis Dávila, the beautiful Afro-Puerto Rican repping Florida. This woman has more perseverance than Pia Wurtzbach in entering pageants. In 2012 she was first runner-up at the Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2013, so she was sent to compete at the Miss InterContinental where she won 1st Runner-Up. She won Miss World Puerto Rico 2014 but was unplaced at the Miss World 2014. Relocating to the US, she won Miss Florida USA 2017 but was later dethroned for using outside help for her hair and makeup on finals night. She entered again and won Miss Florida USA 2018.
The pageant will be held in Shreveport, Louisiana, with Fil-Am Vanessa Minillo as host. She was Miss Teen USA 1998 from South Carolina.
- Meghan Markle, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex. After the bling, beads and barely there couture extravaganza at the Met Gala and the red carpet at Cannes, here comes Meghan Markle in all her sublime simplicity. The American actress wed Prince Harry at Windsor Castle. She wore a Givenchy haute couture dress designed by the British Clare Waight Keller, who previously worked with Tom Ford at Gucci, was artistic director at Pringle of Scotland and Chloe before heading the French heritage house.
Unembellished, unadorned, the gown recalls the Hubert de Givenchy creations for Audrey Hepburn with its Sabrina open bateau neckline, three-quarter sleeves, flowing train and triple-silk organza underskirt. And she wore a tiara.
“Ms. Markle expressed the wish of having all 53 countries of the Commonwealth with her on her journey through the ceremony. Ms. Waight Keller designed a veil representing the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country united
in one spectacular floral composition,” Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) tweeted. “The veil is held in place by Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara, lent to Ms. Markle by The Queen. The diamond bandeau is English and was made in 1932, with the entre brooch dating from 1893.”
Meghan is the second mixed-race woman to marry into the British royalty. The first was the German princess who later became Queen Charlotte, who reigned from 1761 to 1818 as queen consort to the mad King George III. She was said to have “mulatto” features, having descended from Portuguese nobility who had African roots.
Take note, racists. Charlottesville in Virginia, the site of white supremacist rallies last year, was named after Queen Charlotte. Like the first black First Lady Michelle Obama, prima ballerina Misty Copeland, Rachel Lindsay, the first black “Bachelorette;” and Beverly Johnson, the first black Vogue cover girl, Meghan will have a significant impact on the lives of non-white girls everywhere.
- Miss Earth Philippines 2018. “When I was young, I was bullied and discriminated because of my skin color, so I’ve always dreamed of being white when I was young,” said Halimatu Yushawu, the petite contender representing Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay, on her profile.
Halimatu, of Ghanaian descent, was the most intriguing figure heading into the finals, which finished close to midnight, breaking into May 20, at the Mall of Asia Arena. The winner is Silvia Celeste Cortesi, representing Rome, Italy. Maybe because she exceeded the allotted time to answer the final question about how to save our tourist-destination beaches to avoid another Boracay scenario, Halimatu was given the title Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism 2018. Miss Philippines Air 2018 is Zahra Bianca Saldua from Las Piñas City, Miss Philippines Water 2018 is Berjayneth Chee from Balingasag, Misamis Oriental, and Miss Philippines Fire 2018 is Jean de Jesus from San Rafael, Bulacan.
Halimatu becomes the first black Filipina to ever wear a crown from a national pageant. She’s making herstory.
Image credits: AP, AHMED ARAFA PHOTOGRAPHY, MISSUSA.COM, MISSPHILIPPINES- EARTH.COM