ILOILO City – Keep your curiosity alive. Next month’s staging of Miss Iloilo 2023 will be like no other, according to pageant director Prof. Kevin Piamonte.
The upcoming beauty search for Iloilo City’s next ambassadresses of goodwill will be full of surprises, he told beauty pageant aficionados.
The coronation night will be on January 18, 2023 and winners will include 2nd and 1st runner up and Miss Iloilo 2023.
“Just watch out. It is going to be unique and different entirely. The first pageant of its kind,” said Piamonte, also an acclaimed theater and movie director.
The venue is the humungous Iloilo Convention Center.
Miss Iloilo is one of major events of the Dinagyang Festival that the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI) and the city government are organizing with the support of various stakeholders, including SM City Iloilo.
First staged in 2020, Miss Iloilo replaced the Miss Dinagyang beauty pageant. Winners have the chance to represent Iloilo City in three of the biggest national pageants – Miss Universe-Philippines, Miss World-Philippines, and Binibining Pilipinas that selects the country’s representative in the Miss International Competition.
For the first time in the history of the Dinagyang-related beauty pageant, 18 Ilongga beauties are competing next month.
Several preliminary events celebrating Ilongga beauty and talent will drum up the pageant towards the coronation night.
Kicking off the preliminary activities was the press presentation of the 18 candidates at the poolside of Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo in Manduriao district on Nov. 5.
The 22-year-old Chloei Darl Gabales captured the hearts of the Iloilo media and was chosen the “Darling of the Press.”
The 17 other contestants were Mary Desiree D. Rendoque, Kristine Joy P. Flores, Nicklyn T. Jutay, Cristine Aimee P. Bello, K Dilme Amanda P. Perera, Princess F. Russell, Raniele Shaine S. Saulog, Maria Angela Andrade, Christine Joy D. Bretaña, Jeraldine B. Quimson, Chrisselle Rose P. Lambatig, Shyla Pearl Ranjan, Ma. Delza B. Anduque, Ma. Cristina Isabel Tallador, Angelica Vinson, Tracy Lois Bedua, and Christine Joyce Fabellore.
On Sunday, Dec. 11, the candidates were at SM City Iloilo for the “Miss Iloilo 2023: Anyag Iloilo Fashion Show” at the mall’s main event center.
The show also featured Iloilo City’s iconic and historical landmarks.
On Jan. 14, 2023 the contestants will return to SM City Iloilo for the “Miss Iloilo 2023: Festival Costume Parade.”
The first Miss Iloilo is Rabiya Mateo who won the Miss Universe-Philippines 2020 crown and represented the country in Miss Universe 2020. She was a semifinalist.
Since the Miss Dinagyang days, SM City Iloilo has always been the home destination of the beauty pageant’s preliminary events, attracting a cornucopia of spectators.
Aside from Miss Iloilo, SM City Iloilo is also the premier venue of other DInagyang-related activities. The most recent was the presentation of the eight groups competing in the “Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan” contest.
It was also at SM City Iloilo Southpoint where the recent kickoff of the 100-day countdown to the return of the face-to-face Dinagyang Festival was held.
The festival’s highlights – the “Dinagyang sa Barangay” tribes competition and “Dinagyang Ilomination” – will be on Jan. 22.
SM has always been a big supporter of Dinagyang Festival and the city government’s other undertakings such as the redevelopment of the Iloilo Central Market and Iloilo Terminal Market./PN
