Pinay is 1st runner-up in Ford Supermodel global search

CEBU, Philippines - A Filipina model won 1st runner-up at the “Ford Supermodel of the World 2009” Finals held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 15. Charlene Louise “Chat” Almarvez, 16, won a $150,000 (P6.9 million) modeling contract from Ford Models NYC, a prestigious modeling agency founded in 1947. Grand prize winner was Katrina Karlina Caune, 16, of Baltics State, while third placer was Isabelle Storck from Sweden.

Almarvez, a statuesque and mocha-skinned beauty, is originally from Laguna and is a student at the College of Saint Benilde. Long-legged, willowy and endowed with delicate features; Almarvez was the only Asian to make it to the Top 7 at the Supermodel of the World 2009 Finals.

Ford Supermodel of the World, which started in 1980, is the largest & most prestigious international competition in the globe, with over 60,000 contestants from 40 countries worldwide. It serves as the worldwide talent search Ford Models. Former Ford Models talents include actresses Lindsay Lohan, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Connelly, & Chanel Iman (who won as “Supermodel of the World 2005”) among others.