Mutya's continuous reinvention

MANILA, Philippines - As 36 young hopefuls walked the ramp to pursue their dreams, Reneé Salud looks on, remembering his own dreams many decades ago. The occasion was the press presentation of the 2009 Mutya ng Pilipinas sa Aurora candidates, a pageant that picked out young beautiful and intelligent Filipinos to spread the good name of the country worldwide, and started a national craze for beauty contests. That was 41 years ago and the craze has not abated. Filipinos are still crazy about beauty competitions. And Mutya continues reinventing itself.

When the number is whittled down to 12 and to the final three winners with the titles Mutya ng Pilipinas International, Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism, and Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas, the girls 18 to 25 years of age, 5’5” and above, some with mixed Filipino ancestry will have undergone lessons in history, diplomacy, confidence and leadership, humility; gone through jungle survival tests; learned to appreciate other cultures, and solidified their pride in one’s roots. In the end, they will have all emerged as winners ready for the next challenge life has destined them to tackle.

This is exactly what Reneé, top gun in production of the Mutya beauty pageant from 2008 went through. We ambush interviewed him while on the run with his multifarious responsibilities of some 250 people directly under him, dozens of pocket events, TV tapings, pictorials, rehearsals, costume fittings, coordination with sponsors, selection of venues for pre-pageant activities, etc. He must be responsible for the biggest decisions and the most trivial. “Ako pa ba ang tatanungin nyo kung anong kakanin nyo sa tanghalian? (Do I have to decide for you what to eat for lunch?),” he was speaking into his cellphone. But through it all, he remains cool and unruffled. He loves it. It is his dream come true.

Which is why he is the best person to be project director of Mutya. I have always had a passion for beauty pageants, he tells us, reminiscing how he would field his models like Bong Dimayacyac, Mutya Crisostomo and others while nervously watching on the sidelines. The candidates see in his success a sampling of their future. He never thought he would graduate into production, first by taking charge of screening candidates to heading the entire production aspect.

It has been a long and back-breaking climb yet to this day Reneé remains brimming with new ideas. This year’s innovation is the outdoor reality challenges, most fitting in the natural beauty of Aurora province, one of the few remaining pristine areas in the country. Aurora’s governor, the brilliant Bellaflor Angara-Castillo and the entire Angara brood of Baler Mayor Arturo Angara, Rep. Sonny Angara, and Sen. Edgardo Angara are obviously to be congratulated for their insistence in protecting the wonders of their home province.

At the press presentation, the 36 girls displayed their long gowns of sabutan fiber indigenous to Aurora. Mutya has always given emphasis not only to promoting the country’s beautiful women, but also its products and sites. Apart from Philippine-based candidates are seven based outside in Canada, Norway, and all over the US. Two special prizes at P10,000 each were given during the press presentation namely The Aurora Province Beauty Award which went to Sheryl Rose Guerrero from Aurora, and the Photographer’s Choice award won by Rene McHugh from USA East Coast.

Coronation night is Sunday, Aug. 9 in historic Baler. Judges are Consul General of Australia, Hon. Hugh Wilson; Elvira Angara, wife of Rep. Sonny Angara; Alfred Vargas; Fanny Serrano; Malgorzata Rozniecka, Miss International 2001; Randy Ortiz; Jackie Aquino; and Ana Marie Morelos, Mutya 2007. It will be aired on Aug. 16, 9 p.m. on TV5.

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