Marian Exhibit & Carnival Queens

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar pays homage to the Virgin Mary with more than 50 different images

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, a world-class heritage resort in Bagac, Bataan, pays homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary and a tribute to Carnival Queens who started the pageantry in the country. Last May 28, 50 different images of the Virgin Mary coming all the way from Pulilan, Bulacan, were unveiled at Hotel de Oriente along with the gallery of Carnival Queens (1908-1939) reliving the glorious days of Manila Carnivals.  

“Later in the evening,” reported “beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas, “the Carnival Queen Lakambini ng Las Casas 2018 was staged in the Grand Ballroom with 16 beauties from different towns of Bataan competing.”Funfare’s

2018 Carnival Queen Lakambini ng Las Casas winners, from left: Christine May Torres, Tricia Ocfemia Martinez and Alyssa Gayle Ojales Nojadera

 Crowned winners were Tricia Ocfemia Martinez of Balanga (Lakambini ng Las Casas 2018), Christine May Torres of Mariveles (Reina del Orient or first runner-up) and Alyssa Gayle Ojales Nojadera of Bagac (Reina del Occidente or second runner-up). Aside from being named ambassadresses of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, they received P40,000, P15,000 and P10,000, respectively, plus sponsors’ gifts.

Members of the judging panel included 2008 Miss Earth Karla Henry, 2017 Miss Philippines-Air Kim De Guzman, Miss World Phillippines GM Bessie Besana and Fashion Designer Association of the Philippines (FDAP) president Gil Granado.

Santacruzan, from left: Christine May, Amor Salud, Tricia and Alyssa

“On the early evening of Tuesday, May 29, the winners and all candidates of  participated in a Grand Santacruzan. AVP/GM Amor Salud handed the holy cross to Reyna Elena Tricia.  The parade started from Plaza de Castro, traversing Parque de Manila up to Santuario de San Jose where a Holy Mass was officiated. Then they offered flowers to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hotel de Oriente. The event was conceptualized by Erwin Manalo Doña with the able support of Las Casas owner, Jose ‘Gerry’ Acuzar.”Lakambini

Here’s the list of Carnival Queens immortalized in the gallery (no queens crowned in 1910, 1911, 1919 and 1928), compiled by Celso for readers:Funfare

• 1908: Pura Garcia Villanueva, Queen of the Orient

(In 1910, Pura married Teodoro M. Kalaw, a journalist, educator, historian and legislator. Her daughter, Maria, would be crowned Manila Carnival’s 1931 Miss Philippines.);

• 1908: Marjorie Radcliffe Colton, Queen of the Occident; 

• 1909: Julia Guerrero Agcaoili;

• 1912: Paz Jurado Marquez;

1935 Carnival Queen Conching Sunico with court and consorts

• 1913: Julia Otero Arceo;

• 1914: Dolores dela Cerna Perez Rubio;

• 1915: Concepcion Zurbito Medina;

• 1916: Manolita Delgado Barretto;

• 1917: Mela Kamakee Fairchild;

• 1918 : Enriqueta Lasso de Vega Aldanese;

• 1919: (Not held)

1922 Carnival Queen Virginia Llamas and escort Carlos P. Romulo

• 1920:Trinidad Roura De Leon, Queen of the Orient ();Trinidad later married Manuel A. Roxas who became the President of the Philippines, 1946-48. She’s the grandmother of 1973 Miss Universe Margie Moran and former Sen. Mar Roxas.

• 1920: Virginia Randolph Harrison, Queen of the Occident; 

• 1921: Carmen Legarda Prieto;

• 1922: Virginia Vidal Llamas ();Virginia’s escort was Carlos P. Romulo whom she married in 1924.

• 1923: Catalina Castillo Apacible;

• 1924: Trinidad Rodriguez Fernandez (Trinidad is the grandmother of radio and television host, journalist, author and celebrity lawyer Katrina Legarda.);

• 1925: Carmen Arevalo Papa;

• 1926: Socorro Borcenas Henson;

(The queens were proclaimed as Miss Philippines from 1926 until 1939.)

1926 Carnival Queen Anita Noble

• 1926: Anita Agoncillo Noble (Anita married Architect Juan Nakpil in 1927.  Their two daughters also became beauty queens: Annie was crowned Miss Batangas and Edith as 1955 Miss Philippines, organized by Boys Town. Juan Nakpil was conferred the highly coveted National Artist for Architecture in 1973.);

• 1927: Luisa Fernandez Marasigan;

• 1929: Pacita Ongsiako de los Reyes (Pacita placed seventh in the bar exams in 1934 with Arturo Tolentino, second placer; and Ambrosio Padilla on the third spot. She became a law professor in various universities. Pacita is the cousin of Blesilda Ocampo, Yvonne de los Reyes and Simonette de los Reyes who all competed in the Miss Universe pageant in 1954, 1955 and 1970, respectively. Blesilda was the first Filipina to become a semi-finalist in the Miss Universe pageant.);

• 1930: Monina Consuelo Zaldarriaga Acuña (Consuelo is the cousin of 1937 Carnival Queen Carmen Bayot Zaldarriaga and 1958 Miss Philippines Carmen Tuason; and the aunt of 1971 Miss Young Philippines Maricar Zaldarriaga.);

1929 Carnival Queen Pacita de los Reyes

• 1931: Maria Villanueva Kalaw (Maria is the daughter of the first 1908 Carnival Queen Pura Garcia Villanueva. Also an author, a diplomat and a columnist, Maria was elected senator in 1961 and served until 1963, the lone woman senator during her term. She headed the Board of Review for Motion Pictures and Television in 1981-86 which was renamed Movie and Television Review and Classification Board in 1983.);

• 1932: Emma Gonzales Zamora;

• 1933: Engracia Arcinas Laconico;

• 1934: Clarita Villarica Tan Kiang;

1931 Carnival Queen Maria Kalaw

• 1935: Conchita Chuidian Sunico (Conchita later founded the Karilagan International which promoted Philippine fashion here and abroad.  She served as a tourism commissioner in the ‘60s and was appointed executive director of the Metropolitan Theater of Manila in the late ‘70s.);

• 1936: Mercedes Montilla;

• 1937: Maria del Carmen Bayot Zaldarriaga;

• 1938: Guia Gonzales Balmori, and

• 1939: Iluminada Mojica Tuason.

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