Cotabato fetes hometown lass for Bb. Pilipinas title

COTABATO CITY – At a young age, Nadia Lee Chien Shami, who was crowned as Bb. Pilipinas International Saturday, dreamed of becoming a fashion model.

Her grandfather, Felipe dela Cruz, who resides in Midsayap, North Cotabato, said Shami was already fond of watching beauty pageants on TV and during fiesta celebrations in their hometown while she was still in grade school.

Shami, 20, was crowned the "Mutya ng Midsayap" in 2003, while she was still a sophomore at the Katingawan High School, which is run by Seventh Day Adventists.

Rex Torino, a reporter of Catholic station dxMS and long-time friend of Shami’s family, said the beauty titlist is not just pretty, but intelligent as well.

"Her beauty is a mixture of Arab and Filipino features," Torino said. Shami’s father is a Jordanian.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol said he will tender a banquet in Shami’s honor: "(Shami’s victory) was a clear indication that beauties in Central Mindanao are also capable of representing the region in local and international pageants."

Piñol said his staffers are now organizing a motorcade from Kidapawan City down to the border of North Cotabato and Maguindanao to welcome Shami home to Midsayap when she arrives over the weekend.

"I will also host a ‘governor’s night’ for our beauty titlist and her family, either before or after the long motorcade," Piñol said.

Shami said in an interview yesterday with dxMS here that she owes her win to the moral support of her relatives and friends and to the people of Midsayap, who offered prayers for her success.

"All I can say to the ladies of Midsayap and the surrounding municipalities is (this): aspire for something you think is best for you and can give your family honor," Shami said.

Shami said she will promote tourism and the economic potential of North Cotabato during her reign.– John Unson