Quezon City has a unique breed of beauties

MANILA, Philippines - (The author was Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2005.)

One interesting sidelight to being a major beauty titleholder is getting involved in conceptualizing other beauty contests that espouse various causes — from the mundane to more humanitarian advocacies.

After my stint as Binibining Pilipinas-Universe in 2005, I got invited to either act as judge or as a consultant to a number of local beauty pageants like Miss Tarlac, for example. Now comes another project: Mutya ng Lungsod ng Quezon 2009. 

Mutya came about after fashion designer Renee Salud bumped into city administrator Jojo Ochoa at a wedding reception. Their common support for the beauty industry eventually led to this project. The city’s administrator was looking for a worthy cause to promote the city’s new moniker as the country’s entertainment capital, and Mama Renee has been at the forefront of Mutya ng Pilipinas.

Mayor Sonny Belmonte happily seconded the proposed project.

Actually the city hosted its first Mutya ng Lungsod ng Quezon in 2004. It proved to be a worthwhile endeavor. Encouraged, its organizers thought they could build on this initial success; then they fortuitously met with Renee, who has a knack for discovering beauties.

Over the years, Quezon City has seen remarkable growth in cultural tourism especially in the incumbency of Mayor Belmonte who has done a lot in sprucing up the city landscape, notably the recent developments in the North Triangle area and the pretty sidewalks along the more touristy parts of the city like Tomas Morato. 

Based on the 2007 Cities Competitiveness Ranking in Metro Manila, a study by the PCCRP (Philippine Competitiveness Ranking Project), Quezon City ranked first place, followed by Makati, Manila, Marikina and Paranaque, respectively. Quezon City’s landmarks — information technology zones like Eastwood Center which is among the eight Philippine Export Zone Authority-accredited special economic zones, and advanced communication forefronts (the major broadcast networks’ hub), top education and research institutions (UP Diliman, Ateneo de Manila, and Miriam College, among others.), historic sites (Quezon Memorial Circle and Sanctuario de San Pedro Bautista, the second oldest Spanish church, to name a couple of them) and preserved nature parks (La Mesa Eco Park) — add significantly to the country’s national identity.  

When asked about their impressions of the first-ever Mutya ng Quezon City, Kathleen Guerrero — now a lawyer who won in 2004 and a Binibining Pilipinas semi-finalist in 2008 — said that it instilled in her more discipline and balance. 

Katrina Rigets — one of the winners in 2004 who later became 2008 Mutya ng Pilipinas and is now one of the organizers of this event — looked back to the friendships she built from the pageant. She said it helped her venture into the events business.

Binibining Pilipinas-International 2008 Patricia Fernandez also came from the 2006 Mutya ng Quezon City. She now co-hosts GMA 7’s Unang Hirit morning show.

Binibining Pilipinas 2008 second runner-up Elizabeth Nacuspag is thankful for the mileage she gained from her experience as Miss Quezon City. She now does modeling.

Overall not only are the products of this city pageant successful in their respective fields; more significantly, they continue to engage in charity, giving assistance to street children and the homeless through the Mutya ng Pilipinas Foundation, of which Mutya ng Quezon City is an important adjunct.

Whoever said that beauty pageants are meaningless and trivial?

* * *

The 2009 Mutya ng Quezon City will be held on Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., at the UP Diliman Theater.