CEBU, Philippines — A 27-year-old makeup artist and blogger bested 10 other mothers to win the My Pretty Mama 2018 crown during the coronation held Saturday at The Stage of Emall.
Lyssa Amor Diaz, a mother of a four-year-old boy named Shin, took home P50,000 worth of prizes. She also won the most number of awards, such as Best in Evening Gown, Best in Production Number, Alberto’s Choice and The Freeman’s Choice.
The mothers competed in the pre-pageant talent competition, and showed their fire throughout the coronation wherein they strutted down the stage for their production number, walked elegantly in their modern ternos, and exuded confidence and strength in their warrior queen ensembles. The festival costume segment in previous editions was replaced this year with the warrior queen category to stress our mothers’ courage and fortitude. In the final category, the finalists also presented their wisdom in a preliminary interview.
After the modern terno competition, 11 candidates were cut to six finalists, and being Freeman’s Choice, Diaz, from Apas, Lahug, Cebu City automatically catapulted herself onto the Magic Six. Alongside Diaz in the top six were 39-year-old real estate agent Jeanelyn Genabe from Babag, Lapu-Lapu City; 31-year-old businesswoman Anna Saycon from Bacayan, Cebu City; 35-year-old businesswoman Leni Gaspan from Liloan; 24-year-old-singer and second year travel management student at Cebu Technological University Grace Montejo from Lawaan, Talisay City; and 27-year-old professor and laboratory preceptor Fleur Sumalpong from Basak, Pardo Cebu City.
During the preliminary interview, Diaz, who was not fully recovered from a reeling fever the night before, was asked what she would like to change in her past.
“If I were to change something in my past, it would be to rest during my second pregnancy,” Diaz began. “I was a career woman. I am a career woman and I worked hard as a mother and as a pregnant woman. But I lost my child because of that. So if I would be given the chance to turn back time, I will rest so I can be with my baby right now.”
For the final question and answer portion, the finalists were asked how they plan to contribute to the My Pretty Mama organization should they become the next queen.
Diaz answered, “What I can contribute to the organization is that first and foremost, I believe the crown comes with great responsibility and that is to award mothers for all the hard work, sacrifices, and efforts that they did for the family. So I would do that. And at the same time, I would promote my own advocacy which is to help all the other mothers, empower them, especially those who are experiencing depression.”
Diaz, who says she joined the competition because of the cause behind it, is now tasked to encourage love and selflessness, and become an exemplary woman for the family, church, and the society.
The nursing graduate from Cebu Doctors’ University hopes to realize her advocacy on depression. She says that although the other candidates are more mature and have had more experiences than her, she also took the opportunity to prove herself and learn.
“I want to raise awareness on depression. Not just for mothers but also for other people. It’s not that I personally experience depression, I experience sadness but most of the time I am able to cope but I have two friends who lost their lives because of it and I felt guilty that I wasn’t able to help them. Of course, what’s next is to do what the organization has planned for me, and I also plan to coordinate with mental health experts,” says Diaz, who is open to joining national and international pageants for moms.
“I don’t treat being younger as a disadvantage. I am a person who is always willing to grow. I took it as an opportunity for growth and learning from them [candidates.] I am so overwhelmed and I am so glad. This is my first time to join, and I can use my voice to empower other women. I am a career woman but I also take care of my son full-time. I want to encourage all mothers that parenthood is not a hindrance to achieve your goals and dreams.”
Diaz’s first runner-up is Grace Montejo who received P30,000 worth of prizes. She spoke about the administration’s war on drugs as the national issue that affected her the most as a mother. Montejo quipped how her heart goes out to all the mothers who had lost children in the bloody fight against drugs, reasoning that everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of God. She stressed that as a Catholic, she is a firm believer of the sixth commandment from the Bible: Thou shall not kill.
“I believe that my contribution would be my leadership. At a very young age, it is not easy to raise three kids. I am strong, I know I can do it,” Montejo, a former SK Chairman who dealt with backlash after becoming a young mother, says during her turn in the final Q&A.
“I am a listener, I am a doer. I am a woman driven by compassion, a sense of justice, and a heart full of love. At the end of the day, we can tell that leadership is not for power but for service. I am willing to serve everyone especially all the mothers out there. Dreaming doesn’t stop. I am an example.”
The youngest among the candidates, the 24-year-old singer was also awarded Best in Warrior Queen Costume and Loveli’s Skin Choice.
“Lyssa deserved to be the queen and we all deserved to be the winners for tonight. I am blessed. Athough I have been a breadwinner at the age of 16, daghan na ko og na experience but maybe being a mother for five years is not enough pa. But I’m happy that the judges believed in me.” the mother of three said.
Second runner-up was Fleur Sumalpong, a 27-year-old public health advocate who spoke of love being the greatest gift she can give to her child.
Other awardees include Jeanelyn Genabe for Best in Talent, Texter’s Choice and Miss Photogenic; Dolores Alarin for Best Advocacy (anti-domestic violence) and Netizen’s Choice; Catherine Saldue for Miss Congeniality; Leni Gaspan for Best in Runway and People’s Choice; and Nadia Cagay for Best in Acting.
Tasked to score the ladies’ performance were judges Ceferina Cababan, Sharon Banton, Vanessa Balbuena, Amil Opigal, Em-em Hann, Loveli June Minoza, Jee Candelasa, Joana Tandan, with My Pretty Mama head Joseph Joshua Musca as chairman.
My Pretty Mama, now on its fifth year, is a pageant that searches for the paradigm of mothers: someone who dreams for herself all the while being a woman for others. Organized by the Ministry of Music and Performing Arts Academy and Redfly Entertainment Events and Promotions, My Pretty Mama also provided singing, dancing, acting, and modelling training for candidates to bring them out of their shells and give them a chance to rediscover themselves after dedicating every bit and fiber of their being to the family.
This is no ordinary pageant. There were no rules when it came to how much you weighed and what you looked like. So long as you were between 24 and 45 years old, a Filipino citizen who is legally married with at least one child, then you’re all set.
The 11 mothers proved that they were capable outside of their own homes, reminding us that despite their selflessness, they too have their own voices, identities, dreams and talents.
True to their mission of rewarding mothers, one of the evening’s highlights was having the candidates’ family members go up on stage to honor their hard work – bringing the mothers to tears.
In a roundtable discussion with The Freeman prior to the coronation night, the candidates got real with the topic of motherhood and being a woman. For them, the idea of a reward was simple: to feel the love back, and just seeing their loved ones happy and succeeding in life. They also shared how they were so happy to have the opportunity to rediscover, celebrate, and enjoy themselves despite all previous doubts.
The crowd that Saturday did come through, cheering for their mothers in a frenzy throughout the entire affair.
For a day, these beautiful mamas traded their usual routine for a night of glamour and friendly competition. Their children, husbands and family members looked at them with all the awe, love, and respect that they so very deserved as they broadened their horizons through the competition.