Cebu City bet wins MUP’s swimsuit photo challenge

CEBU, Philippines —   “We have 13 days before coronation night…and team Cebu is just starting!” declares Tracy Maureen Perez in her caption for an Instagram post of her winning swimsuit photo for Miss Universe Philippines.

Tracy, an industrial engineer who was crowned Binibining Cebu Charity in 2018, is Cebu City’s representative to the first edition of MUP.

Photographed by Jon Unson, styled by Edward James Castro, with makeup by Nicko Dela Peña and hair by Niño John Solis, the shot was Tracy’s entry for MUP’s Swimsuit Photo Challenge for Episode 3 of the pageant’s Ring Light series.

“I’m still in awe, but I could never have done it without my very hardworking dream team,” added Tracy, who is under the tutelage of Sven Chua’s Origin Model Management.

Titled “My Face, My Space,” the latest episode in the eight-part Ring Light series featured the candidates’ first graded challenge, wherein they had to showcase their skills in taking portraits and social media videos.

“How do you put many stunning things in one photo? The pose, the curves, and the view delivered a 1 2 3 punch! We are stunned by Miss Cebu City, Tracy Maureen Perez our top swimsuit photoshoot winner,” MUP wrote on their Facebook page.

The next episodes will feature challenges on runway, styling, and Q&A, leading up to the coronation on Oct. 25, to be telecast 9 am on GMA Network. – VAB