CEBU, Philippines — Maria Angelica Pantaliano of Mandaue City, Cebu was named Miss Tourism Metropolitan International 2022/23 at the November 25 finals of the 25th Miss Tourism International pageant held in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Also awarded Miss Photogenic, she joins the esteemed company of Cebuanas who have placed in the Malaysia-based international pageant namely, the late Rizzini Alexis Gomez in 2012 and Angeli Dione Gomez in 2013 who were both Miss Tourism International title-holders.
This year’s main crown went to the Thailand candidate, with delegates from Venezuela, Singapore, USA, New Zealand, and Malaysia nabbing the other titles of Miss Tourism Queen International, Miss Tourism Global, Miss Tourism Cosmopolitan International, Dreamgirl of the Year International, and Miss Southeast Asia Tourism Ambassadress, respectively.
A Business Administration graduate from the University of San Carlos who currently works as a bank teller, Pantaliano was a semifinalist in the 2019 edition of Mutya ng Pilipinas. The same pageant organization appointed her this year to represent the country at Miss Tourism International, since Mutya is still to hold its selection of new title-holders come December 4.
The upcoming Mutya ng Pilipinas coronation will declare a representative to next year’s Miss Tourism International. The other titles up for grabs are Mutya ng Pilipinas, Mutya ng Pilipinas-World Top Model, and Mutya ng Pilipinas-Overseas Communities, Mutya ng Pilipinas Luzon, Mutya ng Pilipinas Visayas, and Mutya ng Pilipinas Mindanao.