Miss Cebu 2025 seeks to innovate, but sticks to core values

CEBU, Philippines — When the Miss Cebu 2025 candidates were asked what color they would assign to Cebu City, Angela Magienda Aumonier, 23, picked red.

“When I think of red, I think of the Cebuanos who are loving and loyal and who will help others no matter the walk of life they come from. It’s a city that is strong and resilient, able to overcome any challenge,” Aumonier, a Fil-Brit who holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology, explained at a press conference held Tuesday, November 5, at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

“As a proud Cebuana who has witnessed this first-hand, I embrace all those qualities, and I hope we can continue to create a Cebu City that is moving to greater heights so that our city’s future continues to be amazing.”

For Fil-Am nursing student Maijezel D. Sarcol, 20, she associates the city with the color yellow, explaining that it “represents happiness, warmth, and [being] welcoming.”

Fellow nursing student Tatiana Shantal Benedetti, 18, chose white to represent Cebuanos. “It symbolizes the beacon of support in our community, where we can always reach out and support each other. It’s in our hospitality, as we are always supportive of one another, and that’s the light and positivity of our city.”

Occupational Therapy student Julianne Jaye Ramos, 20, said she would assign the color green, stating, “I feel peace and relaxation with the people I talk to in Cebu. We are just so natural and authentic to ourselves and the people around us.”

Their answers align with the mandate of the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC), which spearheads the annual “personality search” as a promotional tool to position the city as a global tourist destination.

Also in this edition’s roster are Cestine Aury Fenix, 25, licensed medical technologist; Demi Hailey Dela Calzada, 20, Marketing student; Jolina Coronel, 22, Civil Engineering major; Kiara Liane Wellington, 22, Fashion Design student; Irene Kyle Salutan, 20, Management student; Christine Escanilla, 21, Marketing Management student; Lorieche Layne Galariana, 22, Broadcast Journalism graduate; and Shannara Eve Alob, 22, Nursing graduate.

Back to old branding

Despite the shift in leadership from the dismissed Cebu City mayor, Michael Rama, to his former vice mayor, Raymond Alvin Garcia, organizers assure it’s still business as usual at CCTC.

“I’m very thankful that even with the change in administration, there isn’t any change in the composition in the commission, as well as in the leadership in the Tourism office,” said councilor and CCTC Chairperson Jocelyn Pesquera.

“I’m glad that although I am under the Rama camp and Mayor Garcia will be running against him, he [Garcia] still gave our committee the opportunity to continue. There aren’t major changes to our budget, so we’ll be able to still fulfill our tasks and continue with the programs we have started.”

With Garcia distancing himself from the previous mayor’s “Singapore-like” branding, candidates see this as an opportunity for Cebu to return to its roots.

“If I were to re-brand Cebu, I would stick with the Queen City of the South image because we have the kind of rich cultural experiences that define Cebu. Our history is what earns Cebu City this title,” said Galariana, a BPO team leader.

Benedetti agreed, saying, “I think that’s a perfect name for a beautiful city like Cebu. It’s not just the warmth of the city but also the community that is friendly, and the natural beauty around us. Queen City of the South perfectly embodies that.”

Calzada, an executive representative, said her Miss Cebu batch is a reflection of the city’s culture. “That’s the beauty of being in Cebu. We’re so diverse and rich in people. We have Brits, Chinese, Spanish. Our line-up alone is very diverse and speaks for all of Cebu, and I think that’s what makes Cebu one of the most beautiful spots in the Philippines.”

Content creation will play a significant role in Miss Cebu 2025 as candidates will be tasked to produce content highlighting the city’s tourist spots.

While Pesquera said that previous editions have included video presentations of local spots during the finals, this will be the first year that an award will be given for Best Content Creation.

Asked which spot best represents Cebu City, Coronel cited Tops at Busay for its panoramic views.

“I would bring tourists to Tops. Because Cebu has so much to offer that can’t be visited in a single destination, I would choose Tops because you can pinpoint different areas of the city and their stories,” she explained.

Calzada picked Colon Street, explaining that it is “rich in history, and since Miss Cebu is all about merging history, diversity, and modern life, it should be our highlight.”

Escanilla would focus on Colon’s night market. “It’s always buzzing with energy and full of life. But it’s also where we see the kinds of livelihoods Cebuanos have. I want tourists to see their livelihood and understand their hard work. Cebuanos are hardworking, and they have the heart to bring peace to Cebu,” she said.

Alob and Galariana would use Cebu City’s delicacies to promote the city. Explaining why she thinks taho (soy pudding) represents Cebu, Alob said, “As someone who would wait for the vendor to shout ‘taho!’, it brings nostalgia. But it’s not just yummy, it also embodies the hard work of the vendors. I want people to see how hardworking Cebuanos are and reflect that in my promotion of Cebu.”

“I am a big fan of buwad (dried fish), and I get to see how it’s made firsthand. I want the hard work of the people who make buwad showcased to the world,” Galariana said.

Salutan, a student leader at the University of the Philippines-Cebu, named the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño as an important spot in Cebu, stating, “This is where everything started, where Christianity [in the Philippines] was born. It’s nice to showcase our city’s history and its origins.”

Beyond the physical

Miss Cebu 2025 will carry the theme “Embodying the Heartbeat of the City” as it seeks for a new title-holder that “embodies a deep connection to her roots” and someone who “advocates for sustainability and conservation efforts.”

While the theme also emphasizes the “importance of innovation and progress”, the pageant remains firm with its core mission of finding that blend of beauty and substance. This, despite some quarters finding Miss Cebu’s non-inclusion of a swimsuit segment as “living in the past.”

“The reason we don’t want to have the swimsuit, there are already a lot of pageants that have that, and so this makes us unique in this aspect,” Pesquera told The FREEMAN. “For all the members of the CCTC, being sexy is being who you are. You don’t have to wear revealing clothes to make you look or feel sexy.”

Tackling this issue, Aumonier said, “First, I want to acknowledge that the committee sets rules that we should follow so it’s important for us candidates to follow those rules. I am also aware that the world is progressing and hopefully, sometime in the future, Miss Cebu can change the rules and we will be able to have swimsuit. [But] as an abiding citizen raised to follow rules, we need to respect those rules to ensure we are keeping the branding of Miss Cebu and putting the best of ourselves out there.”

“For me, it isn’t very necessary to change it. I understand that we have to keep up…but beauty queens are more than our physical appearances, it’s really our inner beauty that radiates outwards. It’s about using this stage as a platform for our voices to be megaphones for change. As fun and glamorous as swimsuits are on stage, I think it’s important to remember that pageants are more than that.”

The Miss Cebu 2025 coronation night will be on January 15, 2025 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.