CEBU, Philippines – She considers her victory an answered prayer, one that came from the very reason she took to the stage in the first place.
“I feel very happy and very blessed. I am so thankful… I did not expect this (award) but I was praying every night to the Holy Child hoping to win,” said Cynthia Thomalla, the newly crowned Sinulog Festival Queen.
The Festival Queen of Tribu Himag-ulaw from Placer, Masbate bested 10 other Festival Queens in a colorful final Friday night at the Cebu City Sports Center.
The 20-year-old Tourism and Events Management graduate of STI College in Maasin City, Leyte received the crown from her predecessor, Julienne Hazel Penserga, last year’s Festival Queen of Tribu Himag-ulaw who eventually won Sinulog Festival Queen.
Aside from the crown, the Filipino-German beauty bagged most of the special awards, including SM Sinulog Festival Queen; Miss Kokuryo Cosmetics; Miss OLX Philippines; Yamaha Rev Queen; Miss Petron Value Card; Miss SUN; Miss Lecit-E; Miss BHI; Miss Photogenic; and Best in Production Presentation.
Thomalla is a dancer, a model, a sports enthusiast, and a bookworm.
The first beauty title she won was Miss Macrohon in 2011 at her hometown in Macrohon, Southern Leyte. The following year, she placed Second Runner-up in Miss Southern Leyte, First Runner-up in Miss Merida, and topped the Miss STI Regional Level Competition. A year later, she was crowned Miss Pintados and, two years after that, finished First Runner-up in Miss Mandaue.
She admits that she wants to foray into the national pageant scene.
Sinulog Festival Queen 2013 Jamie Herrell who also represented Tribu Himag-ulaw, joined Miss Earth Philippines and subsequently snatched the Miss Earth crown.
Completing this year’s Sinulog Festival Queen winners are Marianne Hernandez (1st runner-up) of Carcar City, Cebu province; Ceydney Basalo (2nd runner-up) of Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School-Barangay Labangon, Cebu City; Hyra Desiree Betito (3rd runner-up) of Looc Norte National School of Asturias-Asturias town, Cebu province; and Reignna Azucena Tan Mondoy (4th runner-up) of Tribu Katbalaugan-Catbalogan City, Samar province.
Hernandez, a 24-year-old admission marketing assistant, won Best in Festival Costume with a masterpiece of Aldo Sineneng while the Best Festival Costume went to De La Salle University student Jesmarie Shayne Maxilom of Tinubdan sa Kauswagan Cultural Troupe from Tuburan, Cebu with a costume designed by Roy Erwin Tizon.
During the finals, each candidate was given two minutes to show off their individual performance backed up by their own participating contingents and instrumentalists.
Basalo was picked Best Solo Performance while Mondoy got the Best in Group Performance with her group bagging the Best in Instrumentation award.
Hernandez took the top spot in the Best in Runway competition held prior to the coronation night at SM City Cebu-North Wing. Placing as 1st runner-up was Basalo while Betito was 2nd runner-up.
The other Festival Queens are Cecile Mae Grupp of Tribu Panglaoanon in Panglao Island, Bohol; Einee Shaine Erquita of Sinanduloy Cultural Troupe of Tangub City, Misamis Occidental; Zorena Oral of Apas National High School in Cebu City; Diana Therese Mejorada of Lanao del Norte; and Hannah Kyle Castro of Pasil Elementary School in Cebu City. — May B. Miasco/JMO (FREEMAN)