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24 comments on “Miss World Philippines 2022 Charity Gala Night and Top Model Challenge”

1. Slim pickings.
   Not hating, just stating ✌️

   • true!

2. I’m not 101% convinced Lalela Mswane will win Supra 2022. For that matter, I’m not sure she’s even better than predecessor Thato Mosehle who herself finished 2nd Runner-up. At best, South Africa might get the silver (1st Runner-up) this year, which is not bad.

   Last year’s star was really Valentina Sanchez of Venezuela, who was utterly convincing in all rounds/segments leading up to the Finale. I think the organization chose Namibia because Chanique’s advocacy work would ‘smell nice’ if it rubbed off on them & due to pandemic travel potentially becoming difficult it made sense to crown an African for proximity’s (to Europe) sake.

   Who can be our Valentina Sanchez (this time)? Is she even among these Top Models? Did Mr. ALV ask the Poland organization which among the BWAP Top 10 suits their ‘panlasa’?

   I think atm the middle-tier contests like Grand & Supra are the ones to watch, as being more or less ‘rweens-if-not-pubescents these brands are showing lots of progress, ‘yun’g tipo’ng ‘eager to please’. Kumbaga sa puno, they are at that stage na pinakamabilis ang carbon sequestration because of the growth spurt. Lahat naman ng products, ‘di ba, may life cycle? And just for me, the Big 3 might just be on the decline, their absolute best-est years now behind them. I’m still hopeful Gerhardt & Nawatt will get their dedicated Philippines nationals before too long!

   Kung sa itaas kukunin ang susunod kay Pajares, maybe we should send someone who ISN’T like her, who brings a different set of weapons & ammo to Poland to stun~outmaneuver the enemy. The current Suprs, as we know, is no longer the Belarus night that crowned Datul. And Dindi, in retrospect, may have been Mutya if the lovely lass from Isabela (?) competed now. My point, not another Dindi or Mutya.

   • @Grand Port on “the Big 3 might just be on the decline, their absolute best-est years now behind them” and “the middle-tier… Grand and Supra… are more or less ‘tweens-if-not-pubescents”: I agree on your assertion about the middle-tier pageants, but I doubt about the validity of your opinion on the Big 3. If you refer to the Big 3 as MU, MW and MI, I think their best years were during the epoch when the global pageantry market was still fixated on the traditional physical-only dimension of beauty. Now that the concept of beauty has gone holistic, MW and MU have embraced a branding evolution that encompasses the intellectual and character dimensions of beauty (generally seen thru the prism of advocacy). Lately, MI jumped into the branding bandwagon with its “Beauties for Sustainable Development”. I see this is the Big 3’s pragmatic effort to stay financially afloat in this volatile global market. I see this also as the case with MS which launched its branding initiative two year ago.

     • OK. You’re the business guru. You would know better when it comes to staying afloat~profitable.

       We’re cool.

       Pansin ko lang kasi, parang mas agile mag-implement ang mga smaller brands. My gosh, venue at date lang, pahirapan when it comes to the Big. I also imagine these three are under tremendous pressure precisely because of the burden of all that prestige attached to their brands forever.

       Anyway, MWP Finale draws near & hopefully we’ll finish higher at both World & Supra than in 2021.

       Oh, btw. Are you attending the G20 Summit?

     • Baka naisip mo’ng physicality lang ang dinala ni Valentina Sanchez sa Poland. I don’t know if the SupraChat sessions are still online. You listen in, & see if I was right to lionize her.

       I intentionally left out ME – Top 3 instead of 4 – because as you’ve said many times before, ME/MPE by showing no hesitation to go virtual proved to be the most adept at taking advantage of technology at hand. They were unperturbed, really! They deserve the praise & encouragement.

       But going back to the subject of this post, kasi nalihis na tayo…

       Mr. ALV may have used this challenge to draw attention to his options for Eco-Teen International, namely #’s 34 & 35, Aklan & Zambales respectively. Baka si #26 din (Bacoor City), but I’m unsure kung age-compliant pa rin siya. Usually ‘to’ng mga bata, sila ang all-out sa NatCos or similar sartorial contests. I mean, I assume a lady in her late ’20’s would opt to go for ‘more professional’.

       Congratulations to the Top Model Top 10! And kudos to all the creatives who come up with these.

     • @Grand Port, in other words the move towards reinventing themselves via branding is pageantry’s way of adapting to the changing market landscape. All of them– the Big 4 and some second-tier pageants– are each developing its distinct optic before the global audience. To buck market direction is to slide down to obsolescence. Fortunately, or unfortunately for the traditionalists, the business of perception revolves around the changing concept of beauty– from purely physical to inclusively intellectual and core values.

     • @Grand Port, I agree with you on Venezuela at MS last year. I think MS just used the political economy playbook in its choice, and it’s perfectly within its prerogative to do so. It may have deemed more impactful to leave its “Aspirational. Inspirational” imprint in Africa than elsewhere at that point in time. I’m glad that we are on the same page on ME. But while ME deserves “praise and encouragement” for being “unperturbed” at going virtual, I must say I expected more online engagement by the pageant itself with its followers. I think the reason for criticisms that it has become boring is due to the lack of innovative ways to get its followers and candidates engaged in interactive online activities related to environmental issues. I feel that it has not leveraged on technology optimally enough, let alone pivoted its way to corporate sponsorships despite the online modality.

     • You think if, like MWP & MUP, MPE offers NFT’s, that would be helpful?

       Just how well is the e-commerce scaffold in the Philippines interfaced with environmental work? For example, can it somehow help track down & intercept wildlife smugglers? MPE’s 2022 theme centers on the country’s fauna… Expect a fresh onslaught of NatCos interpretations of the Philippine eagle… (Marami na namn’g aangal, “ibon na naman”). Kasi, you want MEO to go beyond lip service & actually get eco-criminals behind bars, right? But by that time, it would be too late as the poor animals would have been depleted to the point of functional extinction.

       Have you heard of the ‘wood wide web’ concept? How in ancient forests the underground network of tree roots & soil fungi are theorized to actually be a sort of communication hub of the woods? That was like the theme of ‘Avatar’ (the sci-fi film), where Sigourney Weaver argued that the true valuer of that alien world was not in the minerals that could be extracted but in the way each & every entity~being, no matter how grand or modest, was connected to everything else in real time.

       Kaka-discuss natin ng environmentalism, Eco-International ang makikinabang sa ‘tin, not Earth…

   • @Grand Port, you only mentioned Big 3 but with due respects it is Big 4 as far as I’m concerned. This includes ME. Among the big pageants in fact, it is ME that has the most relevant advocacy as it deals squarely on an existential threat to humanity– the global climate change. My only wish is that ME can duplicate the branding coup that MI has lately done with its partnership with the UN SDGs. Collaboration with the Paris Accord Secretariat initiatives will definitely give its environment advocacy the much-needed shot-in-the-arm.

3. Based on the girls’ performances in the fast track events and special events, it is clear that MWP 2022 has a powerful set of crown contenders.

   Closely following the journey of this batch, I am reminded of the time when the country sent two of the strongest, most polished, and undeniably charismatic queens to Miss World: Maria Rafaela “Mafae” Yunon and Karla Bautista.

   This batch has a potential to produce a Top Five finisher in Miss World or perhaps even the second crown for the country. There is a Miss World-worthy kind of polish and class that a lot of girls from this batch exude. I really hope the right girl gets crowned.

   As for the Supranational Ph crown, there are two considerations, in my opinion, in selecting the winner: (1) she has to be comfortable in her own skin, and (2) she should not only be well-spoken but also truly sincere. The major rebrand of Miss Supranational must be taken seriously by the MWP/ALV org. Gone are the days that mere facial beauty is enough.

   As for RHA, I suggest that the organization approach this year’s selection as an opportunity to understand deeper the preference and the standards of the RHA organization. Mexico and Venezuela have mastered the formula for RHA in the same way that the Philippines has mastered the formula for Miss International. Since the country’s participation in RHA had begun only in 2017, the MWP/RHA org can send a girl who embodies a different set of attributes compared to the past RHA Filipnas delegates.

   As for Eco, the MWP/ALV org can send who they feel feel can give the country a respectable finish. The Philippines has been performing particularly well in this pageant. Selecting a proper delegate wouldn’t be a problem at all.

   Here are my probable winners:

   World – Subijano / Chan / Santamaria

   Supranational – Chan / Santamaria / Felizarta

   RHA – Ortega / Chan / Gigante

   Eco – Fourniol / Gigante / Black

   Runners up (Dark horses) – Manuel / Esparrago / Dizon / Kristensen

   Notes:

   For World, I can imagine Santamaria and Chan dazzling on the MW stage looking like Southeast Asian princesses. Santamaria has the potential to charm her way to the MW Top 5 the way Karla Bautista did during her time. Chan reminds me of Wenxia… just utterly beautiful and classy. Chan can be our second Miss World. Subijano, if crowned MWP, will do well in MW but something tells me that she lacks the gravitas of a Miss World winner. Although truly beautiful and tall and well-spoken, Subijano still comes across as timid and maybe even fragile. If she develops a certain kind of “fire in the belly”, she may be our second Miss World; if not, she can perhaps duplicate Tracy’s Top 13 finish or duplicate the performace of Laura Lehmann in 2017. Any of these three girls will do well in Miss World. They only question is, “Who would be the girl who would sparkle like a Miss World queen?”

   For Supra, if we are to select someone who can give Lalela a good fight for the crown, I suggest we send either Chan or Santamaria. They both are flawlessly beautiful Asian women. Both of them can think on their feet and both possess class and sophistication. If Chan will not be given the MWP title, send her to Supra. She will make the country proud. If Santamaria fails to win the MWP title, she may do well in Supra. For Santamaria, it’s either MWP or SupraPh or First Princess. Don’t send her to RHA or Eco. Felizarte is my third choice for the SupraPh crown. At this stage, Felizarta has the bare minimum traits of a SupraPh representative BUT not yet the full set of traits required for her to win against a Lalela. She may duplicate Dindi’s performance or at the very least make it to the Top 20 like Resham.

   RHA – Send Ortega. At this juncture, the organization has nothing to lose. Ortega’s participation wouldn’t guarantee our second RHA crown but it will allow the MWP/ALV org to understand deeper the RHA org’s standards and preferences. We have sent four very different girls to RHA and three of them did exemplary well (Marquez, Llegado, Vera). Ortega would be our first Spanish-speaking delegate if ever. I believe it would be a very smart gamble. She is ready. She has a certain sparkle in her eyes and a certain energy that makes her likeable. If somehow Ortega gets a crown other than RHA, my alternate RHA would be Chan. Winwyn Marquez did extremely well as a Filipina with flawless oriental features and an undeniable skillset in traditional and Latin dance. Chan, like Winwyn, is a perfect-faced oriental beauty who is also a dancer par excellence. In the event that Ortega and Chan win crowns other than RHA, Gigante would be a good option. My only issue with Gigante is that she doesn’t seem to possess a certain star quality or je ne sais quoi. If we send her to RHA, she will standout because of her Pacific islander attributes. The only question is, would she have the sparkle and the energy to place and win in Bolivia?

   Eco – The Eco organization seems to have a fixed preference for the Ph sash. We have sent mestizas to Eco and they all did well. Fourniol is the most recognizable mestiza of this batch. She also seems to fit the kind of Ph delegate that the Eco org has favored the past cycles. If Fourniol fails to bag a crown or lands as one of the princesses, Gigante would be a good choice for Eco. She is well-spoken and is physically of a different beauty prototype compared to the girls that the MWP/ALV org has been sending to Eco. Gigante will easily ace the competition. Black will also do extremely well as a Miss Eco Ph. Black has been one of the most consistent girls in this batch. She is well-spoken with an endearing personality. She will bring the Philippines’ sunshine and warmth to the Eco competition for sure.

   • @Golden Mean, insightful comments as usual! It would be interesting if you write similar incisive analysis for BBP candidates.

4. Paula looks stunning!! Will get the crown for sure. Vamos Paula!

5. My Top 3

   San Juan nailed it… The Look… the face… the pose… the styling… the background… I love it… I just wish she was holding a clump of hangers with tacky clothes like a rasta tie-die shirt, a pair of yellow polkadot bikinis and maybe a tutu costume for dogs on one hand as if she’s picking it up from the floor in that position… but overall she’s the best.

   Parañaque is a close runner-up… she could have won this if she served more face… This picture would have been more impactfull if she looked at the Camera… plus it would have been more interesting if she held a bigger fish… and she’s surounded by tubs of fishes in icey water on the floor…

   Negros Occidental looked like a gorgeous model.. but I feel like this is a missed opportunity…. If only she exagerated her body position.. tried to jump in heels… or maybe even acted like she’s doing “angkas” on the side-car beside her with one foot.. while her other leg is contorted towards her back… instead of just standing there lookin pretty… she could have been the hands down winner…

6. At this point of competition, here are my latest choices
   World: Montenegro
   Eco-International: Esparrago
   RHA: Ortega
   Tourism : Gigante
   Environment International: Sta. Maria
   Supranational: Felizarta
   Eco teen: Bonilla
   First runner up: Furniol
   2nd runner up: Chan

   • Very good choice for Supra. Thanks Serge.

   • Only 4 titles will be awarded on June 5. Here are my choices:
     World: Montenegro
     Eco-International: Gigante
     RHA: Ortega
     Supranational: Felizarta
     First runner up: Sta. Maria
     2nd runner up: Esparrago

     • Serge, JUSTICE for Justine Felizarta. Ibigay na sa kanya ang Supra. Please…

7. Napaka-elegant and lovely ni Ingrid diyan oh!

   Kung ganyan ba naman pinasuot nila sa MUP, naka-Top5 sana siya!

   Ayan na! Toned down na yung image ni Ashley, very feminine na siya!

   Any of the two could be the next MWP!

8. It’s gonna be another ‘Ah, ok’ moment for the MWP winner like Tracy . Bakit sya? Ah, ok. May ibubuga naman pala .
   I hope a really articulate candidate wins MWP , Hindi yung pabibo lang

9. Gigante , I cannot see her face . Dark skin is fine but I have to be able to see the face

10. My man Arnold Vergara! He seems to have shrunk in height, hair got darker and grown another chin as years go by.

    All the best ladies

    #BringBackCory!

    • *Vegrafia

11. Phoned-in question po.

    In the first photo, someone is asking if Arnold Vegafria is a model of “Head and Shoulders” shampoo. Kasi daw wala syang neck. Lol.

    World Peace.

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