Marco, Ameen and JB could be in the Mr World Philippines 2018 shortlist

Marco, Ameen and Denver could be in the Mr Supranational Philippines 2018 shortlist

Robin, Joshua and Miguel could be in the Mr Eco International Philippines 2018 shortlist

JB, Wilfred and Abdullah could be in the Mr Multinational Philippines 2018 shortlist

So you think that predicting the results of #MrWorldPhilippines2018 is easy peasy lemon squeezy?

Think again.

There may be only sixteen (16) Official Candidates to base my fearless forecasts on. But with practically all of them qualified to become winners, putting the right guy for the right title is not a task one can do with eyes wide shut. I refuse to just see something in plain view, because of preconceived notions of what the superficial peg for a competition should look like.

Hence, I opted first to assign potential winners in each of the four (4) titles at stake. There is no denying that the three front runners among them are Half-Italian Marco Poli, Half-Lebanese Ameen Sardouk and 100% Pinoy JB Saliba. Each one of them possesses the qualities of a winner. 6’3” Marco and 6’4” Ameen have the height advantage, though. JB, on the other hand, may be shorter but he more than makes up for it in the communications department. And he is not lagging in looks as well. One of them will become our host delegate for the next edition of Mister World happening in Manila come January, 2019.

As for Mister Supranational, the towers of power Marco and Ameen are in the lead for consideration as well. They fit the peg of the Europe-based competition. But don’t count Denver Hernandez out. This Italy-raised hunk may not be tall but he is definitely a performer who can draw attention with ease and appeal. One of them could be Poland-bound by late November.

Going to Mr Eco International, I have always thought that a pretty face is tops in qualification, plus a more than decent level of articulation/thought processing. First to be considered would be former Mr Grand Philippines Joshua Reginald Banatin, followed closely by half-Dutch Robin Hanrath. Miguel de Castro could be the spoiler in this mix. One of them could be the eventual partner of Miss Eco Philippines 2018 Maureen Montagne for the international event.

And lastly, there is India-based Mr Multinational. This title is a little more difficult to set a profile for. But I would put in JB Saliba once more, along with half-Yemeni Abdullah Sharif Cheng and Wilfred Placencia as contenders. They offer totally different flavors and looks. I wouldn’t mind seeing one of them paired with Miss Multinational Philippines 2018 Kimi Mugford for the pageant mission next year.

Now if I want to push the envelope further and zero in on the predicted winners, I would go for:

1) Marco Poli as Mr World Philippines 2018 – he is almost 100% the total package, without a doubt. More polishing on the Q&A portion will complete the profile that would sit well with Julia Morley;

2) Ameen Sardouk as Mr Supranational Philippines 2018 – he has the engaging personality and physical attributes to do well in Poland;

3) Joshua Reginald Banatin as Mr Eco International Philippines 2018 – he has the matinee-idol looks coupled with intelligence that could suit the requirements of the international competition;

4) JB Saliba as Mr Multinational Philippines 2018 – he is the brand ambassador who can strongly sustain the image and ideals of the organization long after the winners have been chosen. And he is likely to be the best fit for India in the bigger mission ahead.

Tomorrow night is the Finals of Mr World Philippines 2018 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater of Resorts World Manila. Show starts at 8pm. TV telecast will be on the night of October 28 over GMA-7.