Miss Ilocos Norte 2017

All posts tagged Miss Ilocos Norte 2017

Rachel Peters and the 66th Miss Universe in her mind

Posted by Norman on June 6, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , . 16 Comments

Miss Universe Philippines 2017 Rachel Peters

I am liking the kind of friendship that I started to share with Miss Universe Philippines 2017 Rachel Peters. It all started with Miss Ilocos Norte 2017 and followed by normannorman.com’s coverage of the victory lunch hosted by David’s Salon a week after. And when she found out that I returned to Pagudpud just last weekend, she even checked if I was alright after hearing news that a Mayor of one of the municipalities Ilocos Norte was shot dead. The bond may not yet be deep, but we could be getting there in the long run.

And now that Rachel will soon start her intensive trainings for the 66th Miss Universe, I am sure that regular updates will be forthcoming. In a very recent interview with interaksyon.com, she was quoted as saying, “This June work starts again for me. There are many aspects to beauty pageant training. There’s the Pasarela, which is walking training. There’s fitness, Q&A, hair and make-up; so it’s gonna be exactly what I’ve been doing, but more intense…”

So be ready for our bet once she digs deep into her preparations. She did confess that her waistline at the moment is bordering on 27″, but that can be easily trimmed to an ideal 24″-25″ in no time at all. 😉

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Sunday Specials: Miss Ilocos Norte sets the bar high

Posted by Norman on May 21, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , . 5 Comments

I have lost count of all the provincial/regional beauty pageants I have judged the past few years. But it’s quite easy to recall one or two that really stood out in terms of production values, over-all stage design and direction plus the entire concept of the whole show. The recently-concluded Miss Ilocos Norte is one of them. Aside from a comfortable venue (Centennial Arena Laoag City) that would closely rival the inside seating capacity of a MOA Arena or Araneta Coliseum, the house was packed to the rafters with supporters coming in busloads from all over the province. What’s more, the well thought-of stage design was proudly inspired by the local fabric “Inabel” that accentuated the total look and feel of the proceedings.

Paolo Bediones (himself an Ilocano from San Nicolas) navigated everything seamlessly and made sure that his hosting was as professionally conducted as possible. If that wasn’t enough, the panel of judges included a good mix of individuals coming from pageantry (Rachel Peters, Ina Adina – a former Miss Ilocos Norte titleholder – and yours truly), fashion (Designers Joji Loren and Vittorio Barba), TV (Patricia Tumulak), politics and local achievers (like recent bar topnotcher Dave Camarao).

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Throughout it all, the strongest favorite – Dianne Lacayanga of Paoay – held on to the lead from start to finish, while a come-from-behind 1st Runner-Up pleasantly surprised the decision-makers when Keena Madamba of San Nicolas edged out the other front-runners to come close to winning the crown​​​​​.

Kudos to all the organizers, especially Aian Raquel of the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (including Kristian Ranjo, Xavier Ruiz, Khrisian Pedro and Clyde Panlaque) for continuing with the annual province-wide beauty pageant that keeps getting every year.

And many thanks for inviting yours truly to judge and for normannorman.com to cover the big event.

Till Miss Ilocos Norte 2018! 🙂

Here are videos from the finals courtesy of Raymond Valera.

37 Hours with Rachel Peters

Posted by Norman on May 17, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , . 33 Comments


When I was formally invited to sit as one of the judges during last night’s finals of Miss Ilocos Norte 2017, I took it as a welcome opportunity to spend quality time with the Chairman of the Board – Miss Universe Philippines 2017 Rachel Peters. While the schedule from Manila-to-Pagudpud-to Manila-to-Sariaya-to-Manila-to-Laoag was such a whirlwind travel from May 12-17, I didn’t mind the hectic pace at all.

Rachel and I were on the same PAL flight from Manila to Laoag. And right from the get-go, we started talking to each other, asking questions about anything pageant or non-pageant related. And before both of us knew it, we started getting more relaxed and less formal.


You all know that Rachel’s advocacy is to celebrate the individuality of everyone, and winning the Miss Universe Philippines crown made it more meaningful. She now has a platform by which she can further her cause and where her voice can be heard by many. She does not have plans of making any kind of earthshaking moves just yet. But now that the responsibility of being the Bb. Pilipinas 2017 top winner has beautifully sunk in, she is planning her reign with such enthusiasm.

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But do you know that there is a more personal reason why the crown is such a meaningful achievement for Rachel? She feels so much happiness that her entire family and that of boyfriend Migz Villafuerte are extremely proud of her victory. The support she got from both groups became a constant source of strength from the time she trained for the nationals to the day she was named a Binibini to the night she was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2017 and up to now.

I can now safely say that I have experienced a side of Rachel Peters not many individuals get the chance to see. She is such a thoughtful soul who cares for her friends like family. And she mixes it up with everyone very easily. I can remember the time late last night when she returned to the van after the finish of Miss Ilocos Norte. Fans swarmed around the vehicle but couldn’t get the chance to have a photo opportunity. She immediately stepped out and joined the crowds. And that made everyone happy.

I may have spent just 37 hours with Rachel but that length of time was enough to give me a better assessment of the beauty queen behind the camera flashes and klieg lights. I may not be able to share with you every single personal detail I have learned about her, but you will appreciate her even more as she prepares to train for the 66th Miss Universe. Yes, even if there is still no clarity on when and where it will happen next. 🙂

Meet the ladies of Miss Ilocos Norte 2017

Posted by Norman on May 10, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , . 19 Comments

The 23 Official Candidates of Miss Ilocos Norte 2017 in their swimwear photoshoot


On Tuesday- May 16 – at the Centennial Arena in Laoag City, Miss Ilocos Norte 2017 will be crowned in a lavishly-produced finals that will set up the winner to a possible fielding in national pageants here in Manila. Pleased to share that your blogger has been invited to sit in the panel of judges along with Miss Universe Philippines 2017 Rachel Peters and other distinguished personalities in fashion, arts, tourism and politics.

Here are the twenty-three (23) beautiful contenders for the crown. Tell me who you are liking afterwards: