I doff my hat to the organizers (shoutout to my friend Danny Booc!) of Binibining Cebu 2017 for assembling not just 30, 40 or 50, but 54 Official Candidates in their inaugural edition. And mind you, this is a large group stocked with strong contenders and not just intermittent “fillers” to raise the number of participants. Now I can say that Cebu really produces so many beautiful Filipinas with diverse beauty, features and backgrounds. From Alcantara all the way to Tudela, they represent the best that this Southern Province – and not merely the Queen City of the South – can offer. There’s more to this provincial pageant than the familiar likes of former Binibinis Apriel Smith and Maria Gigante, I tell you.

The finals night won’t be until October 28 at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino – still more than a good month away from now – so I would give you first the pleasure of checking all of them out one by one.

Check out more about Binibining Cebu 2017 by visiting their FB Page. Swimsuit Pre-Pageant will be held this coming September 29 at the Grand Convention Center and the Evening Gown Competition at SM Seaside on October 4 if you are visiting Cebu City in the next week or two.