'Urban Guardian Angels' theme for Miss Mandaue 2012

CEBU, Philippines - If last year’s Miss Mandaue pageant paid tribute to the women who shaped the history of what is touted as Cebu’s industrial city, the 2012 edition will see the pretty hopefuls act as heavenly urban muses.

The theme being “Urban Guardian Angels”, Miss Mandaue pageant director Emelio “Jojin” Pascual explained the concept behind such, during the official candidates’ first press presentation at the West Atrium of Parkmall.

“It’s like the mayor, he can’t tend to each and every problem of the city himself, right? If we were in Mount Olympus, the mayor would be Zeus who has his bevy of muses. The girls will then serve as muses for the different aspects or urbanization concerns of Mandaue, especially that we are an industrialized city. Because more than just being a beauty pageant, we want the girls to be an inspiration,” said Pascual, who is in his fifth year of overseeing the anticipated beauty contest.

Thus, when the ladies gave their individual introductions, they referred to themselves as ‘Guardian Angel for Peace and Order’, ‘Guardian Angel for Waste Segregation’, and so on. Pascual said he had difficulty reducing the urban concerns to 12, because “admittedly, Mandaue, or any other city in the country, still does not have an ideal setting.”

He hastened to add however, that they do not expect the candidates to fully solve the problems assigned to them, but to serve as an agent for change for that particular issue.

“That’s why for their immersion, we spread them out to the different barangays, for them to see the real Mandaue. So that if ever they win, they can adopt a relevant advocacy. If you notice, after the coronation, we rarely see the girls. We see them back in the limelight when they turn over their crown. This time, we are hoping that through their barangay immersions, they will be able to champion an advocacy for the city,” he stated.

A special portion of the coronation night will then have the candidates don huge wings in an assortment of designs and clutch a staff decorated to symbolize their urban issue. One lady will be chosen for the Best in Costume award.

Out of 59 females who screened, these were later trimmed down to 30, and then to the final 12. From the usual 16 candidates, they got only 12 for this batch to save on production expenses. It is of the same reason that no Mr. Mandaue will be held this year, and will instead be staged every three years, according to the chairperson of the beauty search committee and Mandaue City’s First Lady Sarah Cortes.

The chosen ‘angels’ are Maria Cassandra Yu, Jomalyn Seldura, Febb Flores, Armijoice Bael, Daisy Rell Lopez, Keena Mary Anne Sumido, Nicole Tuazon, Neesha Namrata Murjani, Zenybelle de los Santos, Michelle Jane Uy, Jacqueline Pedotti and Joanne Bonnety.

Of the dozen, four are half-breeds: There’s a Fil-American, Fil-Indian, Fil-Italian and a Fil-French. There’s one who just graduated Cum Laude of an ECE course at the University of San Carlos, a Sangguniang Kabataan president of Compostela, and another taking a Customs course at the University of Cebu. In short, they are a varied, interesting mix of personalities and abilities.

Finals night will be on May 6, to be held at the Convention Center of J-Centre Mall. As in previous years, the Miss Mandaue 2012 winner is set to receive a cash prize of P50,000 plus other sponsor rewards.

Pascual is hoping to implement enhancements to the pageant night program. For one, last year’s overstretched affair at the Cebu International Convention Center ended close to 2 am!

“The production is going to improve because I will have the luxury of just focusing on Miss Mandaue. The past four years, I handled all pageant activities in the fiesta line-up. Also, with the promise of a bigger budget, we will have a better opportunity at improvements,” he said.

It was also learned that the now acknowledged Miss Mandaue 2011 is first runner-up Crystal Star Aberasturi, after original title-holder Donna Maricel Cardino resigned before December of last year. Cardino, who became a Miss World-Philippines finalist two months after winning Miss Mandaue, decided to pass on the responsibility since she received a hard-to-refuse three-year job contract in a hotel in Doha, Qatar.