Rizzini Gomez all set for Ms. Tourism International

CEBU, Philippines -  Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific 2012 Camille Guevara went home empty-handed after participating in the Miss Intercontinental pageant held last November 24th in Aachen City, Germany. That was the same day her fellow Filipino representatives to Miss Earth and Mr. World 2012 competed in their respective tilts, and both managed a first-runner up finish.

Next up will be Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International 2012 Rizzini Alexis Gomez, who will spend New Year’s Eve in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia trying to outshine other candidates vying for the Miss Tourism International 2012 crown.

The 22-year-old Cebuana had months of preparation for her big night this December 31st, including “brushing up on speech and etiquette. I’ve also been learning how to walk and apply make-up under a certain time limit. Most importantly, I’ve been reading up a lot on Malaysian culture.”

The Miss Tourism International website lists only one Filipina titleholder (Miss Tourism International 2000 Maria Esperanza) since the franchise began in 1994. Fingers crossed our second time is happening this year!

Gomez is happy with the thought that she has her fellow Mutya 2012 winners to turn to for genuine love and support. The four girls – Guevara, Gomez, 1st runner-up Emma Tiglao and 2nd runner-up Larah Grace Lacap – shared that they had formed a strong bond with all their traveling around the country.

“We actually no longer treat each other as friends, but as sisters and the organizer Jacqueline Tan has been like a mother to us,” said Tiglao, 18, of Central Luzon. 

Among all their trips, the ladies agreed in unison that Puerto Princesa, Palawan had to be the most memorable. “Being a runner-up gave me the opportunity to visit the Underground River of Puerto Princesa, Palawan which is now among the new Wonders of the World. It was my second time, but I was still amazed by its beauty!” Tiglao exclaimed.

“But nothing still beats the bonding moments with the girls,” she added.

Except Gomez who is a registered nurse, all the rest are Tourism students which just comes in handy with their job description as beauty tourism ambassadors.

“It’s been so much fun and exciting seeing all these places we haven’t been to before and meeting a lot of new people. I’ll be bringing all these experiences with me to Malaysia,” said Gomez. 

As for the runners-up, they revealed plans of joining Binibining Pilipinas after their duties for Mutya end – and we can bet on Gomez and Guevara supporting their new-found ‘sisters’ full-on! (FREEMAN)