Beyond the walls of the ballroom

The venue would still be the fabulous ballroom of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel but next year's staging of the Queen City of the South's most prestigious beauty and brains pageant would definitely be a different one since it will be peppered with many "firsts." For the first time, the search for Miss Cebu is being positioned at a level where it will capture a wider audience that is way beyond the A-B crowd. Thus, for the first time since the contest began in 1984, a fashion show participated by the candidates and past winners will take place at the Fuente Osmeña Oval five days before the coronation night on January 18.

Dubbed "Fashion Show and Band Night," its highlight will be the selection of 'The Best in Catwalk" from among the 12 finalists who were introduced to the press October 10 at Krua Thai Restaurant. Fashion Czar Philip Y. Rodriguez, chairperson of the Committee on Production, revealed that the said activity is to heed Mayor Tomas Osmeña's desire to reach a wider following, including the "masa," in choosing Miss Cebu. Therefore the pageant should not be limited to a hotel's ballroom but should be the entire metropolis. More wide screens will also be placed in strategic locations for the benefit of those who can't make it to event on January 18. As early as now, bisrock band Scrambled Eggs is already on the list of performers while its vocalist Jay-R Siaboc who is presently among the scholars of ABS-CBN's Pinoy Dream Academy is also eyed to appear come pageant night.

For the first time also, the finalists were introduced this early so that total development of their personalities will surely be documented, putting even more pressure on the girls as thousands of discriminating eyes are watching them from now on. Cebu's ace photographer Jon Onson, for the first time, is also part of the production team who will work in tandem with young but creative Ken Onozawa for the pictorials and the mounting of the candidates' music video. The 12 candidates will also be more hands on, particularly on proper protocol as they will all be very much involved in various activities of the ASEAN Summit early this December.

Meanwhile, having been noted for his never ending innovations that make the pageant an event to watch out for annually, Rodriguez eyes more twists and turns to put up the best show this side of the planet. With top caliber director/choreographer Junjet Primor on board as well, expect the unexpected as far as creativity to the highest level and class is concerned.

In that case, the candidates are also expected to give a good fight because majority of them are no longer beauty pageant virgins. Among those who made the cut from originally 32 hopefuls are Katrina Isabelle Ros, 5'3 tall at 19 and a Nursing junior at Cebu Doctors University, Janedee Mendoza who stands 5'31/2 who at 24 works as Admin Assistant at RCBC Vismin Regional Office, Loise Angelique Tan, a 20-year old Nursing senior at Velez College who stands 5'4, Maria Therese Villar, a holder of an AB Information Technology degree from USJR who is 22-years old and is 5'4 tall and candidate number 6 is Imee Sheryl Veloso who stands 5'41/2 who at 22, majors in AB Linguistics and Literature at USC.

The second batch is composed of Carlisle Santos, a 20-year old Nursing senior at CDU who stands 5'51/2, Maria Ruby Guinto, 5'6 tall at 20 and is a Psychology senior at USC, Joan Kristine Uy, 5'6 and 23-year old Nursing graduate of the UV Gullas Medical Centre who passed the controversial June 2006 board examination, Marguerite Taylor, 5'7 tall at 18, who majors in Laboratory Sciences at CDU, Maria Theresa Gorgonio, 5'7 and Tourism sophomore at USC, Anna Katrina Alcaraz an Architecture graduate from UP Diliman, who is 23-years old and stands 5'71/2 and the tallest of them all is candidate number 12, Fern Ann Medequillo, a Tourism sophomore at USC who stands 5'8.

It surely is a no carpet ride for the candidates in their quest to be the successor of Miss Cebu 2006 Stephanie Señires. Consider this, half of them are representing the four modeling agencies operating here: Models Association of Cebu of Chicoy Tomol, Dexter Alazas'AD Models Phils., Wafer Models and Concepts of Marlon Wafer and Danny Booc's Ozar Models. This means they already have the edge because they are already exposed to the catwalk so they could play and manipulate the ramp properly. Two of them finished first runner-up in the search for Miss Mandaue (clearly the jumping board for bigger pageants) in different years, Tan in 2005 with Bb. Pilipinas World Anna Maris Igpit as winner and Santos last May with Nicole Schimitz as bearer of the crown. Uy was Miss Air Philippines Visayas three years ago, Taylor was Miss Teen Philippines second runner-up in 2004 while Gorgonio, finished in the top 10 of the said teen search this year. But who knows if a fresh face among the rest of the candidates will emerge the winner? After all, they are beautiful and smart that in the words of Tan, Uy and Santos, their preparation for the pageant is in the aspect of developing more their communication skills and getting well versed in current events because that is where the battle lies. So, buckle up because as the showdown fires up!