Mutya 2014 is on!

The Mutya 2014 pageant will have its grand coronation night on Aug. 8, to be aired on GMA.

To kick off the pageant, the organizers have sent Funfare pictures of the competing overseas beauties. Last year’s batch scored well in the pageant, namely Mutya ng Iceland Asdis Lisa Karlsdottir who was crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas-Overseas Communities; Mutya ng Arizona Maureen Ann Montagne, first runner-up; and Mutya ng Scandinavia Nazita Reyhanian who made it to the Top 10.

Here are this year’s overseas bets:

• Kim Fyfe, Mutya ng Australia — An 18-year-old stunner standing 5’8”, she is taking up B.S. Nursing/Psychology. She works at Quicksilver clothing as a fit model for Roxy. The Fyfes reside in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Kim’s mom hails from Dumaguete City. Kim hopes that the contest will help her overcome her shyness. “I want to have the courage to stand in front of a crowd as a proud Filipina,” she said.
• Lara Hirshenson, Mutya ng East Coast USA — Lara, 5’7”, epitomizes “beauty and brains.” A Mathematics summa cum laude graduate from Farleigh Dickinson University, she was crowned Miss Philippines-Fiesta USA 2011 and also awarded as Best in Swimsuit, Miss Maharlika Pilipino USA 2010 and Global Calendar Model (Seventeen Magazine).
• Britt Rekkedal, Mutya ng Norway — Born to a Filipino mother and a Norwegian father, Britt, 22, works as a chef and a part-time model. She wants to pursue a modeling career in the Philippines. Her other interests include dancing, kickboxing and politics.
• Pauline Edralin, Mutya ng Melbourne — Pauline, 22, was only 10 years old when she left the Philippines. The Edralin family went to England and stayed there for four years before finally settling in Australia. A cost engineer with an International Construction Consultancy degree in Construction Management at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, with honors, she would like to visit Palawan, Boracay, Bohol and Cebu. Asked what she misses about the Philippines, Pauline said, “Isaw and chicken feet!”
• Deborah Humpfner, Mutya ng Germany — Deborah Humpfner, 22, is a Wurzburg University senior who plans to work in the field of Public Relations. Her interests are dancing, reading and photography. She speaks German, English, French, Spanish and Chinese. 

Now on its 46th year, Mutya will also welcome delegates from Italy, Canada, Arizona and Italy. 

Meanwhile, the hunt for homegrown beauties is still going on, with the final screening to be held today at Sequioa Hotel in Quezon City. Three titles are at stake: Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific, Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism International and Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas Communities. 

The Mutya ng Pilipinas board led by Joseph T. Tan (chairman) and Jacqueline C. Tan (president) is officially announcing the participation of the various jurisdictions among the accredited partners of MPI. The swimsuit competition will again be held at Sheridan Beach Resort & Spa in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)