Isabela town toasts local beauty’s win in int’l pageant

TUGUEGARAO CITY , Philippines  â€“ An obscure interior town in northern Isabela found itself in the limelight, as one of its daughters became the first Asian to win the Miss Supranational crown.

Mutya Johanna Datul, 25, was crowned Miss Supranational 2013 in Minsk, Belarus last Friday, besting 83 other beauties from across the world.

“She brings pride and joy in our hearts,” said first district Rep. Rodolfo Albano III.

Datul hails from the remote village of Calamagui North in Isabela’s Sta. Maria town. Her parents, Wilfredo, a police sergeant, and Merlie, a plain housewife, said they were overwhelmed by their daughter’s victory.

Also elated was Datul’s paternal grandmother Cristina who, at 70, earns her keep by picking corn this harvest season in their village.

Datul finished a two-year basic computer ladderized course at the Isabela State University in Ilagan City, the provincial capital.

Datul, according to her mother, did not pursue the four-year information technology program, as she had to stop schooling to prepare for nine months to compete in the Binibining Pilipinas search this year. She bagged the Miss Supranational title in the beauty tilt, allowing her to vie for the international crown in Belarus.

Datul is the third in a brood of six. Her mother recalled that she gave all her Binibining Pilipinas prizes for the schooling of her three younger siblings.

During her high school days, Datul, her mother said, would secretly join beauty contests in school and nearby villages and would surprise them by bringing home her prizes.

Datul first caught public attention during the beauty tilt launched by the provincial government in 2011 as part of the Bambanti (Scarecrow) Festival. She did not bag the crown, but was named Miss Isabela Tourism.

“Perhaps Mutya does not fit to be a Scarecrow Queen, and she proved her worth being a standout in the Miss Supranational international pageant,” a friend told The STAR.