Visayas fields 4 candidates for Mister International Philippines 2024

CEBU, Philippines — The Mister International Philippines Cebu and Leyte Organization revealed its four delegates that will represent the Visayas in the nationals this June in Batangas City.

The dashing candidates are professional basketball player Ralph Jude “RJ” Dinolan, 27, from Cebu City; Dr. Jake Keanu Batiancela, 28, from Leyte; medical technologist and college teacher George Fedrequilan, 23, from Pinamungajan; and information technology student Rod Miguel Lopez, 23, from Toledo City.

“There are so many people that want me to join pageants. As I want to break out from my shell, I think this is the best time for me to join,” Dinolan responded to The FREEMAN’s question during the sashing ceremony and media presentation held April 21 at Fairfield by Marriott Cebu in Mandaue City. “I love to challenge and maximize myself and enjoy the different horizons of life because I firmly believe that an unexamined life is not worth living, so I take this opportunity as a stepping stone to get out of my comfort zone and challenge tomorrow’s uncertainties.”

For Lopez, he wants to “push myself further and show that I can be a better man than who I am. I can still improve as Mister International Philippines is one of the best pageants to join because it’s so prestigious.”

“It was for my self-discovery and personal growth. This is a great platform for advocacies,” said Batiancela.

Nathaniel Tiu of Cebu City, crowned as Mister International Philippines Earth-2023, said that this year’s candidates are promising and still have room to improve.

“They may be raw in pageants, which is good because they have the opportunity to grow and learn. I am praying and hoping that they will be getting their titles this year,” said Tiu, who also serves as the Cebu and Leyte organization’s Director of Empowerment and Advocacy.

“They embody the characteristics of what Mister International is looking for. They have passion, they are advocacy-driven, and most of all, they embody the very place they represent,” Visayas Regional Director Lemuel Rosos said.

With two of the candidates in the medical field, Batiancela plans to promote mental health wellness among doctors as he believes there should be more awareness for care among frontliners. Meanwhile, Fedrequilan will focus more on healthcare and wellness, stressing that these are a human right.

Dinolan will feature sports as his advocacy in the pageant to show the youth what it takes to be a disciplined athlete, while Lopez will focus on animal rights as he wants stray pets to be given a home.

- Personal development -

Some may recall Batiancela as a finalist of Sinulog Idol Season 10 in 2019. He has always wanted to join pageants as he previously participated in an intramural tilt in college where he was placed first runner-up. But he prioritized building a career as a singer while studying to become a doctor.

Asked if jumping from singing to pageant requires a huge adjustment, he responded,  “I don’t think there’s a huge adjustment for me because I’ve always been an adventurous person. I am up for a new challenge which could lead me to improve myself for the better,” he said.

As an animal lover, Lopez has a huge attachment to dogs --- he is sheltering 15 of them in his own home.

“I can feel their emotions when I change my tone of voice and I can see their tails wagging. Animals are worth loving and be given a loving home because they are suffering outside the streets being kicked by strangers. I want to show dogs that their world can be a better place and would lead to a brighter future, ” said Lopez.

The Visayas team will fly to Manila for the national sashing ceremony on April 28 where Mister International Philippines will reveal its entire slate of 2024 candidates.

It was also revealed during the press conference that the Mister International competition will take place in Cebu this November. Last year’s coronation took place in Bangkok, Thailand.

On the decision to make Cebu as the host city, Rosos said: “I think this is the perfect time and place to host the Mister International competition [here in Cebu] because they want to showcase what Cebu is all about.” — (FREEMAN)