Bohol's Roving Eye: Mutya sa Tagbilaran Celebrates Its Pearl Anniversary

MUTYA CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF BEAUTY & FRIENDSHIP Mutya sa Tagbilaran marks a milestone when it celebrates its Pearl Anniversary this year, The annual search for the city’s fairest is one of the most anticipated highlights of Tagbilaran’s fiesta celebration not only for the sleek and stylized staging of the pageant where all 15 of the city’s barangays are represented by a bumper crop of beauties but also for the celebrities and newsmakers who fly in from Manila as members of the judging panel.

2015 Mutya winners: L-R: 1^st RU Dampas, Winner Pob 1, 2^nd RU Pob II
Photo Credits: Ghen Lumayag Photography

STERLING SET OF WINNERS THROUGH THE YEARS. Mutya sa Tagbilaran has produced quite a number of accomplished ladies who parlayed their pageant victories & participation into successful and thriving careers, businesses and professions. Pageant diehards remember how everyone became excited when academically accomplished girls who were Class Valedictorians or Salutatorians, Dean’s Listers and campus leaders signed up as candidates.

Among the Mutya sa Tagbilaran alumnae are scores of nurses, physical therapists and medical doctors, a Supreme Court lawyer and a court judge, flight attendants who have been crisscrossing the domestic route & the international skies, teachers, professors, sales & marketing executives and even a law enforcer.

Six of these ladies eventually became Miss Bohol titleholders Winnie Lim 1989, Bambi Evardone 1994, Talie Inting 1997, Josely Ferniz 1998, Daisy Jean Quilicot 2009 and Eda Cimafranca , the reigning Miss Bohol 2015.

Sadly this year, we would never have that opportunity to know the girls a little better since access to detailed info about them has been quite difficult. It’s been three weeks since the Mutya sa Tagbilaran 2016 candidates were officially presented to the media and except for those in the know, the rest of us mortals would never have the chance to know who and what are behind those glamorous & perfectly coiffed faces. I myself, as a pageant enthusiast and chronicler want to showcase the girls as accomplished ladies to prove to critics and detractors that the girls are not just beautiful faces. I also want to defend the pageant from being labeled as an annual sleazefest and meat parade.

L-R: Tiptip, Pob II, Dampas, Dao & Bool

We simply can’t size up someone with limited information such as vital statistics, birthday and names of parents. We need to have access to the girls’ educational background, co- curricular & extra- curricular activities, campus & community involvement, scholastic awards and leadership experience.

L-R: Mansasa, Cogon, Pob III, Booy & Manga

You might ask why we do we need to present this information? Very simple actually. Because we don’t want to perpetuate the mistaken belief that only the ditzy & supercilious ones join beauty pageants.