Carl Michael L. Martinez: Bohol's first Ginoong Pilipinas winner

Gentlemen in pageantry are often overshadowed or eclipsed by their female counterparts for a lot of reasons. Generally speaking, male pageantry hasn’t reached or received the same level of popularity or acceptance in contemporary pop culture. 

But the staging last week of two well- organized province- wide competitions on male pulchritude and the recent win of a homegrown Boholano of the prestigious nationwide Ginoong Filipinas title has slowly but surely changed all that.

Here are Bohol’s current toast in male pageantry led by Carl Martinez as they also clarified the misconceptions about male pageants which they say are avenues where they can amplify their voices, improve themselves and be the springboard to better opportunities.

CARL MICHAEL LADAGA MARTINEZ, 2024 Ginoong Filipinas Grand Winner

His story is that of resilience and believing in oneself. After winning a string of local pageant titles, he laid low for a while because he wanted to focus on his studies and work but the chance to represent the province in a national search through a province- wide contest proved irresistible.

Admittedly, according to Carl, he wasn’t really ready as he was out of shape when he showed up for the screening of the first- ever Mister Bohol search back in 2021. But he reasoned out that he would just beef up for the contest once he hurdled the screening. To his shock, he didn’t make it to the list of 20 official candidates. That was when he realized that one has to focus and work hard to achieve one’s goal. 

Working out, switching to a healthier lifestyle, discipline and prayers were some of his preparations as he made a second bid for Mister Bohol after two years. His preparations paid off as he was proclaimed one of the three big winners of Mister Bohol 2023 and earned the right to represent Bohol in the national search for Ginoong Filipinas where he competed with 16 other titleholders from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

After competing in costumes, swimwear and formal barong, the cut to the top ten was made followed by the Q&A. He impressed the panel of judges with his response to the question “What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing young men of today?” 

His response:

”the lack of knowledge on their cultural heritage. Most men today enjoy partying and other things but they don’t know what their cultural heritage is all about. So being here at Ginoo is not just about a title but to be an inspiration to the Filipinos to stay true to their identity, culture, stay proud of their heritage, always appreciative of our art, and be highly esteemed of our tourism because I believe that a Ginoong Pilipinas is the Philippines personified”

The heartfelt response in addition to almost perfect physique which also won him the Best in Swimwear award sealed his victory. The 25 year old Mr. Martinez who is presently a fitness trainer at one of the best gyms in the province, will represent the Philippines in the Mister Universe Tourism 2025 pageant.

Best in Swimwear 

His advice for young men who will compete in pageantry “ Aside from being in shape and possessing charm & personality, authenticity is key so they just have to be themselves, be proud of who and where they came from, highlight their strength and maintain positivity throughout the journey.