The other Queen Maker

Rodgil Flores, the shy head of Kagandahang Flores (KF), has helped not only local girls but also those from other countries win crowns. ‘It has become my passion to help girls make their dreams come true,’ says Rodgil, a B.S. Chemical Engineering graduate

Of course, the foremost Queen Maker is none other than Madame Stella Marquez de Araneta, herself a winner (the very first Miss International, 1960), the head of Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) which has produced three Misses Universe (Gloria Diaz, 1969; Margie Moran, 1973; and Pia Wurtzbach, 2015); and five Misses International (Aurora Pijuan, 1970; Melanie Marquez, 1979; Precious Lara Quigaman, 2005; Bea Rose Santiago, 2013; and Kylie Versoza, 2016; not to mention Gemma Cruz, 1964, the country’s first winner but not a product of BPCI which got the Miss International franchise in 1965). That’s not to mention dozens and dozens of runners-up and special awardees.

The other Queen Maker is Rodgil Flores, head of the Kagandahang Flores (KF), whose team has been training beauty queens who eventually win honors abroad, the latest being Karen Ibasco, 2017 Miss Earth, and Indonesia’s Karen Liliana, 2017 Miss International. The country’s bet in the ongoing Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Rachel Peters, is also a KF protégé.

Shy by nature, Rodgil doesn’t steal the thunder from his queens. He doesn’t “pretend” to be a queen himself and join in the queens’ “family” pictures as a “photo bomber;” neither does he glide down the red carpet like a frustrated “thank-you” girl. Instead, Rodgil keeps to the background, unseen and unheard of…well, until now when he (reluctantly) agreed to do this Conversation.

Before that, here’s the Honor Roll of (some only) queens trained by Kagandahang Flores:

2001 Miss Globe International,  Maricar Manalaysay Balagtas; 2002 Miss Tourism International (Ukraine/ Black Sea Edition), Kristine Reyes

Among those trained by Flores, from left: Karen Ibasco, 2017 Miss Earth; Kevin Liliana of Indonesia, 2017 Miss International (a first win for her country); and Rachel Peters, 2017 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe who is competing in the Miss Universe pageant...

From left: Karen…Kevin being made up by KF beauty & aesthetics director Gio Flores… Rachel as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and with Rodgil who is in Las Vegas to give Rachel moral support.