‘Mutya winners’ in Cebu
The Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 winners graced Cebu with their beauty as they arrived last Aug 26, for a press conference in Big Hotel, North Reclamation Area, Mandaue City, Cebu.
With their advocacy of beauty tourism, the six winners of Mutya toured around the Philippines rediscovering tourist spots and promoting the wonderful things that the country could offer. Having toured locations like Palawan, Ilo-ilo, Bacolod, Davao and Ilocos Norte Pagudpud, the ladies believe that the Philippines truly is a wonderful place that many need to see.
“Right now, we’re touring around the Philippines for us to know more about our country, so that we can promote it wholeheartedly to foreigners,” says Janela Joy Cuaton, who grew up in Doha Qatar, and winner of this year’s title for Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 Tourism International. Aside from rediscovering our beautiful country,
Mutya winners admitted that the tour was also a rediscovering of their own selves and, as much as they have learned about the country’s culture, they have also learned about independence, trust and the importance of family.
“Family is a big part of the Filipino culture. Everywhere we go, Filipinos are just so welcoming,” says Nina Josie Robertson, Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 Overseas Communities, who grew up in Australia.
Growing up in Australia, Nina admits that she has been having a hard time with the language barrier. But with the help of the other Mutya winners, Nina is on her way to mastering the Cebuano language.
The winners also proved that they were not only about beauty but were also full of talent as Hershey Gajudo of Cebu City, Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 Viva Discovery of the Year, belted a tune during the press con, impressing members of the media.
The beauty queens admitted that winning wasn’t a piece of cake. And with their training, diet and sleepless nights, they only had each other and their inspirations to hold on to.
“Aside from family, my inspiration were those people who believed in me from the start—the ones who never gave up on me, telling me that I could do this and that I could win this pageant,” says Leren Mae Bautista of Laguna, Mutya ng Pilipinas
2015 Asia Pacific International. But with all of these hardships, the winners shared that the Mutya pageant has taught them a lot of things. “The experience taught us grace under pressure, and it also taught us to be more than just pretty faces. We stand for advocacies for the tourism of the Philippines and, we learned, we grew and we became stronger women standing for what we believe in” shares Julee Ann Marie Bourgoin of Cagayan de Oro, Mutya ng Pilipinas
2015 first runner-up. All the winners agreed that with their beauty and grace, they are the perfect representation of beauty in the country. As a Mutya, the winners believe that there’s so much more to them than just pretty faces. “We’re actually individuals that have our own say in the community. We’re people with our own individuality and we’re individuals that are actually helping the society, we’re helping promote our country,” shares Brenna Cassandra Gamboa of Nueva Ecija, Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 second runner-up.
Having won the titles Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 Asia Pacific International and Mutya ng Pilipinas 2015 Tourism International, Bautista and Cuaton will be representing the Philippines in international beauty pageants. The Philippines will be waiting again for them to bring home the crown.