ASPIRANTS (background) impressed the council which includes Ruffa Gutierrez (fourth from left), Jasmine Curtis-Smith (fifth from left) and Precious Lara Quigaman (fourth from right). photo by ARMIN ADINA
Precious Lara Quigaman, 2005 Miss International, said she was impressed by the maturity and intelligence of this year’s contenders for the Miss Teen Philippines title.
Forty aspirants are vying for the title, which carries a prize package of P2.6 million. The grand coronation night will be held tomorrow, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Beauty queen-turned-actress Quigaman said she expected to see giddy, giggling teenagers when she met this year’s contestants.
“But they are mature women in teenagers’ bodies. Conversing with them revealed a different level of maturity. They are intelligent,” Quigaman said during the Miss Teen pageant press conference at the New World Hotel in Makati City.
Quigaman is a member of the contest’s advisory council, which was set up to reinvigorate the once-dormant national competition.
Confident, smart
“Everyone is beautiful, smart and confident,” remarked makeup artist Robbie Piñera, another council member who serves as a mentor for styling. “They are excited to see whatever surprises are in store for them,” he said.
“I was amazed at how they all looked beautiful and how smart they were,” added Jing Monis, hairstyling and grooming mentor. “It really makes me proud!”
Style and fashion blogger Laureen Uy and the pageant’s ambassador Jasmine Curtis-Smith, both members of the council, noted how polite and charming the contestants were.
Another member of the council is 1993 Miss World second runner-up Ruffa Gutierrez, who said she would encourage the teenaged aspirants to become good role models for their peers.
Meanwhile, lawyer Jun Caoile Jr. said the pageant was revived after a seven-year hiatus because the pageant’s advocacy of promoting the value of education among teenagers remained relevant.
“We were lucky to partner with Ian Arceo and his family to push the advocacy. We thought that the Filipinos’ success in the international pageant circuit made it timely to push the advocacy through this platform,” he said.
Education
He added, “Education is the key enabler for kids to achieve their goals in life. The advocacy of education and some allied [causes] like the environment and … [the campaign against] child labor have always been the pillars of Miss Teen Philippines.”
Karen Arceo, a member of the organizing team, said Miss Teen Philippines was the only pageant with a development program.
She said members of the advisory council acted as mentors in their respective fields of expertise to guide the teenagers to become better versions of themselves.
The new Miss Teen Philippines will also become the Department of Education’s Ambassador for Education and will represent the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Youth Program and the National Youth Parliament.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer is a media partner of the 2014 Miss Teen Philippines pageant. The show, which will be aired (9:30 p.m.) on TV5 on June 8, will be hosted by model Georgina Wilson and TV personality Rovilson Fernandez.