Miss Universe Philippines National Director Shamcey Supsup-Lee (right) seals an agreement with the pageant’s accredited partner in Cagayan de Oro City, Rejellaine ‘Jell’ Vidad./ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Almost all national pageants in the Philippines conduct screenings to come up with the official contestants for their respective competitions. But the Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) organization will change the way pageantry is done in the country by nixing the traditional system and implementing a new program in choosing their candidates.
For its 2024 competition, the Miss Universe Philippines pageant’s candidates will all be sent by accredited partners who have the authority to proclaim representatives from different cities, towns, provinces, and even overseas communities to the national contest. The organization will no longer screen these ladies, nor will there be any application procedures for aspirants from outside the “Accredited Partnerships Program.”
“For the longest time, when we first started this, we really wanted to push for the Accredited Partnerships Program. But the pandemic happened, we didn’t expect the things we had to go through as an organization. But now we’re finally on our fifth year, hopefully we can cement our new system. And hopefully, with this new direction in mind, it will make up for a better venue or a better platform for these girls to be the best versions of themselves, and represent the Philippines in the international stage,” MUPH National Director Shamcey Supsup-Lee told INQUIRER.net in an interview.
She faced a small group of media members there to sign an agreement with the MUPH accredited partner in Cagayan de Oro City, realtor Rejellaine “Jell” Vidad, who will now oversee the selection of the city’s official representative to the Miss Universe Philippines pageant, and its sister national competition The Miss Philippines Culture and Heritage Celebration.
The new partnership was made possible by Kagay-anon Mags Cue, MUPH’s new national search consultant. “She’s helping us out reach more people who are interested to become our partners in this endeavor,” Lee said.
As of this writing, Lee said MUPH has already signed 50 accredited partners from all over the country and several overseas communities. “But our target is 80. We’ll see 80 candidates, as if we’re having Miss Universe here. Isn’t that fun?” she said.
Lee said the program is meant to even the playing field for aspirants. “For four years now that we’ve been handling pageants, we witnessed how many who joined have struggled, especially if they have no camp or not in any kind of management. So hopefully through this, we will be able to assist them,” she explained.
The traditional screening process provides undue advantage to those who are already based in Manila, or have the means to hire their own glam teams and photographers, and have access to the best designers.
“It’s not just about getting more girls. I think it’s also helping women who don’t have the resources to come to Manila. The accredited partners’ responsibility is not just to hold the pageant and look for a representative of their province or their cities. They will also help the girl, to assist her in providing what she will need,” Lee said.
The program will also serve as a business venture for the partners so that partners in different locations are also MUPH’s official distributors of its merchandise. “We’re going to release MUPH merchandise, and they will be our exclusive distributors. They will have first access to all our products,” Lee added.
She said the program also includes The Miss Philippines competition, the newest national search where the Philippines’ representatives to the Miss Supranational and Miss Charm pageants will be chosen, and the Mister Pilipinas Worldwide that proclaims the country’s delegates to some of the most prestigious international male contests such as Mister Supranational, Mister International, Manhunt International Male Supermodel, and Mister Global.
Lee said an accredited partner may opt to send representatives to all three national contests, or may just choose the Miss Universe Philippines pageant. The program will gather delegates to the 2024 editions of the three competitions, she continued.
Screenings for the first edition of The Miss Philippines and the second installment of Mister Pilipinas Worldwide this year are already underway at Enderun CoWorking Estancia at the South Wing of Estancia Mall in Pasig City all Saturdays of August. The deadline for applications for both competitions is on Aug. 26.
The two contests will serve as back-to-back culminating events for the first-ever “The Filipino Festival” in October, that aims to champion the country’s food, crafts, music, film, fashion, and beauty to the global community. EDV