Mutya ng Pilipinas President Cory Quirino (third from right) presents her queens (from left) Jeanette Reyes, Arianna Kyla Padrid, Iona Gibbs, Shanon Robinson, and Jesi Mae Cruz./ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Mutya ng Pilipinas Iona Gibbs will not be able to personally crown her successor because her international competition’s schedule will overlap with the national contest this year.
The 21-year-old singer from Bataan will represent the Philippines in the 51st Miss Intercontinental in Sharm El Shiek, Egypt, in December, while the Mutya ng Pilipinas organization had already announced earlier that the 2023 pageant will be held in the same month.
Gibbs is expected to arrive in Egypt on Nov. 28, with the final competition scheduled on Dec. 15 (Dec. 16 in Manila), while the national pageant’s coronation show will be held on Dec. 10 at the FilOil Eco-Oil Arena in San Juan City.
Mutya ng Pilipinas President Cory Quirino told INQUIRER.net the final date and venue of the coronation show, even before the Miss Intercontinental pageant announced their own calendar. She said this during an interview at the victory press conference for Miss Environment International Shannon Robinson back in June.
INQUIRER.net then sought Quirino’s comment when the international organization declared their schedule for the 2023 competition. She initially said that the national team may work to move the contest earlier. However, November will still be tight because another Mutya queen, Jeanette Reyes, will participate in the Miss Tourism International pageant in Sabah, Malaysia, from Nov. 10 to 25.
As of this writing, Quirino said the Dec. 10 schedule for the 2023 Mutya ng Pilipinas coronation night will stay for now, thus confirming the absence of the top reigning queen for the ceremonies. She, however, has a good feeling about the “difficulty” her organization is experiencing with Gibbs’ schedule.
“In 2013 for Miss World Philippines there was a big typhoon, remember? Megan [Young] brought home the [international] crown,” the pageant official said.
Quirino was the national director of the Miss World Philippines organization in 2013. Her Midas touch continued in her tenure at the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant with Robinson and Miss Chinese International Annie Uson, who, like Young, became the first Filipino winners in their respective competitions.
Gibbs will try to sustain Quirino’s winning streak, especially for the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant this year, with Robinson and Uson scoring two-for-two for the national organization. Another Mutya titleholder, Arianna Kyla Padrid, will also compete in December, at the World Top Model contest in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Mutya ng Pilipinas Chairman Fred Yuson had earlier declared that his organization is targeting to score five-for-five this year. After Robinson and Uson’s victories, the team is pinning their hopes on Gibbs, Reyes, and Padrid, all competing in the last quarter of the year.
Gibbs will try to score the Philippines’ third Miss Intercontinental victory, while Reyes hopes to become the sixth Filipino woman to be proclaimed Miss Tourism International. The country has yet to score a win in the World Top Model contest.
The Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant is already accepting applicants for its 2023 competition. For information on how to apply and to request applications forms, send an e-mail to mutyangpilipinasofficial.2023@gmail.com, or visit their official Facebook page. EDV