MANILA, Philippines — The Miss Asia Pacific International pageant last held a competition in 2019, and has been in hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in 2020. But the 55-year-old international competition will be back next year, and it has already found a new national partner in the country, The Miss Philippines Culture and Heritage Celebration.
The national search first broke the news on social media. “We are thrilled that one of our amazing queens will have the opportunity to participate in this long-standing, prestigious pageant that celebrates the region,” the organization posted on Sept. 4.
The Miss Asia Pacific International shared this post on social media with the caption, “No cap. All crown. Welcome to the family! We’re coming back with a bang this 2024.” This came more than a year since the last update on the global tilt’s page posted on April 28, 2022.
With the recent development, The Miss Philippines now holds the franchises to a total of three international competitions, the other two are for the Miss Supranational and Miss Charm contests. Pauline Amelinckx, who was first runner-up in the 2023 Miss Supranational pageant, became the organization’s first queen after officially receiving the title during her homecoming last month.
INQUIRER.net reached out to Miss Asia Pacific International President Jacqueline Tan-Sainz to ask about the new partnership. “For now, we’re just focused on supporting our new Philippine partner as they mount their first pageant season,” she said.
The Miss Philippines will hold its first coronation show in October, as part of the month-long celebration of The Filipino Festival where the Mister Pilipinas Worldwide competition is also included.
Since its inception as the Miss Asia Quest in 1968, the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant has been receiving its Filipino representatives from the Mutya ng Pilipinas organization. The two competitions were founded by Leandro “Biboy” Enriquez.
The Philippines is the most successful country in the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant with five wins. Maria del Carmen Inez Zaragoza ang Gloria Dimayacyac posted back-to-back victories in 1982 and 1983. Lorna Legaspi captured the crown in 1989, while Michelle Aldana scored the country’s fourth win in 1994. Sharifa Areef Mohammad Omar Akeel became the fifth Filipino woman to win the title during the contest’s 50th anniversary edition in 2018.
The Miss Asia Pacific International pageant first suspended the mounting of a global contest from 1990 to 1991 because of the devastating eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
It later skipped the staging of a 2004 competition. Its longest hiatus ran for 10 years, from 2006 to 2015. Sainz and her family revived the competition in 2016. Its last crowned beauty is Chaiyenne Huisman from Spain who received her title in 2019.
Reigning Miss Asia Pacific International Chaiyenne Huisman/ARMIN P. ADINA
“We are still in the process of planning the changes that we will be implementing in support of our Philippine counterpart, and the changes in the pageant industry landscape,” Sainz shared.
She said the international organization is planning to hold a press conference in February next year to announce its plans and other developments regarding the staging of the 2024 competition. EDV