Rodgil Flores (left) and Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana/ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino pageant mentor Rodgil Flores could not believe the day will come that he will be judging a national pageant in India. The queenmaker sat in the judging panel of the 2023 Miss Divine Beauty contest that crowned the South Asian country’s representatives to the Miss International and Miss Earth competitions.
“I’m super happy. All of us pageant fanatics would remember that during the 90s, we’re fixated on just two countries, India and Venezuela,” he told INQUIRER.net in an interview at the third Philippine Pageant Ball held at the Manila Hotel on Sept. 6.
The decade marked the peak of India’s pageant prowess, snagging multiple victories in the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants, while Venezuela continued to assert its dominance in the international arena with consistent placements in major competitions and several wins.
“So I never imagined myself to be invited to judge a pageant in India. I see that as a stark testament on how they view us Filipinos, especially Filipino trainers, and how serious we are in what we are doing,” Flores continued.
The competition took place at the Jawaharlal Negru Stadium in New Delhi on Aug. 26 (Aug. 27 in Manila), and was attended by reigning Miss Earth Mina Sue Choi from Korea and 2022 Miss International first runner-up Stephany Amado from Cabo Verde. Stephen Diaz, the Filipino head director of Miss International organizer International Cultural Association, also graced the event with his presence.
READ: Miss Universe Organization scraps age limit among candidates
Flores said the national pageant organization in India reached out to him online. “They invited me, they messaged me and wrote me an e-mail asking if I could come and judge for the finale. I was really happy, I said ‘Wow!’ In a way they are recognizing us, Filipino mentors, to be one of the judges in the finale,” he intimated
He said he got to meet the candidates the night before the coronation show to share his wisdom with the ladies. “I felt so happy because when I entered the room, they had the reaction that showed they were so happy. And I was so happy that they know me, they recognize who I am,” he shared.
Flores said he had a pep talk with the candidates, where he discussed about confidence and cultivating one’s presence on stage, and also offered basic tips on handling pageant questions.
The Filipino queenmaker also revealed that he will continue his mentorship with the winners, Miss International India Praveena Aanjna, and Miss Earth India Priyan Sain. “They will come here. They told me they’re going to be here for a month to train,” Flores shared. Sain will be competing in the 2023 Miss Earth pageant with another of his wards, Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana, a medical laboratory scientist, model, and pageant veteran.
Flores is responsible for producing major international pageant winners, not only from the Philippines, but from other countries as well. Some of his more popular wards are 2005 Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman and 2013 Miss International Bea Rose Santiago, and Filipino Miss Earth winners Karla Henry, Jamie Herrell, Angelia Ong, and Karen Ibasco.
He also trained Indonesia’s first Miss International winner Kevin Liliana, Puerto Rico’s first Miss Earth winner Nellys Pimentel, and the United States’ first Miss Grand International winner Abena Appiah. EDV