Mutya ng Pilipinas queens (from left) Ganiel Krishnan, Emma Tiglao, Barbie Muhlach, Aya Fernandez and Jannie Alipo-on. Image: Facebook
For the past 56 years, the Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant has produced notable beauty queens who have not only brought pride and honor to our country but also became a part of Filipinos’ daily lives.
Here are some of the former titleholders who are greeting the nation through the TV screens in every household across the Philippines.
Ganiel Krishnan has been gracing screens and courts as a courtside reporter for the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) even before she was crowned as 2016 Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International.
And after placing third in the Miss Asia Pacific International pageant in 2016, she became a “star patrollet” for ABS-CBN’s primetime newscast “TV Patrol,” and has been chronicling entertainment and lifestyle events for the Filipino people ever since.
Another news girl is 2010 Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism International Barbie Muhlach. After being crowned as Miss Tourism Metropolitan in Malaysia, she found a career in broadcasting through DZMM Teleradyo.
Currently, she handles the news desk of TV channel A2Z’s news team, and also anchors the nightly newscast “Balitang A2Z.”
Muhlach’s fellow Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism International titleholder who has also landed a news job is Jannie Alipo-on, the fourth Filipino woman to be crowned Miss Tourism International. She appears weeknights in TV5’s late-night newscast “Frontline Tonight.”
Emma Tiglao, former anchor of Net25’s “Mata ng Agila” newscast and now host of the same channel’s morning show “Kada Umaga,” is also a product of the established pageant. She finished as first runner-up when she joined the pageant in 2012 at just 17 years old.
Kapamilya actress and host Aya Fernandez was crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism International at the national pageant’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2018. She joined ABS-CBN after snagging the Dream Girl of the Year title in Malaysia.
This year’s pageant already has a thespian among the candidates, Kapatid actress Xena Ramos from Manila, who portrayed the role of lawyer “Bridge” in the drama series “Lumuhod Ka sa Lupa.”
The 2024 Mutya ng Pilipinas coronation night will be held at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Friday night, Sept. 6.