Nawat Itsaragrisil brings signature production branding to Reina Filipinas
For its inaugural staging, the Reina Filipinas pageant hopes to deliver a coronation show worthy of the Miss Grand International branding, with the involvement of Thai pageant owner Nawat Itsaragrisil in the production.
Nawat is the president of the Miss Grand International Organization, whose productions draw rave reviews from pageant fans around the world with the high energy numbers, massive stages with imposing LED panels, and glossy image quality.
READ: MGI All Stars winner Vanessa Pulgarin, Nawat Itsaragrisil in PH for Reina Filipinas
He was presented as an executive partner at the launch of the Reina Filipinas pageant held at the Newport Grand Bar and Lounge at the Newport World Resorts in Pasay City on Wednesday evening, June 10.
Reigning Miss Grand International Emma Tiglao will be the new pageant organization’s national director, with international pageant shoe designer Jojo Bragais as president.
“It’s gonna be a good show. And of course Papa Nawat is guiding us with the show,” Bragais said of the pageant’s opening salvo, the grand coronation night scheduled on Aug. 7 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Pasay City.
He also said that the Thai pageant personality will fly in broadcast equipment from Bangkok to Manila for the show, and that his production team had already shared knowledge with Bragais’ own group.
“We will not only give him the franchise, I am a partner of Jojo for Reina Filipinas. I will come to help like I’m part of the company,” Nawat explained why he is heavily invested in the national pageant.
He also shared how the international pageant landscape has changed, resulting in a need to evolve. “We need to fix it for the beauty pageant fans, to make it more interesting and more fun, that is why (we have) the beginning of Reina Filipinas today.”
Tiglao, for her part, expressed her gratitude to Bragais for her new role in the pageant industry. “Being entrusted with this kind of responsibility, there’s big pressure on that. But I want to turn that pressure into motivation. I promise to work very hard,” she said.
She said Reina Filipinas does not only seek to produce queens. “It’s more on helping them to sustain what they started. Because the big question after they join a pageant is ‘what’s next?’ So we will help them to know what career they can pursue after the pageant.
Also at the Reina Filipinas grand media conference were MGI All Stars first edition winner Vanessa Pulgarin from Colombia, MGI All Stars Top 5 finalist Gazini Ganados, and 2024 Miss Grand International Christine Juliane “CJ” Opiaza.
Reina Filipinas will choose the Philippines’ delegate to the 2026 Miss Grand International pageant in India in October, as well as two pageant veterans to be sent to the second edition of MGI All Stars in Thailand in December.
Transgender women will be allowed to compete alongside cisgender women for the chance to be sent to MGI All Stars because the said international competition for global pageant veterans allows it.
Applications are now open, and interested individuals may visit the Reina Filipinas social media pages for the qualifications as well the details of the application process.
The MGI franchise used to be with ALV Pageant Circle of talent manager Arnold Vegaria, under whose management the Philippines won its first pageant and MGI back-to-back queens, Opiaza and Tiglao./edv
