MANILA, Philippines — Beyond the pomp and pageantry of a female or male beauty competition is what it stands for. It’s the thrust of an annual tilt that one should also appreciate.
With Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines, it’s about the celebration of Filipino and Chinese cultures, including similarities and uniqueness, values- and beliefs-wise. It entails respect and understanding.
It’s also reminiscent of the phrase “unity in diversity.”
Prior to naming a new set of winners, its president, Vanessa Agbayani Lo, said during the pageant’s grand coronation night that “tonight is more than a celebration of beauty, excellence and the crowning of a new generation of Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines.” “Since 2013, the organization has been built on a purpose greater than a crown,” added she. “We were established to celebrate our Filipino-Chinese heritage, empower the next generation, strengthen the community and create opportunities for individuals to become voices of culture, leadership and inspiration.”
That commenced the competition that saw 13 female and 16 male contestants vying for this year’s Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines titles.
The candidates displayed their confidence and charm as they participated in the introduction and swimwear segments. Ten from each group advanced to the next round, the evening-and-formal wear, which also featured earlier participants.
From there, six male and female contestants were chosen to do the question-and-answer portion.
They were Ethan Chan of Tarlac, Ozzie Llige of La Union, Gabby King of Makati, Lyle Uy of Zamboanga, Jeduthun Jake Ligan of Mandaluyong and Marcus Asis of Masbate; Clarice Elaine Lin of Taguig, Tracy Choi of Fifth District of Manila, Jessaiah Baldesco of Albay, Monique Angelika Santos of Bataan, Lok Shi Lee of Davao and Sophia Nicole Sy of Makati.
The contestants shared their two cents on a wide range of topics such as balancing Filipino and Chinese identities.
“Balancing both identities is always a matter of preference, and not only that, I believe that modern Chinoys do not have to build walls to be able to protect their identities,” said Ozzie, adding that Chinoys of today are trailblazers. “We all deserve to build a bridge to become a community that is celebrated, that is united and (that) is well seen and heard. I can balance both of my cultures by being able to look back at my tradition, my heritage and my roots while being able to celebrate who I am as a Pinoy and as a Chinese.”
Gabby, on the other hand, was asked about responsible social media use.
“I believe social media is a great tool for us to utilize our voice as well as to raise awareness (for) causes that we personally believe in,” shared he, whose advocacy is about raising awareness for mental health disorders. “I feel like this is a great way to utilize this platform responsibly.”
Since it’s common among Chinese families to pass on their businesses to the younger generation, Marcus had this to say: “I do believe that traditions in the family are very important, but for me, what’s more important is following your heart. We can take a different path, a different journey once we are embracing the love they gave to us. I might choose a different path, but like my mom here watching, I know that she is so proud of me even though I chose a different path. She will always love me.”
As for her take on success, Clarice shared that “success is defined by happiness, not work. And tonight, I’m standing in front of everyone, and I believe that I’m one of the happiest right now because I’m conquering my fear, and I believe that success (is) as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
For her part, Monique thought about a cultural barrier that the future generations can hopefully overcome, and her answer was “the feeling of choosing one identity” over another. “I believe (we), Filipino-Chinese, have the best of both worlds, and that we can be the best and have both of these, both the Filipino and the Chinese values, by actually creating initiatives and by promoting awareness (of) the different values that we have. We could create a community and transform a community where change and where our culture and tradition (are) something that is not something we only inherit but is something we can pass on as a gift to the future generations as well.”
Sophia, on the other hand, answered a question about promoting authenticity in a world full of expectations.
“Rather than promoting authenticity, we can start by identifying what our expectations for ourselves are,” said she. “(If we learn) to identify what expectations we would want for ourselves, we can mold ourselves into and shape ourselves to the woman that you want to be, just like how I learned to be disciplined as a business owner, as a selfless person, as an achi (an older sister) and as a responsible woman.”
Gabby, Ozzie and Marcus formed the Top Three for Mr. Chinatown Philippines, while Clarice, Sophia and Monique were named the last three contestants standing for Ms. Chinatown Philippines.
After making it through various rounds of the competition, the judges named Monique and Ozzie as second runners-up and Clarice and Gabby as first runners-up.
Marcus and Sophia were crowned as Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines.
Again, beyond good looks, intelligence and personality of the candidates, a beauty competition is a celebration of its missions or goals. Among them is the promotion of cultural understanding and sense of community. It also speaks of a pageant’s role and relevance.