On June 3, Manila City, with its Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan and Mr. Charlie Dungo, the Director of Tourism Culture and Arts of Manila, presented the 20 Manileñas competing for the crown of ‘Miss Manila 2023’.
The 20 possible Miss Manila queens passed through a Question and Answer segment with Press members at the ‘Miss Manila 2023’ Press Presentation, which LionhearTV covered, highlighting the queen’s eloquence, elegance, beauty, and intelligence.
The 20 Manila beauty queens voiced their advocacy, such as women’s empowerment, agriculture, preservation of historical sites, healthcare for all Manileños, empowerment through entrepreneurship, homelessness, and senior citizens.
Others also highlighted the qualities of Manila City citizens, like resilience, self-sufficiency, courage, and determination. They also noted the historical and cultural sites and street foods that made Manila City the metropolis it is today.
At the end of the presentation, Angela Okol of Paco, Manila, won the Q&A title of Darling of the Press.
She responded gracefully to the question about beauty queens’ advocacy being “overrated.”
Okol expressed, “I do not agree. Genuine pageant advocacies are never overrated because we stand on pageant platforms and on social media to fight injustice and whatever causes the beauty queen believes in.”
She added, “I think it’s a stereotype that beauty queens come up with advocacies to make their social media presence stronger. But that is not necessarily true–I can’t say the same for everyone else, but most of the queens I know and the sisters behind me, we stand before you in the most genuine advocacies we have.”
The grand coronation night happens June 23, 7 PM at the Metropolitan Theater.
‘Miss Universe 2018’ Catriona Gray hosts ‘Miss Manila 2023’ with performances from “Power Diva” Angeline Quinto, who sang the Miss Manila theme song, rapper Kritiko, and Filipino violinist Jo Bry Cimafranca.
The City of Manila, Department of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts of Manila, Kreativden Entertainment, and co-presented by the Philippine Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and San Miguel Corporation present ‘Miss Manila 2023’ with minor sponsorships from SM, Arca, and partnerships with Jag, EW Villa Medica Manila, Metrophoto, Metropolitan Theater, and the Rizal Park Hotel.
