The culmination of two out of three Araw ng Dabaw pageants will go beyond the glitz and glamour as they become the expression of advocacies close to the heart of the candidates, an organizer said.
Stunning Events General Manager Mr. Toffy Ledesma, the event organizer of the Mutya ng Dabaw and Mr. and Ms. LGU, said in an interview over Davao City Disaster Radio on Tuesday that aside from the beauty aspect the important factor for a huge win is the advocacy part.
“Ang significant kaayo karong tuiga is more than the beauty of course, tanan sila mismo naay sariling adbokasiya ang gusto nato kung naa sila’y advocacy or kung wala man sila’y advocacy dapat naa gyud sila’y advocacy para sa ilang communidad, para sa Davao City (What is significant this year is that more than the beauty, of course, all of them have their own advocacy, and what we want is whether they have it or not, they can really name advocacy for their community, for Davao City),” he said.
Ledesma said that before the pre-pageant events, the candidates were able also to do a community-based tourism and tree planting at Mt. Karilongan.
“So didto palang gusto na nato ipakita nga kaning Mutya ng Davao is really doing something, not just about their beauty, their physical attributes pud kundi unsa ang mahatag nila sa atong environment pud (So even then, we want to show that the Mutya ng Dabaw candidates are really doing something not just about their beauty, their physical appearance but also what they can give for the environment),” Ledesma said.
He said that from 30, the Mutya ng Dabaw candidates will be trimmed to 15 this Friday at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP Gym), and from the Top 15, a Top 5 will be chosen to vie for the Php 200,000 cash prize and a chance to be hired by the City for one year as an ambassadress.
Semifinalists will be given a chance to wear the gowns of highlighted Fashion Designers: Boy Guino-o and Gary Monroferos. Guinoo is considered “Davao’s Fashion Czar”, a recipient of the Datu Bago award for championing and incorporating in his designs the craftsmanship of the indigenous tribes in Mindanao while Monroferos is an international fashion designer based in Dubai.
“For the Mutya ng Dabaw we really want to have a really big celebration of this event. This is the first Mutya ng Davao after the pandemic,” Ledesma said.
He urged the public to follow the entry protocol at the venue for this event. Only those who have tickets are allowed entry as they seek to ensure that in case of emergency cases, the exit of responders will be easy. Aside from USEP, the event can also be watched online through the Mutya ng Dabaw Facebook Page and that of the City Government of Davao, and the City Tourism Operations Office.
Meanwhile, another much-awaited event is the culmination of the Mr. and Ms. LGU on March 16, Thursday, at Rizal Park at 3 pm.
Ledesma said that 14 pairs of representatives from city departments vie for the Php 50,000 cash prize and a chance to be an ambassador/ambassadress.
“Naa pud sila’y advocacy so kung unsa ang ilang pwede buhaton sa ilang profession, sa ilang communidad as a public servant (They also have an advocacy on what they want to do through their profession for their community as a public servant),” Ledesma said.
Mr. and Ms. LGU had a closed-door interview with a panel of judges to discuss these advocacies.
For more information on the Mutya ng Dabaw and Mr. and Ms. LGU, Dabawenyos can search the pages of the respective pageants. CIO
