DIGOS CITY- This year’s Mutya ng Davao del Sur could perhaps be the grandest staging of the provincial beauty pageant.
Beauty queens, singers and celebrities graced the star-studded coronation night, which saw ladies from 15 municipalities vying for the crown.
Lorna Bautista, project coordinator of Mutya ng Davao del Sur said the event hopes to find the beauty queens, which will represent the province in various pageants.
The search began months ago within the 15 municipalities of the province where the respective first ladies (wives of the Mayors) of the municipalities handpick the maidens that will represent their towns.
The 15 chosen ladies were then trained for a month by beauty queens and image stylists. The search culminated during the coronation night, which were also attended by the local chief executives of the different towns in the province.
“This is indeed the grandest if not the best entertainment of the nine-day affair which is our Araw ng Davao del Sur.” Provincial Governor Claude Bautista said during the coronation night last Sunday (June 29).
The show had Binibining Pilipinas Universe 2010 and 2010 Miss Universe 4th runner-up Venus Raj and model/host Jansen Nichols as hosts for the evening. Singer Hajji Alejandro, GMA talent Ken Alfonso and ABS-CBN actor Ahron Villena serenaded the audience.
Elda Louise Aznar representing Hagonoy was crowned as the Mutya ng Davao del Sur. She received P100,000 cash prize along with another P100,000 to the first lady of the town. Other prizes include P30,000 worth of San Miguel Corporation products and P5,000 fuel card from Phoenix Petroleum.
Mutya ng Kalikasan (1st runner-up) was Iona Greta Tagalog from Bansalan, Mutya ng Turismo (2nd runner-up) was Renelle Shefany Madelo from Sta. Maria, Mutya ng Sining (3rd runner-up) was Jervey Perez from Malita, Mutya ng Kaunlaran (4th runner-up) was Reyvie Rubio from Sta. Cruz.
Among the board of judges for the pageant included Miss Universe 2011 3rd runner-up Shamcey Supsup, model/beauty queen builder Jonas Antonio Gaffud, Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. General Rainier Cruz and Department of Tourism Assistant Secretary Art Boncato.
The beauty pageant is one of the highlights in the 67th founding anniversary of the Davao del Sur which was carved out from the mother province of Davao. (PIA/RG Alama)
(Mutya ng Davao del Sur 2014 Elda Louise Aznar with Davao Eagle Online photographer Patet Fermin and her runners-up + judge Jonas Gaffud (Aces & Queens / Mercator Models) comment about the event.)
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Photos by Patet Fermin | Davao Eagle Online