Anther, as she is more fondly known, wowed the judges and the audience alike with her disarming beauty, that was further emboldened by the silver,mermaid-inspired gown that she donned, which was created by Cary Santiago. That gown won both Santiago and Anther some special awards, with the former being deemed as the Best Evening Gown Designer and the latter grabbing the Best in Evening Gown and Miss Glamour Girl Cathay Pacific.
Interestingly, Anther remarked during the casual question-and-answer segment that her favorite website to browse through was iSTORYA.NET especially because of the forums, which she said was a remarkable avenue to share your mind with people in and around Cebu. More than just talk, indeed!
As if her looks was not enough, she captivated everyone in the ballroom with her wit and smarts as she carefully answered the question in the final question-and-answer portion: The slogan is “What’s new in old Cebu.” While globally, eco-travel is a new concept, as Miss Cebu, how would you start or strengthen eco-tourism in Cebu?
To this query, she dug deep and came up with this outstanding answer: “I’m proud to say that I have already started just by joining Miss Cebu. All the activities that were lined up for us, I was able to experience so much wonder about Cebu. There is more to Cebu just like adventure. And we were able to learn that there is more to see environmentally and so we have to start there and do what we can to keep that environmentalism alive. Just like taking care of what we have here in Cebu, and trying to enjoy it and share it with everybody else, not just of this generation but of future generations.”
Anther was joined by her court, namely first runner-up, Rachel Chloe Palang; second runner-up, Ella Beverly Sarmago; third runner-up, Jonnie Rose Louise Wee and fourth runner-up, Herle Kim Artugue.
The evening was a veritable cornucopia of sights and sounds, with the finalists sashaying through the stage in different astounding creations by Cebu’s top fashion designers. They were also serenaded by some talented performers in the local pop group, the K-Boys, American Idol finalist, Monique delos Santos and Rissa Navales. The show itself was hosted by Rafael Rosell and Miss Cebu 2010 Reena Elena Malinao.
The spotlight though, shone brightly on the contestants themselves as several months of hard work finally culminated in a magical night full of glamour, and one that ended up being a fashionista’s delight. After opening the show donning their Indo-Malay resort wear, the finalists went ahead and wore ASEAN-inspired garb designed by Barbie Alves, William Manahan, Yvonne Quisumbing and Edwin Ao.
Later, they flaunted the incredible evening gowns that were made for them by Cebu’s top designers. Chloe’s in particular, shone through, as apart from its black and flowing nature, it also had an image designed onto its back, something that took breaths away when she turned around on the runway.
A night like that was certain to have surprises and it came in the presence of University of the Philippines graduate and now, marketing communications officer, Ella Beverly Sarmago, who came out of nowhere to win two awards. She was adjudged by her peers as the Miss Friendship and then later by ABS-CBN Cebu, as the Kapamilya Star of the Night.
More than the trophies and the sash was the raucous applause and love that was showered on her during the casual Q-and-A, thanks to her disarming answer to the age-old question: Career or love? To this, Ella answered, “That’s a difficult choice but I would choose love. Career is something that you can gain through your intelligence. But love is something that we get from our family, from our friends and our colleagues and it is something that we cannot get from our career. Love is the essence of our living.”
Also, during that very same portion, Chloe was asked to name a magazine that she would like to be on the cover of, if given a choice. Without batting an eyelash, Chloe said, “If I can be on the cover of any magazine, I would like to choose the Reader’s Digest, it’s brief and the people who are featured in the Reader’s Digest make a difference, not only in a big way but in small ways beit saving a dog or helping the Japanese after the tsunami.”
The finalists were all stars in their own right, what with the long and arduous journey that they had to patiently go through all the way back in November. But just like in any galaxy, there is a star that shines the brightest and that was none other than the queen herself, Anther. And she showed everyone signs of her being more than capable of winning it all as early as the said casual interview portion.
She was asked a tough question but unfazed she was when faced with this query, “What separates the Cebuana from other women?”
Anther boldly answered, “What separates the Cebuana from other women is that they have the pride of calling Cebu their home.I love Cebu so much because it has limitless potential. If only we could work together, then we could be the best city in the country, if not the world.”
An answer worthy not just of the Cebuana but certainly of a Miss Cebu title-holder.
Jonas Rey N. Panerio
Writer/ Correspondent
iSTORYA.NET League of Writers
Photos by: Gerald Yuvallos of MuG Shots Photography / IPC
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