Molina, De Vera top beauty pageant supremacy
Stephanie Sambria
Dominating the online community with grandeur and wit, loud cheers were heard as Miguel Alforque Molina, from the College of Pharmacy and Chemistry (CPC) and Lyanne Joy De Vera, from the College of Arts and Humanities (CAH), were crowned as Mister and Miss eNTRAMURAL League 2021 last November 19 via Zoom and live stream in the University Student Government (USG) of the University of Immaculate Conception’s Facebook page.
The pageant, which was hailed as one of the league’s highlights, showcased elegance, demonstrated confidence, and recognized individuality while promoting friendship and solidarity.
On November 12th, the opening day of Dilaab, the dynamic blend of beauty and talent was first seen when the ten pairs of candidates had to go through rounds of question and answer and a week-long self-introduction and promotion activities.
The virtual pageantry made a nostalgic ambiance as it was filled with radiance and enthusiasm as the candidates flaunted their charismatic aura during the preliminaries. The candidates were given questions about their perceptions about poverty, gender equality, human rights and promoting social progress, climate-related initiatives, equal rights for young Filipino, integral approach for good health, and discrimination which tested their morals as Ignacian Marian students.
As the coronation reached the most awaited part, the final interview, Ms. De Vera stood out, leaving the judges and event spectators astounded with her answer.
When asked about her most significant contribution to preserving natural resources, she confidently posited that her most important contribution was using social media as a platform. She said that social media is a powerful and convenient tool in making her opinions known by posting and sharing information online to influence and educate others.
“My action alone as an individual is small, but through influencing others and combining my efforts with theirs, I hope that all of our actions towards the preservation of our natural resources will create a huge impact for our environment,” De Vera ended.
On the other hand, judges were astonished as Mr. Molina delivered his winning answer with undeniable charms as he stated his definition of “Dilaab.”
“For me, Dilaab boils down to the meaning of ignites, which means fire. As a UICian, Dilaab means so much that we are bound to the act of compassion and service to our fellow UICians students. With this, UIC’s Dilaab, we are all being put into a venue where we have to show love for each other and for all the students to have a perfect timing that we will have a break from the academics, which suffers us a lot for the past two years because of the pandemic,” Molina stated.
The audience displayed anticipation and excitement as the hosts announced the pageant’s runners-up and the special awards during the coronation day..
Trailed behind Molina and De Vera were Al Jomar Abdulbaki and Trisha Marie Monterde Geralde, both from the College of Accounting and Business Education (CABE), who were declared as first runners-up. Meanwhile, the second runners-up title was awarded to Datu Hussien Mama Sinsuat from the CAH and Ed Andrea Tio-ong from the CPC.
Winners of the special award were also announced, to which Francis El Janea from the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) and Tio-ong was awarded as Mr. and Ms. Photogenic. Janea, along with Ella May Luyao from the College of Teacher Education (CTE) bagged the Mr. and Ms. Personality title, while Rey Louie Yata from the College of Medical and Biological Sciences (CMBS) and Luyao seized the Mr. and Ms. Madinahon title.
Sportsmanship and camaraderie still prevailed for each candidate as they successfully imbued power, knowledge, and perseverance to every student. As the pageant ended, the virtual stage was jammed with virtual applause and created noise on Twitter and Facebook.