Koreen Medina crowned Mutya ng Asia Pacific

MANILA, Philippines – The 45th Edition of the Mutya ng Pilipinas officially culminated Friday night, July 26, in the coronation of its two newest beauty queens:  Koreen Medina who won Mutya ng Asia Pacific 2013 and Angeli Dione Gomez who got the Mutya ng Tourism 2013 title. 

READ: Live Blog: Mutya ng Pilipinas 2013

Keen pageant observers say Medina’s victory was relatively predictable. She was already popular even before joining Mutya – she was a Pilipinas Got Talent Season 2 contestant, the Grand Prize winner in the Coca-Cola Music Talent Search Finals in 2011, and the Grand Winner of “My Girl,” a pageant-like search on ABS-CBN. 

The 5 awards she garnered in the pre-pageant events, one of which was Mutya Best in Talent, was another indication that the crown was meant for her. 

Koreen’s Q & A got a passing score. She was asked what defines a Filipina – beauty, character, or intelligence? Her answer was character.

Then she talked about how character was so important to her as a child because she grew up without parents and had to depend on her grandmothers instead.

At one point, Koreen sounded distracted but she was able to end her answer firmly.

Surprise win

If Koreen’s victory was easy to foresee, Angeli Dione Gomez’ win was a bit unexpected.

But this is only because she wasn’t getting much attention in terms of pre-pageant honors. She only received one sponsor award.

Another reason why her win was unexpected: at 5’5.5” she is considered short by pageant standards. But perhaps Angeli Dione Gomez made up for the lack in height with her graceful stride and her complete package – beauty, body, and brains. 

Speaking of brains, Angeli gave one of the better answers among this batch of contestants, not just in terms of content but also style. She also answered naturally.

The question: What can women from the West learn from Filipinas? Her answer was virtue and how Filipinas are strong in their beliefs and culture. 

Between the two winners, the heavier crown rests on Koreen’s head because she was the last one crowned and gets to compete in a bigger international pageant – the Miss Intercontinental which will be held in Cairo, Egypt in November, 2013.

That pageant began in 1973 in Aruba, and in this year’s edition, more than 60 nations are expected to participate.

So far, no Filipina has won the title, so Koreen Medina has quite a challenge before her. She’ll have to get leaner, look fiercer, walk smoother and be more focused with her Q & A.

‘Artistahin’

Angeli faces her own challenge, which might be far more daunting: to match what her predecessor Rizzini Alexis Gomez did and that is to win the Miss Tourism International 2013.

It is doubtful that the Philippines will achieve victory two years in a row, but it’s not impossible. With her striking face and slinky walk, Angeli should be able to wow Malaysia where the New Year’s Eve pageant is traditionally held.

Just a quick observation: Angeli Gomez has the same surname as her predecessor Rizzini Gomez and both of them are from Cebu. 

Another observation: Both Mutya winners, Koreen and Angeli, have the kind of beauty Filipinos would consider artistahin (actress-like).

This should prove quite valuable to Mutya ng Pilipinas, which has, in the past decade or so, been largely eclipsed by other national pageants like Bb Pilipinas and Miss Earth.

With two winners that look like they belong to TV or the movies, the Mutya franchise could finally get the attention that it sorely needs. – Rappler.com

Joyce Burton-Titular is a Filipina beauty queen with two Binibining Pilipinas titles: Miss Young Philippines 1980 and Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 1985. She currently keeps a beauty queen blog called Adventures of a Beauty Queen.

Joyce has more than a decade of experience as a news presenter, her most recent job being anchor of RPN News Watch, which sadly closed shop in October, 2012. But her main work is voicing — Joyce is a brand voice for beauty products like Dove and Pond’s. She is the continuity announcer for cable channel 2nd Avenue, and hers is the voice that reminds you to fasten your seatbelts and turn off your phones when you fly Cebu Pacific.

Joyce is a mother of two, wife of one, and the slave of 7 dogs and 7 cats.