Mutya ng Dabaw updates rules: No height requirement, mothers welcome to join

DAVAO ORIENTAL, Philippines – The Mutya ng Dabaw beauty pageant followed the latest trends in the world of pageantry as it lifted the height requirement for its applicants and opened the competition to mothers – whether married or single moms.

“We want the Mutya ng Dabaw beauty pageant to evolve into a pageant, which is not only about beauty as we are looking for an ambassadress of Davao,” said Jennifer Romero, the organizer of the beauty contest.

Romero said that unlike with the previous editions of Mutya ng Dabaw, they have decided to scrap the 5’4″ height requirement “so everybody can join the beauty contest regardless of their height.”

The trend of abolishing the height requirement for candidates and allowing mothers to join the pageant started with the Miss Universe, one of the most prestigious pageants in the world. The local franchise holder of the Miss Universe, Miss Universe Philippines, followed suit shortly.

The pageant’s finals night will be held on March 15 at the University of Southeastern Philippines’ gymnasium. This year’s edition also has fewer candidates. The winners will be picked from just 30 candidates – much less than last year’s 50 candidates.

Aside from the sashing ceremony, the organizers also held an orientation for the candidates last February 11. They also had a workshop that focused on “personality development and the proper manner in which a beauty queen will look.” Romero said the candidates will showcase their talents on March 5.

She also said that she was amazed by the “beauty and wit” of this year’s beauty contestants: “They are knowledgeable about all the things they are talking about. I would say that this set of 2024 Mutya ng Dabaw contestants are all competitive.”

The Mutya ng Dabaw beauty contest is part of a series of events organized by the city government of Davao for its 87th founding anniversary celebration on March 1. On February 16, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Proclamation No. 467, declaring March 1 a special non-working day in Davao City. – Rappler.com