Mutya Pilipinas 2019 winners — Newly-crowned Mutya Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International Klyza Castro (third from right) beams with her fellow queens (from left) second runner-up Maxinne Rangel, Mutya-Overseas Communities Louise Arroyo An, Mutya-World Top Model April Short, Mutya-Tourism International Tyra Goldman, and first runner-up Cyrille Payumo after their coronation at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Aug. 18. (Photo by ARMIN P. ADINA / Contributor)

PASAY CITY, Philippines — Two Mindanaoans bagged the top crowns at the 2019 Mutya Pilipinas pageant, dominating a field of 40 contenders from around the country and from different parts of the world.

Klyza Castro from Davao City took home the Mutya Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International crown, while April Short of Zamboanga City received the new title Mutya Pilipinas-World Top Model in ceremonies staged at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Sunday night.

Castro will have to quickly buckle down to work as her next pageant assignment is not only getting close, she would also have to secure a back-to-back win for the Philippines.

She inherited her Mutya crown from reigning Miss Asia Pacific International Sharifa Areef Mohammad Omar Akeel, the first Muslim woman to win the crown, also the fifth Filipino woman to bag the title.

Castro will try to inherit Akeel’s international crown in October in the Philippines.

Likewise carrying an insurmountable mission is Mutya Pilipinas-Tourism International Tyra Goldman from the Filipino community in Nevada, who has to sustain the country’s impressive record in the Miss Tourism International pageant, where the Philippines holds the record for having the most wins and runners-up. The global tilt is slated in November in Malaysia.

She received the crown from Dream Girl of the Year International Aya Fernandez, who is also a Myx Channel VJ now.

Short will be trained by the Professional Models Association of the Philippines before flying to Monaco to compete in the 2019 World Top Model contest in December.

From among the delegates sent by the overseas Filipino communities, California’s Louise Janica Arroyo An was the one who inherited the Mutya Pilipinas-Overseas Communities crown from last year’s winner Jade Roberts of Australia.

Completing the winners’ circle were first runner-up Cyrille Payumo of Pampanga, and second runner-up Maxinne Rangel from Padre Garcia, Batangas.

Among this year’s judges were 1979 Miss International Melanie Marquez, Miss Intercontinental CEO Detlef Tursies, and 1968 Mutya runner-up Fortune Ledesma, honorary consul general of Monaco.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer, INQUIRER.net, Inquirer Mobile, InqPop, Libre, and Bandera are media partners of the 2019 Mutya Pilipinas pageant.

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