MANILA, Philippines—The escalation of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines prompted pageants, both national and local, to postpone their scheduled coronation ceremonies this month and in April.

 

The city governments of Caloocan and Parañaque announced the postponement of the 2020 editions of their respective city-wide beauty contests.

 

The 2020 Miss Caloocan pageant was set on March 7 at the Caloocan Sports Complex, while the Binibining Parañaque contest was scheduled on March 12 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

 

Organizers of the 2020 Mrs. Queen of Hearts Philippines pageant told the Inquirer that the management of Teatrino at the Promenade Mall of the Greenhills Commercial Complex informed them of the city government of San Juan’s order to lock down the center for two weeks.

 

Though the initial lockdown period does not cover their scheduled April 3 coronation night, the theater management surmised the two-week lockdown period may still drive away supposed spectators to the venue even after it is lifted.

 

“They advised us to move to a later date, or find another venue. We have yet to decide on that,” Queen of Hearts Foundation Inc. Executive Director Mitzie Go-Gil told the Inquirer at the sidelines of the presentation of her pageant’s candidates at Okada Manila in Parañaque City on Saturday afternoon.

 

The pageant will select the Philippines’ representatives to seven international competitions.

 

Even the Binibining Pilipinas pageant, the country’s premier national beauty contest, moved it April 26 coronation to May 31.

 

In a post on its official Facebook page, the Binibining Pilipinas pageant announced the new pageant schedule, and that tickets would be made available starting March 8.

 

The 2020 Binibining Pilipinas pageant will be staged at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta City in Quezon City. The winners will carry the Philippine flag in the Miss International, Miss Supranational, Miss Intercontinental, Miss Globe, and Miss Grand International pageants.

 

On Saturday, the Department of Health confirmed the sixth COVID-19 case in the Philippines and announced that the fifth case involved a local transmission of the coronavirus.