MAKATI CITY, Philippines—After almost two years since it last staged a competition, the Misters of Filipinas pageant will finally hold a contest this year, set to take place in its first location outside Metro Manila in the third quarter of the year.
The COVID-19 pandemic put the pageant’s 2020 edition on hold, with most of the 2019 winners yet to see action on the international stage. But organizer Prime Events Productions Philippines Inc. (PEPPS) announced on social media that the province of Negros Oriental would host the eighth edition of the Misters of Filipinas pageant in August.
The organizers emphasized that protocols will be strictly observed in staging the national competition. All the contestants, officials, staff members and other personnel set to submit to routine health measures, such as taking an RT-PCR swab test and undergoing quarantine.
In an online interview with the Inquirer, PEPPS President Carlo Morris Galang said, “all initial screenings are done online. NCR+ applicants who passed the second online casting will have their face-to-face interview before the announcement of the official candidates.”
Applicants outside the NCR+ bubble, he said, will have individual online interviews. The final roster of official candidates will be released by the end of June.
Galang said the pageant seeks applicants “with good looks and pleasing attitude” and those who embody the contest’s mantra “masculinity with responsibility.”
A winnable candidate, he said, is one who has a “good attitude, is confident with his personality, and must be a good spokesperson for our brand when they compete abroad.”
The pageant’s winners will represent the Philippines in the Man of the World, Mister International, Mister Tourism and Culture Universe, Mister Model Worldwide, and Mister Model of the Universe contests.
But with some of the reigning kings still yet to compete in international contests, Galang clarified that the representatives would get their respective shots at global titles because “some of our pageant partners are considering to have two editions in a year.”
The pageant has already produced a slew of international titleholders, including hunk cop Neil Perez who was crowned 2014 Mister International, “It’s Showtime’s” resident pretty boy Ion Perez who was proclaimed 2018 Mister Universe Tourism, and 2018 Mister Model Worldwide Carlo Pasion.
The 2021 Misters of Filipinas grand finals will be staged at the Negros Oriental Convention Center in Dumaguete City on Aug. 10.
