Obviously owing to its 12-year streak in the Miss Universe Pageant, highlighted by the two wins scored by Pia Wurztbach in 2015 and Catriona Gray in 2018, the Philippines has clearly established itself as Asia’s powerhouse in the world's most prestigious beauty competition. While this new tag earned by the country for itself has been generating some amount of jealousy from pageant fans from neighboring countries, it also comes with a sense of aspiration for them to also do well eventually in the same beauty Olympics.  What the world sees as the advantage Filipinas have over their competitors is the kind of training that they’re getting from the various pageant camps we have locally, such that when they’re sent to their international competitions, they’re fully armed and ready for battle.

Reasons why some countries have recently been sending their own candidates to the Philippines to prep them for war.  They turn to the country to seek the training that they believe will be required to up their chances of winning.

“It all started in 2014. Philippine delegate MJ Lastimosa became besties with Miss Indonesia, Elvira Devinamira.  That relationship prompted Elvira to recommend for her organization to let her successor train in the Philippines the following year,” says Rodgil Flores, who heads one of the most respected pageant training camps in the Philippines, Kagandahang Flores (KF).

Since then, the country has been the pageant training grounds for candidates from different parts of the globe.  Shandy Montecarlo-Lim, one of KF’s coaches reveals: “I have already trained candidates from more than 18 countries: from Cameroon to Great Britain, Japan, Thailand, Canada, Australia, Vietnam, and  Cambodia.” Shandy adds: “It shows na quality ang training dito sa Philippines.  Magaling talaga ang binibigay nating training na mga Filipinos.”

Both Flores and Montecarlo-Lim see nothing wrong with training candidates who will eventually go head-to-head with the country’s own delegate.

“Doesn’t this only affirm that indeed our country is Asia’s powerhouse?  KF has always been very accepting since then until now for those who seek our help.  Hindi naman tayo nag-ooffer sa kanila to train with us.  They reach out to us.  If there’s something you can do to help a neighbor, wouldn’t you be kind enough to extend it?  So even if they come from foreign shores, they are being accommodated,” defends Flores.

To Filipino pageant fans who say KF, is somehow “sleeping with the enemy” by training foreign delegates, Montecarlo-Lim retorts: ““Alam ng mga banyaga na fair ang mga Filipinos, na hindi sila pababayaan ng mga Filipino.  Bakit natin inaaway ang mga kliyente?  Bakit nila sila ipinagtatabuyan?”

Among those who confirmed to train in the country under KF for this year’s Miss Universe pageant are Cambodia’s Manita Hang and El Salvador’s Alejandra Guajardo.  Some photos leaked online also reveal that Miss Indonesia Universe Laksmi De-Neefe Suardana is also training with the pageant camp.

Montecarlo-Lim expounds on why Filipinos should be proud to be the training grounds of choice by other countries: ““The moment na pinili nila yung Philippine team at kinuha ang KF, nakasalalay dito yung pagiging powerhouse natin.  Ibibigay din namin yung more than 100 percent naming for their girls. Ibig sabihin, if manalo sila, it’s because of us.  The moment na pumunta sila dito, winner na tayo.”

Just like any other type of training, the pageant education being given to the foreign trainees also comes with certain fees.   

“This is my job. I travel the world to meet a lot of beauty queens who need my services.  Hindi madali ang trabaho ko.  Being a pageant coach is a job, not a passion,” admits Montecarlo-Lim who prefers to be called “the beauty queen expert.”

Asked if what they have are standard fees and packages, Flores is non-committal, saying that charging is purely on a case-to-case basis and “depends on a lot of things and considerations, including length of stay.”

Now given this scenario, how should our local bet Celeste Cortesi react and go about her pageant game plan?

The beauty queen expert shares this advice: “Mas lalong dapat siyang ma-challenge at tayo naman, mas galingan ng mga Pinoy dahil alam na nating dito na rin nag-te-training ang mga kalaban.”