From left: Charlie Dungo, head of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Arts of Manila; Manila Vice Mayor Yul Servo, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna; Zenaida Katerine Valenzuela, CEO, KreativDen Entertainment; and Dorothy Laxamana, also of KreativDen Entertainment

After five long years, the Miss Manila beauty pageant returns as part of the culminating event of the Araw ng Maynila celebration.

During the contract signing for the relaunch of Miss Manila 2023 held at the Manila City Hall last March 1, Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna said that the prestigious local pageant is looking for a woman of worth.

“What is it like to be Miss Manila? Dapat po ang Miss Manila should be true to herself. She has to love herself first before she can love others.

“She should embody the traits of the true Manilenya. And she should be a strong advocate for all of the rights of all women. Yan po ang traits ng isang tunay na Manilenya.

“In other words, dapat po ang isang Manilenya ay may wow factor. Woman of worth. Siya po ay isang true leader, isang nurturer and a changemaker,” said Mayor Honey.

The mayor also took pride in the rich history of the local government of Manila when it comes to pageantry, saying that the city was the first venue for a pageant in the country in 1908.

“Ito po ay ginanap sa Luneta. And the very first Miss Carnival was from Iloilo. She is Pura Villanueva Kalaw. She’s also an activist, a writer. She also worked for suffrage which gave women the chance to vote.

“After so many years, the third Manila Carnival Queen hailed from Manila who happens to be the daughter of Pura Villanueva Kalaw, Maria Kalaw Katigbak. She was born in Sampaloc. Siya po ang nag-iisang babaeng senador noong panahon na yun.

“It just goes to show that pageantry is not all about beauty. It’s more of kung ano talaga ang worth ng isang babae. Kapag sila ay naging Carnival Queen, sila ay kilala na bilang Miss Manila. In 1998, sinimulan na ang Miss Manila pageant dito sa aming lungsod during the time of former Mayor Alfredo S. Lim.

“Then it ran for a couple of years. It was relaunched by former Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada in 2014. Because of the pandemic, walang naganap na Miss Manila. So here we are relaunching the Miss Manila 2023,” Mayor Honey also recalled.

Miss Manila is a project of the City of Manila to look for a Manileña that embodies the values of empowerment and leadership to deliver meaningful contribution to her life and to her fellow Manilans.

Asked if there were many women of worth in Manila, Lacuna said: “Sa Manila po hindi mahirap hanapin ang woman of worth. Hindi naman po sa pagbubuhat ng bangko, sa panahon po ngayon, malaki na po ang pagtingin ng mga Manilenyo sa mga babae. Isa pong patunay nito ang nang nahalal ang isang babaeng mayor ng City of Manila.”

(In Manila, it’s not hard to find a woman of worth. Nowadays, the people of Manila have a high regard for women. One proof of this is when a woman was elected mayor of the city of Manila.)

In May 2022, Mayor Honey made history after she was proclaimed the first woman mayor of Manila.

KreativDen Entertainment, a talent management and content production agency located in Manila, has been tapped to produce Miss Manila 2023.

“When the project was presented to us, we saw how nice and clear the visions and goals are of the Miss Manila pageant. It’s really strengthening and building the rights and advocacies of not just women but the organizations that helped build and create more voices for women in Manila,” said Zenaida Katerine Valenzuela, CEO, KreativDen Entertainment.

Zenaida is also the talent manager of Kapuso actor Richard Yap, musicians Daryl Ong, Bugoy Drilon and Angeline Quinto.

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray will host the coronation night of Miss Manila 2023 pageant at the Metropolitan Theater on June 24.

“We also chose Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray as the host for the pageant because she had a project connected with Manila when she became Miss World Philippines in 2016. It was called the ‘Paraiso’ project where she raised funds for children for the Smokey Mountain in Tondo, Manila,” said Dorothy Laxamana, also of KreativDen Entertainment.

Twenty-five contestants will vie for the title of Miss Manila 2023. She will receive P1 million worth of cash and prizes.

Charlie DJ. Dungo, head of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Arts of Manila, said: “Hindi lamang po para sa turismo ang focus ng Miss Manila. Gusto rin namin imulat na ang next representative should promote Manila as center of economy. Meron na tayong turismo so focus naman tayo sa economy.”

Asked if transgenders would be allowed to compete, Dungo answered: “Nagulat po ako sa tanong ninyo. Pero hayaan po ninyo at paguusapan po muna ng executive committee if they will allow transgenders for Miss Manila 2023.”

Vice Mayor Yul Servo said he’s happy for the revival of Miss Manila 2023 pageant. “Natutuwa ako sa revival ng Miss Manila pageant. Sa administration ni Mayor Honey, nakakatuwa na may aabangan ang ating mga kabataan na Miss Manila pageant. Natandaan ko konsehal pa ako noon, iba ang Miss Manila noon. Sa kanyang pagbabalik, naging pet project po ito ng ating mayora. Sigurado ako na mas pagagandahin niya ito.”

Mayor Lacuna, who is a doctor by profession, revealed she and her family watch beauty pageants, especially Miss Universe. “Ang inaabangan talaga naman sa beauty pageant ay yung question and answer portion.” (We look forward to the question and answer portion of the beauty pageant)

To qualify for Miss Manila pageant, the candidate must be single, 18 to 30 years old, a resident of Manila, student or self-employed and with good moral character. For details, please visit missmanila.ph.