The move by the Miss Universe Organization to push for greater inclusion in the competition is creating a ripple effect in the world of pageantry.  Aside from accepting participants of all shapes and sizes, sexual orientations, and gender identities, it also eliminated age qualifications, allowing older and even married women to participate.

Being the pageant powerhouse and trailblazer it is, the Philippines is leading the way for the same development in male pageantry.  A few months back, a brand-new male pageant was launched, targeting a wider demographic of Filipino men. Dubbed King of the World-Philippines, the search positions itself for a bigger market of participants, accepting entries from 18 to 35 years old.

Events and pageant organizer par excellence Meg Perez is the brains behind the contest, and he says: “Real kings don’t have to fit the young and good-looking mold all the time.  It takes maturity to rule a kingdom, so who we’re looking for is not the typical heartthrob, but somebody who embodies the maturity and dignity of a true Filipino.  Maturity can come at any point in a man’s life.”

Offering a staggering half a million peso prize package to the eventual winner, King of the World-Philippines has generated great support from the pageant community given the number of those who screened for it, wanting to become official candidates.

“Wala akong issue sa pera, lalo na sa prizes.  Bayad agad ang mga bata the moment they are declared winners.  Ayoko sa lahat yung nagagawan ng issue yung pageants na kesyo hindi nagbibigay ng premyo, whatsoever.  Hindi kami ganoon.  Ayokong magkarron ng chismis kagaya ng ibang pageants,” Perez assures.  Perez is also the one who organized last summer’s successful SuperModel International-Philippines and is also credited for staging the first editions of the Mister Grand Philippines contest.

A former entertainment writer, Perez guarantees that whoever will be declared as King will have an international pageant to go to, which he, himself, will be producing.

“Meron na ngang participants and even inquiries from other countries para sa King of the World, pero abangan nyo na lang muna yan, after nating makoronahan ang unang King of the World Philippines natin,” he reveals.

While Perez’s pageant has yet to fully take-off with the commencement of the competitive stages, award-winning male pageant guru Carlo Morris Galang announced on social media that he is looking for potential country directors who can field participants to a new international quest called King of the Universe.  Just like Perez’s pageant, the competition for universal kings casts a wider net, in terms of age range, as it allows entries who are 28 to 48 years old, either single or married.

The idea is no longer new to the organizer of the prestigious Misters of Filipinas and Man of the World competitions as Galang had long been contemplating on putting together, Misters of Filipinas Prime, a search for handsome but older and successful Filipino men.

Perez reacts: “Hindi naman big deal itong King of the Universe para sa akin.  Inuna naman nila yung international search kaya walang epekto sa King of the World-Philippines ko, lalo na at nauna naman akong mag-launch.  Isa pa, wala naman kaming bad blood ni Carlo, kaya okay lang yan.”

As the two competitions fall under the same brand category, pageant aficionados are smelling some rivalry between the searches for “universal” and “world” kings.  

“Definitely, ito ay isang malaking competition,” Perez admits.  “Nasa organizers na yan kung paano nila ima-market o ide-deliver ang kanilang pageants.  Basta ako, I will make sure that King of the World will be the biggest,” he adds.

The inaugural King of the World-Philippines finals is set to happen on Jan. 28, 2024, while King of the Universe 2024 is slated to crown its winners by June 2024.