CANDON CITY, Ilocos Sur -- The city government of Candon, known as the Virginia tobacco capital of the Philippines, will launch a search for the Miss Tobacco Philippines serving as one of the main highlights of this year's Tobacco Festival set March 18 to March 28. City Mayor Eric D. Singson said the city government pursued the expansion of the pageant from the search for Miss Virginia tobacco to Miss Tobacco Philippines to include the Burley and Native type of tobacco-producing provinces with the collaboration of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) and the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI). “We want to show to the public that the participants for the first search for Miss Tobacco Philippines are coming from all the provinces that produce tobacco, unlike before when the pageant will only participate -in by the Virginia tobacco-producing provinces,” said Singson. According to Singson, the new pageant will strengthen the continuing development of the tobacco industry and will help boost farm tourism in the countryside. On March 4, 2023, fifteen lovely candidates vying for the title of the search for Miss Tobacco Philippines 2023 displayed their casual wear during their presentation at the Civic Center of Candon City. Of the 15 contestants, three of them are representing NTA Candon City Branch; three are from the NTA La Union Branch office; two candidates are from Abra; two candidates from the NTA Vigan Branch office; two are from Ilocos Norte NTA Branch office; one each from Cagayan, Isabela, and Pangasinan. After their casual wear presentation, the contestants from Ilocos Sur clad in their working clothes visited topped Virginia tobacco plantations and curing barn in Barangay Parioc Segundo, Candon City. They showed their experiences in the culture of tobacco production from topping, harvesting, sticking, hanging, and unloading of flue-cured Virginia tobacco leaves from the curing barn. The presentation of the talent portion of the candidates is set for March 23 to be followed by the coronation night on March 25 at the Candon City Arena. Dr. Giovanni B. Palabay, the OIC–Deputy Administrator for Operations who represented Administrator Belinda S. Sanchez during the candidates’ presentation, cited the significance of the pageant for the continuing promotion of the country’s tobacco industry. “These beautiful ladies would probably become the ambassador of goodwill for the development of the industry in their respective provinces,” said Palabay. Earlier, NTA Administrator Sanchez expressed her full support to the initiative of the city government of Candon on spearheading the first search for the Miss Tobacco Philippines beauty pageant.