‘MISS ILOILO 2023’: The search for new Ilongga queens

By John Noel E. Herrera

The search is already on for the new set of beautiful and empowered Ilonggas who will represent Iloilo City in various national pageants such as Miss Universe and Miss World Philippines, as the Miss Iloilo organization has started to accept applications for Miss Iloilo 2023.

Aspiring beauty queens can already fill out their application forms online as the submission deadline is set on Sept 22, 2022.

Aspirants are also required to submit copies of their vaccination cards, birth certificates, and half- and full-body pictures.

Part of the qualifications is that the applicants must be 18 to 27 years old, not shorter than 5’5” in height, and female with Ilongga lineage.

A private screening is set on Sept 24, 2022, at Grand Xing Imperial Hotel in Iloilo City.

“For applicants who cannot go to the screening, email us your appeal at missiloiloph@gmail.com. However, we will prioritize the candidates that will attend the screening,” the organization said on its Facebook page.

The coronation night will be held in January 2023.

Three crowns are at stake – Miss Iloilo-Universe, Miss Iloilo-Binibini, and Miss Iloilo-World.

During the pageant last year, Dorothy Marie P. Gemillan, a nursing student back then at Central Philippine University – was crowned Miss Iloilo 2022-Universe and won P60,000.

Meanwhile, Dentistry student Blessie Jay Villablance was proclaimed Miss Iloilo 2022-World, while Elisha Lorraine Abella was crowned Miss Iloilo 2022-Binibini. Each beauty queen also took home a P60,000 cash prize.

Miss Iloilo 2023 pageant is one of the major activities in line with the celebration of the Dinagyang Festival which is also set to return to its usual street events in January next year after these were temporarily halted for two consecutive years due to the pandemic.