TACLOBAN CITY –This year’s festival queens of Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals and Sangyaw Festival were separately crowned last week.
The new Miss Pintados, 18-year old Niña Athena Ariaza, who is from Tunga town, Leyte, was crowned on June 21 held at the Leyte Academic Center in Palo town.
Last year’s winner was Julie Ann Tarrayo.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla and former Miss Tacloban-Pintados 1987 Jitka Tupa crowned the 2019 Miss Pintados.
Ariaza received P60,000 as among her prizes for winning the crown. She defeated 11 others candidates from different parts of Leyte and other provinces of the region.
Joining her court were Dianne Virmiel Dulfo of Borongan City (4th runner-up); Bea Fernandez of Carigara, Leyte (3rd runner-up); Donna Ramada of St Bernard, Southern Leyte (2nd runner-up); and May Angelic Emmanuel Marzouk of Balangiga, Eastern Samar (1st runner-up).
Meantime, Czarmy Alcober was declared as this year’s Miss Tacloban, besting 13 others during the glittering show held at the Tacloban Convention Center held on June 22.
Aside from being the city’s ambassadress of goodwill, Alcober won P40,000 cash prize for winning the title won last year by Cassandra Marie Lee.
Also adjudged as winners were Angel Rose Tambal as Miss Tacloban Ecotourism who received P40,000 and Isabella Balboa as Miss Tacloban Charity who got P30,000 cash prize.
Cassandra Devora was named as 1st runner-up and received P20,000 while Ann Ygrubay was the second runner-up and got P10,000.
This year’s Miss Tacloban was hosted by actor Troy Montero while the Miss Pintados 208 was hosted by Blinky de Leon.
Also declared as winner was Niña Elaiza Maureen Magnawa of Tanauan, Leyte as Miss Teen Pintados. She was crowned by Eugene Tan, president of Pintados Foundation, and Palo Mayor Remedios ‘Matin’ Petilla, chairperson of the Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals.
The two beauty and brain searches are held as among the highlights for the annual fiesta of Tacloban City in honor of its patron, Santo Niño.
The Miss Pintados is being run by the Pintados Foundation while the Miss Tacloban is sanctioned by the Tacloban City government through Sangyaw Foundation.
(ROEL T.AMAZONA)
