8th January 2019 marked the coronation night of the well-known beauty pageant Miss Tourism World Intercontinental 2019. The conclusion of the pageant saw the crowning of Francesca Taruc from the Philippines. It is safe to say that she deserved the win due to her hardworking and dedicated front during the pageant. Her delegacy also won her the Best Body Award during the preliminary round.
It is however interesting to note that the evening gown that Francesca chose to wear was very patriotic. Her gown was red in colour which has a thigh-high slit and showed off her long and toned legs. Designed by Benj Leguiab IV, the iconic gown was named Marsala red gown with three stars and the sun, which is a very important and significant part on the national flag of Philippines. The gown was also worn by Filipina beauty queen Alyssa Muhlach during the finale of Reina Hispanoamericana 2018 last year.
According to sources, the eight rays of the sun symbolise the first eight provinces of the Philippines, namely Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga, who played a huge part in the Philippine revolution, also known as the Tagalog War, against Spain in the year 1896. The three five-pointed stars signify the three major island groups where the above-mentioned revolution first started namely, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Apart from dominating the pageant world since 2018, the nation is also big on patriotism and it is very visible in the pageant world. Starting from the undying support from Filipinos to the beautifully designed gowns that signify Filipino colours, the people of the country have left no stone unturned to show the world how proud they are to belong form this archipelagic nation.
Recently, during the finale of Miss Universe 2018, Catriona Gray’s Lava gown, also gown as the ‘Mayon’ garnered a lot of positive criticism due to its thoughtfulness. Designed by Mak Tumang, the crimson gown represented the Mayon volcano located in Albay city, which is also Catriona’s hometown. This volcano is a very popular tourist spot due to its perfectly symmetrical conical shape.
It is very inspirational designers and beauty queens working together to express their love for their beloved nation in such a harmonious and creative manner. The Philippines has been proving itself dominant in the pageant world, and not just in terms of beauty, but also their advocacies. Through the years, Filipino queens have worked really hard to fight and serve the causes that they are passionate about. They are redefining the world of pageantry!