Elsa Trinidad and Megan Deen Campbell (PHOTO BY GERARD PAREJA)
LEADING up to the pageant night on October 28, we’re featuring the ladies who are vying for the first ever Binibining Cebu crown.
Our ladies for today represent the southern towns of Pinamungajan and Ronda.
Here’s more of Elsa Trinidad and Megan Deen Campbell:
Elsa Trinidad Municipality: Pinamungajan
Age: 19
Hobbies/Interests: playing bandurria, watching Korean dramas, domestic travels
Although Trinidad considers Binibining Cebu a long journey, she stays positive about what lies ahead.
The 19-year-old Bachelor of Science in Architecture student of Cebu Institute of Technology-University is aware that she has fellow candidates who have more experience and are more ready for grand pageants like Binibining Cebu.
“So it is more of a mental preparation for me,” she told Cebu Daily News. Binibining Cebu, however, is not her first pageant.
She tried her luck in Miss Mandaue and then joined Miss Asturias this year and won second runner-up. Trinidad is proud of Pinamungajan because it is rich with agricultural lands and abundant fishing grounds. Pinamungajan is 76.9 kilometers away from Cebu City.
“Pinamungajan offers beach resorts, a mountain resort, natural springs and the Campalabo Sandbar and Marine sanctuary, and if you prefer to be adventurous, Pinamungajan has 118 caves, though some are still unexplored, with the Kamangon cave as the most famous one,” she added.
Her town also has two waterfalls named Sinungkulan Falls and Udlom Falls. Both are walking distance from the Kamangon cave. Trinidad believes that Binibining Cebu is the best platform to promote her municipality, including through social media.
Megan Deen Campbell
Municipality: Ronda
Age: 19 Hobbies/Interests: Camping, cooking, acting, modeling.
It’s quite challenging for Megan Deen Campbell to join the first Binibining Cebu as she is competing with her predecessor Maria Gigante who was crowned as Hiyas nan Carasscal 2016 in Carrascal, Surigao del Sur.
Campbell gave Cebu a back-to-back win in the same pageant this year. And Campbell, the official candidate of the municipality of Ronda, is doing her best to win the title through hard work and self-evaluation.
“I also do research to get to know more about the community and the municipality,” she told Cebu Daily News.
Ronda, which is 88 kilometers away from Cebu City, has a hidden paradise called Lusno Falls.
Campbell said Ronda is also known for livestock and agriculture. In terms of food, Campbell is proud of Ronda’s humba or stewed pork in black bean sauce. To promote Ronda and the entire province, she would use the Internet as a tool.
“The power of the Internet is incredible. With the use of the Internet you are able to reach out to the communities, post photos of the natural environment, among others,” she said.
At present, Campbell is a radio DJ at Monster Radio BT 105.9. She started working at the age of 16 as English as Second Language (ESL) teacher.
“My grandmother taught me morals and ethics. It is also important to know cultural heritage,” she said.