AAA Renaissance Cebuana winner Katherine Jumapao of Liloan (center) with 1st runner-up Debbie Maeh Sitee of Bogo City (left) and 2nd runner-up Cianza Pearl Gutierrez of Tudela
AAA RENAISSANCE CEBUANA 2018
It was a pageant that celebrated women’s grace, strength and power.
On Gand Finale Night of the AAA Renaissance Cebuana, spearheaded by the Cebu Provincial Government, triathlete and real estate broker Katherine Jumapao of Liloan town proved what a woman is made of as she showcased her talent, wit and style and bested 14 candidates from 12 towns and cities in Cebu province.
“Before, women did not have the right to vote or to own properties. Nowadays, I am very happy that we have equal rights as men. We can rule. President Barrack Obama once said,
’If a woman succeeds, nations will be secure, safe and prosperous.’ So I will let the kids know that women nowadays are empowered and ready to face the future ahead,” Jumapao told the audience at the Capitol Social Hall last Aug. 31.
This was her answer to the final question: “Women are indeed equal partners of men in development and nationbuilding. This phrase is actually the title of RA 7192 of Feb. 12, 1992. How will you explain this to young school girls?”
With this victory, Jumapao is now the ambassadress of the Provincial Women Commission (PWC).
Along with the prestige of being crowned as the first AAA Renaissance Cebuana, Jumapao brought home P100,000 cash, roundtrip ticket to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific) and gift from HP. She also earned the Bestin Sports Wear award.
Other winners were: Debbie Maeh Sitee of Bogo City (first runner-up) and Cianza Pearl Gutierrez of Tudela (second runner-up).
Sitee took home several special awards that night including Miss Photogenic, Best in Resort Wear and Best in Evening Gown. Gutierrez, on the other hand, was awarded Miss Talent for her attention-grabbing rendition of “Sugilanon sa Gugma,” a poem she herself wrote.
Stef Tirado, who designed Sitee’s resort wear, was adjudged as Best Designer. The Fashion Association of Cebu’s Elite Talents (FACET) was the event’s partner in the resort wear segment.
The ladies’ collective journey as the first batch of candidates of AAA Renaissance Cebuana was not just all about high-heeled shoes and elegant long gowns. In the earlier part of the competition, the ladies wore running shoes and “thinking hats” to make it to the final cut. It stayed true to the three As of athletic, academic and artistic, which served as the pageant’s anchor themes.
AAA Renaissance Cebuana is a collaborative project of the Cebu Provincial Government in cooperation with Provincial Women’s Commission, Ng Khai Development Corporation, Cebu Provincial Sports Commission and Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) AAA Renaissance Cebuana is a pageant like no other.
It is the teamwork of government and business that put together a pageant which emphasized a woman’s multi-faceted talents and skills. These are ladies who really hail from the towns and cities they represented. Most of them were first-time pageant participants.
“This event highlights women empowerment and strength in character. We do not think only of beauty. We also emphasize physical ability, intellectual capacity and talent in the arts,” said Melanie Ng, executive vice president of Ng Khai and former CCCI president.
The four-month event kicked off with a fun run on June 9 participated by 700 ladies from all over Cebu Province. This was the athletic part of the competition. The first 100 finishers advanced to the academic round or a Quiz Bee and Question and Answer challenge last June 23, from which 32 ladies went on to post one-minute advocacy videos on the AAA Renaissance Cebuana Facebook page for online voting.
The results of the Q and A challenge and advocacy video led to the declaration of the 15 finalists for the Grand Finale Night.
Ng, who spent precious time with the candidates all throughout the competition, saw the ladies transform from shy town lass to confident Cebuanas.
“The most heartwarming part is the support they have for each other. We even had a hard time deciding who to give the Miss Congeniality award because they were all friendly and helpful
towards each other,” she said.
And this is what sets this pageant apart from the rest. One might venture to say that it is not just a pageant; it is platform for women to voice out their choices and opinions; a movement to inspire and involve more women in empowerment and nationbuilding.
Vice Governor Agnes Magpale described the Renaissance Cebuana as one who appreciates her provincial roots and values and one who knows the importance of words so she can articulate her thoughts and views on issues.
The empowered and inspiring woman that is Vice Governor Magpale was more than right when she said that a Renaissance Cebuana is the embodiment of warmth and grace and with her advocacy, she lives a purposeful life.