THE STAGE is set and by the end of tonight, Cebu will crown its new queens.
Binibining Cebu 2018 will celebrate the Cebuana beauty as the grandest pageant in the city happens tonight at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.
Fifty-three candidates from different cities and towns of Cebu will vie for five crowns: Binibining Cebu 2018, Binibining Cebu Tourism 2018, Binibining Cebu Charity 2018, Binibining Cebu Ecology 2018, and Binibining Cebu Heritage 2018.
Before welcoming the new queens, Cebu Daily News gathered top picks from pageant expert and blogger Norman Tinio.
Tinio was the Chairman of the Board of the Judges during the pre-pageant activity last September 26 at The Tent, Mandani Bay in Mandaue City.
“I short-listed these 20 based on their respective performances during the preliminaries last month. And then, I simply added my pageant ‘gut-feel’ to the equation,” he told CDN.
Here are Tinio’s picks, in no particular order: Augustina Odever (Alcantara), Kim Covert (Alegria), Allison Lo (Asturias), Ralphiela Lewis (Badian), Mary Jae Felizarta (Bantayan), Isabela Deutsch (Borbon), Vanessa Ammann (Carcar City), Jasmier Murray (Consolacion), Sharon Angel (Ginatilan), R-Jane Lugod (Liloan), Tracy Perez (Madridejos), Steffi Aberasturi (Mandaue City), Ivy Tapic (Naga City), Lou Piczon (Ronda), Shaznay Corres (San Remigio), Sheena Balansag (Medellin), Princess Paraiso (San Francisco), Princess Bajamonde (Dalaguete), Angeli Navarro (Aloguinsan), and Sheene Paller (Tudela).
Tinio hopes that these lovely ladies will make it to the top 25 and prove him right.
“Fearless forecasts are not 100 percent accurate most of the time, let alone putting my name at stake for 20 of the 53 candidates. Good luck to everyone,” he added.
CDN also asked Chicoy Tomol III of top modelling agency, MAC Models—which has produced a bevy of local and international beauty queens—his choices for the top 5.
His list includes (in order): Aberasturi, Ammann, Kristine Ann Gillamac (Minglanilla), Covert and Angel.
Mr. Press Freedom 2018 Raul Constantine Tabanao, who covered the pageant’s press presentation, shared his top picks. They are Piczon, Covert, Ammann, Aberasturi, and Tapic.
“Everyone is deserving to win the crown but I unbiasedly chose these lovely candidates because they are firm on their advocacies and I see their competitiveness in this year’s Binibining Cebu. And of course, I can see the heart and the beauty of a true Cebuana,” Tabanao said.