CEBU, Phillippines— Mandaue City’s Isabel Luche donned a sabong-inspired national costume for the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 pageant.
The costume was designed by Mark Barry Luche and highlights the “colorful amalgamation of culture.”
VAMP Model Management, in a Facebook post, clarified that Luche’s national costume is not about the context of gambling, but instead showcases “there is an elan and elegance in cockfighting.”
“Mandaue City hopes to shed light on cockfighting as a thriving Filipino culture; that there may be issues surrounding gambling and the event of abduction during the rise of e-sabong but this is not the context of this costume. This is to showcase that there is an elan and elegance in cockfighting.
Engrained in our customs and traditions are the razzmatazzes of luck and how we value our resources and money through sabong. We may give in to luck, but we also put sweat and effort into earning our money the hard way. Sabong has been our avenue to take a break from our rigid tasks and have fun and be merry,” VAMP said in its post.
The Cebuana beauty queen won the pageant’s headshot challenge last March 14.
Luche is one of the four Cebuanas who made it to the Top 32 of the MUPH pageant.
The three others are Chantal Elise Legaspi Schmidt (Cebu City), Sashi Chiesa (Lapu-Lapu City), and Lou Dominique Piczon (Cebu Province).
Reigning Miss Universe Philippine Beatrice Luigi Gomez of Cebu City is set to crown her successor on April 30, 2022.
/bmjo
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