Sinulog Festival Queen instead of Ms. Cebu — Osmeña

CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is planning to make the Sinulog Festival Queen a major event during the Sinulog rather than having the Miss Cebu pageant.

Osmeña said yesterday that the Sinulog Festival Queen projects the Sinulog and attracts more tourist than the Miss Cebu pageant.

“I will make that into a main event before the Sinulog. You know they already have the choreography. They already have their beautiful queen. Then we will give them a price of P1 million because it is a prestige of the province also. And then, it brings in more tourists. All we need to do is make those festival queens into our calendar for the year. Masbate is January. But it is all Sinulog . . . So people will see the calendar . . . what is that? . . . instead of that Miss Cebu,” Osmeña said.

He, however, said that he would set aside this plan for later as this is his first week sitting as mayor.

“I am thinking if I would to do it, I will do it. But right now, I am not thinking on spending. I am thinking of saving, and right now it (Miss Cebu) is not worth it, ” he said.

He also said he would have to assess whether or not to cut down on expenses for the Sinulog Festival next year.

He said that his main priority now is to provide services to Cebuanos and to consider if spending for an event or activity is worth it.

He also said that the Sinulog Grand Parade will still be held at the Cebu City Sports Center next year and not at the North Reclamation Area as former mayor Michael Rama had earlier planned.

He said he did that in 1990 and it failed, and no people watched it because all of them were at the CCSC.

Meanwhile, former Miss Cebu winners and a former official of the Cebu City Tourism Commission which organizes Miss Cebu, expressed sadness over the cancellation of the pageant, but they also supported Mayor Osmeña’s decision.

Miss Cebu Kris Tiffany Janson said she hoped that if not the local government, perhaps another institution could continue it.

Janson won the Bb. Pilipinas Miss Intercontinental crown and went on to place second runner up in that year’s Miss Intercontinental pageant.

Miss Cebu 2015 Wynonah Van Joy Buot said the pageant is an institution and should not be scrapped.

But Buot said she also supports the mayor’s decision and hoped it would be for the best.

Former CCTC chairperson Tetta Baad said in a text message that Miss Cebu has proven itself as a prestigious brand with a proven track record.

Baad, together with all CCTC commissioners, resigned prior to the elections to give the new mayor a free hand in appointing its members.