Karen Laurie Mendoza | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— A Cebu-based model made it to the final list of this year’s Binibining Pilipinas candidates.
Karen Laurrie Mendoza, 24, will be competing with 39 other lovely ladies during the coronation night scheduled on April 26.
Although a first-timer on the national stage, Mendoza said she will do her best to win a crown for her supporters in Iloilo and Cebu.
Now that she made it to the Bb. Pilipinas top 40 list, Mendoza came to a realization that joining beauty pageants is never easy. She recalled how she prepared for the pageant’s screening.
“It was my very first national beauty pageant screening. I walked into Kia theatre with all confidence because I know Iloilo and Cebu are supporting me in this journey,” Mendoza told CDN Digital in an interview.
Read: Karen Laurrie Mendoza, Miss Iloilo Binibining Pilipinas, considers Cebu her second home
But Mendoza admitted that she also felt nervous at the same time.
“I felt, nervous. It was so cold inside and we are all in our swimsuits. What I’m scared of was “body shaming” since I’m tall and skinny. Other people’s perceptions are intimidating you. But I still went on stage and had fun. I was feeling hopeful since there were twenty plus girls already being called (then) to be part of the Bb. Pilipinas batch 2020,” says Mendoza, who currently with the Shutter Models Management.
The 40 candidates who will vie for this year’s Bb. Pilipinas titles. | Photo grabbed from the Bb. Pilipinas (Official) Facebook page
The list of the 40 candidates was officially announced on the pageant’s Facebook page shortly after the completion of the screening process held on February 6 at the New Frontier Theater, former known as the Kia Theater, that is located in Cubao, Quezon City.
The candidates were chosen from among 70 aspirants who were made to undergo screening by the selection committee headed by Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI) Chairperson Stella Marquez Araneta. The committee also included some of the reigning Bb. Pilipinas queens.
Candidates will get to showcase their individuals skills during the talent competition scheduled on February 14. / dcb
