The Province of Masbate, the Cowboyland of the Philippines, recently crowned its ambassadresses of tourism of goodwill in the Miss Masbate pageant as part of the recent Rodeo Masbateño Festival.
Topping the newly revitalized beauty and talent search is 17-year old Kirsten Delavin, an accounting sophomore at De La Salle University from Fernando in Ticao Island.
Meanwhile, Pamela Jones Cardeno of Batuan and Karen Grace Lasala of Placer bagged first and second runners-up honors.
Binibining Pilipinas 2014 Supranational Yvette Marie Santiago, a home-grown Masbateña, and Miss World Philippines 2015 Hillarie Daniella Parungao bannered the star-studded board of judges.
Other judges included Binibining Pilipinas Official shoe designer Jojo Bragais, hair expert Jesi Mendez, commercial model Xavier Stepanek, GMA Artist Center talent Gab Bayan and social entrepreneur Illac Diaz, who also introduced his Liter of Light project to the rural villages of Masbate.
According to Vice Governor Kaye Revil who spearheaded the event, the pageant aims to discover young blood who will help promote the province as an emerging tourist and adventure destination.
She said that aside from being the country’s Rodeo Capital with its numerous cattle ranches and cowboys who tame the herds, Masbate takes pride in its unspoiled powdery beaches, idyllic islands, and natural wonders.
Also seen in the Rodeo was celebrity anchor Atom Araullo who covered the opening ceremonies and first events of the festival.
Rodeo Masbateño is the country’s biggest gathering of cowboys and ranchers who showcase the skills in a sporting extravaganza. The sporting event, which gathered 186 participants from 17 teams, was supported by the Department of Tourism-Region 5, Filminera Resources Corp. and DM Consunji, Inc.