Beauty pageant stars, fashion icons, and film personalities gathered at the 2nd Philippines Distinct Men & Women of Excellence (Gawad Dangal Filipino Awards) held at Eurotel Las Piñas.
Among those honored was Miss Universe Philippines 2024, Chelsea Manalo, who was awarded ‘Distinct Beauty Queen of the Year’ as a belated birthday tribute before her upcoming trip to Mexico.
Manalo led a roster of honorees in the beauty category, joined by prominent figures such as Miss Cosmo Philippines 2024, Athisa Manalo, named Distinct International Pageant Title Holder of the Year; Miss Universe 2022, R’Bonney Gabriel, honored as Distinct International Beauty Title Holder of the Year; Mrs. Universe Philippines 2019, Maria Charo Calalo, recognized as Distinct Pageant National Director of the Year; Mister Global 2024, Daumier Corilla, awarded Distinct International Pageant Winner of the Year; Man of the World 2024 first runner-up, Kenneth Cabungcal, named Distinct Pageant Title Holder of the Year; Mister Teenager Universe 2024, Lloyd Figueras, awarded Distinct Model of the Year; and Mr. World Noble King 2021, Lester Paul Recirdo, named Distinct Singer/Actor of the Year.
In the fashion sector, distinguished designers received honors, including Albert Andrada and Amir Sali, both celebrated as Distinct Fashion Designers of All Time, alongside Edwin Abayon, who was awarded Distinct & Distinguished Fashion Designer of the Year. The Distinct Classy Fashion Designer of the Year title went to Nash Leeho, and Raymond Villanueva was honored as Distinct Fashion Host of the Year.
The film category recognized the talents of Maricel Soriano and Sharon Cuneta, both tied for Distinct Best Actress of the Year for their roles in In His Mother’s Eyes and Family of Two, respectively. Roderick Paulate and Romnick Sarmenta also shared the Distinct Best Actor of the Year title for In His Mother’s Eyes and About Us But Not About Us. The category also honored Gloria Diaz as Distinct Supporting Actress of the Year for Mallari, and LA Santos as Distinct Supporting Actor of the Year for In His Mother’s Eyes.
Other notable awardees included singer Kuh Ledesma, named Distinct Chanteuse of All Time; Julie Ann San Jose, recognized as Distinct Singer Performer of the Year; actress Sheryl Cruz, awarded Distinct TV Actress of the Year; talk show host Boy Abunda, honored as Distinct Talk Show Host of All Time; and gymnast Carlos Yulo, named Distinct International Sportsman of the Year.
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Miss Earth 2024 to crown new elemental queens
Meanwhile, anticipation is building for the 24th Miss Earth pageant, with the finals set to take place at Cove Manila, Okada in Parañaque. While the pageant may not have the grandeur of some of the larger competitions, its commitment to environmental advocacy continues to attract global interest among pageant enthusiasts.
This year’s competition includes 76 candidates, with several front-runners expected to compete for the crown as they aim to succeed reigning Miss Earth 2023, Drita Ziri. Among the top contenders are:
l Miss Iceland, Hrafnhildur Haraldsdottir, 20, a medical student who previously competed in Miss Universe 2022.
l Miss USA, Bea Millan-Windorski, 21, a Fil-American with a degree in History and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
l Miss Peru, Niva Antezana, 20, a model and Miss Grand Peru 2024 first runner-up.
l Miss Cuba, Stephany Diaz, 19, a political science graduate now studying law.
l Miss Russia, Ekaterina Romanova, 22, an actor and model with a degree from the Moscow Institute of Television and Radio Broadcasting.
l Miss Canada, Aleena Singh, 24, an accountant and animal lover with a degree from McMaster University.
l Miss Namibia, Albertina Haimbala, 24, a Marketing Management student and Miss Namibia 2023 first runner-up.
l Miss Thailand, Rachadawan Fowler, 22, a Thai-American Nutrition Science graduate from the University of Surrey in England.
l Miss Philippines, Irha Mel Alfeche, 24, an educator, army reservist, and environmental advocate for “The Home Gardening.”
