Everyone knows the Philippines is home to some of the most ardent pageant fans in the world. So, when the people behind Bikining Pilipinas 2019 decided to put up a pageant that would celebrate women with beauty, brains and “sex appeal,” they hoped the Filipino people would embrace it like the way they did to other pageants.
According to organizers Victor G. Naynes, President and CEO of RV International Talent Management, Events & Productions and Romeo Martin, Co-Founder & Managing Director of RV International Talent Management, Events & Productions, the goal of this pageant is to find a woman who isn’t the least bit shy about strutting her stuff in a swimsuit. They explain there’s a space right now in the Philippine showbiz scene for someone like that.
“We have a talent agency and people who produce teleseryes would call us up asking if we have sexy talents. So, we thought, they are in demand, might as well gather a pool of talents so we could meet the demand,” Naynes started.
“But we can’t rely on pictures, some of them are photoshopped. So, we decided to stage a pageant to discover new female talents,” he carried on.
When he says “we,” he’s referring to the triumvirate composed of himself, his business partner Romeo Martin and showbiz legend Edgar “Bobot” Mortiz.
“This is the concept of Direk Bobot. They were also looking for sexy actresses to be part of the gag show, Banana Sundae. Our original plan was to do a small-scale bikini contest in Boracay. But sponsors came in so nag-evolve na ito into a legitimate national pageant,” Naynes explained.
“Kaya pinanindigan na namin. Bikining Pilipinas 2019 even has a theme song of its own, composed by the same musician who composed the Binibining Pilipinas one. We were inspired by other pageants, but the elements that we borrowed from them, nilagayan pa namin ng sarili naming twist.”
Naynes and his team were pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the girls who auditioned for Bikining Pilipinas 2019. During the auditions, he said they were on the lookout for girls who were more than just pretty faces.
“Some of the girls who are part of the Bikining Pilipinas even joined Binibining Pilipinas, Mutya ng Pilipinas, and Century Tuna Superbods, to name a few. These candidates don’t just have beauty, they have brains and the sexiness we are looking for — the total package.”
Details of what will happen on the coronation night are being kept under wraps, but Naynes said the program will be similar to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. However, the Bikining Pilipinas 2019 girls will wear elaborate costumes built around swimsuits, not underwear. The panel of judges will be composed of Direk Bobot, actress Jenny Miller and some of the sponsors. One of the Kapamilya network’s top leading men is also in talks to be a judge.
The 28 aspirants will be whittled down to a Top 15. After that first cut, 10 more will be eliminated, leaving five girls in the running. From the Top 5, only three will move on to the final round. The Top 3 will battle it out to see who will be named second runner-up, first runner-up and Miss Bikining Pilipinas 2019. This year’s titleholder will receive a management contract from RV International, P100,000 in cash, and be first in line for certain opportunities to make it big in showbiz.
Naynes hopes Bikining Pilipinas 2019 will become a success. He hopes that Filipino pageant fans will embrace the new kid on the pageant block so they can give one fun, fearless female the opportunity of a lifetime, year after year.
“If Bikining Pilipinas 2019 becomes successful, we plan to do it again and again,” he said.
The Bikining Pilipinas 2019 Coronation Night will take place on May 1. It will be held at The Island, Uptown BGC at 6:00 p.m. For ticket inquiries, call 0923-9989479 or 0945-8440658.