Filipino community to hold beauty pageant
Contestants dressed in festival costume are on stage for the Maharlikang Lakambini 2016 Pageant at Ansan Concert Hall. / Courtesy of John Redmond
By John Redmond
Members of the Filipino community will gather for their third beauty pageant in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 10.
The Galilea Migrant Workers Pastoral Center and Ansan Filipino Community will present the Maharlikang Lakambini 2017 Pageant at the Ansan Concert Hall.
The event, attended by local migrant workers and students at nearby Hanyang University's ERICA campus, is seen as a showcase to celebrate Filipino culture and links to the Korean community.
The term Maharlikang Lakambini comes from the word maharlikang that in modern Tagalog means “royal nobility,” which was restricted to the hereditary Maginoo class and lakambine, the Tagalog word for muse.
Beauty pageants are highly regarded by Filipinos as a symbol of national pride.
“It is important, because it helps to bring the Filipino communities from Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and other areas of Korea together,” musician Dani Linn said.
“It’s also part of the Spanish heritage.”
The pageant will feature live singing, dance acts, and contests together with the main beauty pageant event, including categories such as festival costume, casual wear, talent and solo song and group dance performances.
Contestants are assessed by a panel of judges, with special consideration for people’s choice.
The event is sponsored in part by various local and international companies, including Metro Bank and Philippine Airlines.
Prizes include roundtrip airline tickets to the Philippines from Philippines Airlines as well as healthcare products and gift vouchers.
The 2016 Miss Maharlikanv Lakambini winner was Marjorie Evangelista.