Nicole Cordoves. Image: INQUIRER.net/Armin P. Adina
Chinese-Filipino beauty queen Nicole Cordoves could not hide her excitement for the gathering of different international Chinese communities in Manila at the inaugural staging of the Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global pageant.
The twin competitions for men and women of Chinese heritage from different parts of the world is organized by a team of Filipino-Chinese movers, and will be seeing 20 delegates from seven countries taking part in the initial edition this year.
“There is a Chinatown in every part of the world. But then, finally we are able to connect them, and bring them to the powerhouse of pageantry. So who better to host than the Philippines?” Cordoves told INQUIRER.net on the sidelines of the delegates’ presentation to the public on Jan. 14.
“[I feel that] the Filipino flavor that we offer gives a softness to the rigidity of the Chinese culture, that it becomes a platform to break walls, and to widen the horizon and opportunity that the candidates can dream about,” said the 2014 Miss Chinatown Philippines titleholder and 2016 Miss Grand International first runner-up.
Cordoves said pageants are not that big in Chinese communities, and the competition aims to shine the light on them. “The core of this platform is being able to impart the stories of growing up in the Chinese culture. And what makes it more interesting this time around is the ‘Chinese-dash-blank’ in another part of the world,” she said.
The 2016 Binibining Pilipinas titleholder and pageant mentor, who was earlier introduced as one of the ambassadors of the Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global contest, said she will help the participants effectively impart their respective personal stories to the world.
“I’m so happy to learn about the Chinese culture in the different parts of the globe this time, because for the first time ever we are touching base in this way. There’s a Chinatown in every country, but this is the first time we are connecting all that in this very stage,” Cordoves shared.
Of the 20 participants, half are Filipinos. Five of the 10 male aspirants are from the Philippines, while four of the 10 female candidates are representing the country. Jenina Lui from Australia is part-Filipino and had already represented the Filipino community of Sydney in the 2024 Miss Universe Philippines pageant.
Cordoves will host the final competition with Janeena Chan. The “winners’ night” of the first Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Global pageant will be held at Hilton Manila in Pasay City on Monday, Jan. 20.