16 Bontoc ladies vie for Ms Am-among

By Alpine L. Killa

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Ladies from 16 barangays of this capital town will be competing for the title of Miss Am-among 2018 evening of Sept. 14, at the municipal grounds.

The winner will represent the municipality in the Search for Miss Mountain Province April next year.

Elizabeth S. Farnican of the Municipal Tourism Office said Miss Am-among 2018 is a “natural pageant” wherein candidates will not be permitted to wear heavy eye make-up or foundation, flippers, excessive fake tans and non-age appropriate hair extensions.

Contestants must be at least 17 -23 years of age,  5’3” in height; trace their roots in the barangay that they represent; natural born female, single, and have not given birth to a child, not married been married or had a marriage annulled, of good moral character and no police records and in good health and sound mind.

Dandidates will be judged in only two categories: evening attire and question and answer. Gowns in the former category must be floor length and with coordinating accessories while jewelries should be kept to a minimum and should be classic and elegant. 

Further, candidates are only permitted to wear one pair of earrings in each ear lobe and visible tattoos on any part of the body will not be permitted.

The selection of finalists may either be in the top 5 or 8, depending number of candidates. 

The top 5 or8 shall be declared as finalists and will proceed to the final question and answer portion which will be asked by the board of judges.

In case of a tie, the winner will be determined by a final on-stage question to be selected by the judging panel.

The Miss Am-among 2018 will receive a crown, sash, plaque and P8, 000 cash prize. The 1st runner up, 2nd runner up and 3rd runner up will be awarded with a plaque, sash and cash prize of P6,000.00, P5,000.00 and P4,000.00, respectively.

Aside from this, the candidates shall be competing for minor awards to include Ms Photogenic, Ms Wit, Ms Rio Chico, Ms Am-among, Ms Boardwalk, Ms Natasha and Ms MSE.

The Miss Am-among 2018 will coincide with Mr. Am-among (Mr. Body Physique) which is categorized into novice juniors and novice adult.

Those who can sign up for Novice Junior must be 17 – 25 years old and 26 – 35 for novice adult, and both must be from Bontoc.

Farnican said the Bontok wanes (G-string) will be the attire of all the candidates for this event. She added that judges are not looking for the level of muscle mass or extreme leanness that are necessary for success in body building.

Instead, the judges are looking for lean, fit, muscular physique that is balanced and aesthetically pleasing.

Also, proper grooming and overall aesthetic appeal are taken into consideration as the judges look for the best overall package.

There shall be an individual stage walk in which the contestants will do front, side and back poses. 

The champion in the competition will receive a trophy and a cash prize of P5, 000. Trophies and cash prizes of P4, 000, P3, 000 and P2, 000 will be given to the 1st runner up, 2nd runner up and 3rd runner up respectively.

Minor awards will also be provided to include Mr. Am-among and “darling of the crowd,” Mr. Boardwalk, Mr. Natasha and Mr. MSE.

As of this writing, the committee on Miss Am-among 2018 and Mr. Am-among is still accepting entries for said competitions.

Interested individuals may visit the Municipal Tourism Office, 3rd Floor of the public market building.

The twin competitions are part of the line-up activities in celebration of the 110th Bontoc Foundation Day and 14th Am-among Festival themed “Sustaining Bontoc culture, empowering communities, access to global challenges.”