The winners in the Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty pageant held in Aurora last Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009. At the center is Mutya ng Pilipinas- International Jane Banares.

A charming nurse, Jane Banares, won Sunday night the Mutya ng Pilipinas-International title in this year’s Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty pageant at the Baler Sports complex in Aurora.

Banares recently passed the nursing board exam without the help of a review center. The 20-year-old morena beauty from Legazpi City also won the “Best in Evening Gown” title.

Jacqueline Schubert, who represented the Filipino community in Northern Germany, won the Miss Tourism crown.

Samantha East from the Filipino community in Ontario, Canada was 1st runner up. Jennielyn Natividad of Quezon City was named 2nd runner-up. Ana Baladad of Texas won the Overseas Communities title. The Online People’s Choice award was won by Agnes Santiago of Pangasinan.
Internet users were able to cast their votes via the official Mutya ng Pilipinas website.

"Honestly, I really wanted a Filipina-looking girl to win. We have all these beautiful women from overseas. She stood out, I guess that’s why she won the crown. It was the most beautiful thing that could happen to her,” said respected fashion designer and judge Randy Ortiz.

According to judges Marina Benipayo and Jackie Aquino, it was Banares’ sincerity and charm that clinched for her the title.

Aquino, a veteran fashion show director, said, “Her hair and the way she stood out were really unique. She was herself; she’s proof that when you work at it and apply what you learn, you can win. She looked like a queen from the very beginning. I had a feeling she also topped the prejudging. The judges wanted to choose someone fresh like her.”

Benipayo, a famous ramp model and writer, said “She’s very natural. Among all the other candidates she was very relaxed. When they announced her number, she was really surprised.”

Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo of host province Aurora said, “I’m very happy with the results and how the pageant has turned out. Jane deserves it, I’m glad she won. My late husband is also from Bicol. Her look is something very different from previous winners of Mutya. I like the way she projected herself. It will definitely encourage more people to join the pageant.”

Mutya President Roberto De Venecia added, “All of them deserved to win. It was a very difficult task to judge the competition. I believe they did it well.”

Crispina Martinez-Belen, Entertainment Editor and columnist of Manila Bulletin, was also a judge.

The Chairman of the judges for this year was Malgorzata Roznieka from Poland. She was a former Miss International (2001) and a Ms. Model of the World (2000) titleholder. Currently she is the publisher of Icona Fashion Life & Design Magazine. Roznieka said, “What we look for is character, she should be used to the media exposure. Experience on the stage is especially helpful. She should look natural and comfortable on it. Physically, judges look for proportions, a photogenic quality. It has to be a universal look that can be adaptable for different looks and needs.

Personality also plays a strong factor. She likens it to being an actor or an athlete. “You have to be confident and prepared. Controlling one’s emotion is key and not being paralyzed by stress or difficult questions. You can see it when they walk on stage, when they talk.”

According to her, Filipinas have a distinct advantage over other contestants internationally, “They are more feminine than some women I’ve seen in a lot of places. They have nice curves, are often modest and reserved yet friendly.”

Roznieka spoke glowingly about the sites she was able to visit in Aurora such as Ermita Hill, the biggest Balete tree in Asia and Museo de Baler. Her favorite, however, is the pristine Dicasalarin beach. “The blue color of the water was unbelievable and the palm trees, the waterfalls. It’s something completely different from what we have in Poland. Nature here can be easily explored because of the warm weather. The white sands in Dicasalarin cove is really impressive. It may as well be the next Boracay.”

Benipayo talked about the sabutan which is the native material used for banig, hats and crafts used in Aurora province. Designers from the FDAP (Fashion Designer’s Association of the Philippines) were tapped to design a gown for each of the 35 candidates. Best in Sabutan was awarded to Jacqueline Schubert and Best Designer went to Roland Roxas. “We had a very hard time choosing because there were so many good designs making use of ‘Sabutan’. The material is very good because it hugs the figure very well. The gowns are beautifully executed,” said Benipayo.

Host Jericho Rosales was a crowd favorite because of his starring role in the film “Baler” with Anne Curtis. He also won the Star Awards’ “Best Actor” for this role. Stage actor and singer John Arcilla, a native of the province of Aurora, also co-hosted the event. ABC 5 will air the pageant competition on Tuesday.