- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Something new and fresh will invade your screens on Al Cinco de Noviembre, direct from San Carlos City in Negros Occidental.
The Pintaflores Festival Queen 2021 pageant will take centerstage, and seven ladies will show their talents and skills in this inter-school festival queen competition.
These culture-aware, sensitive, talented, and poised beauties representing their schools are Sharame Villabeto of Central Philippine State University, Christine Tranilla – Quezon National High School, Jayzelle Layos – Don Carlos Ledesma National High School, Kem Alora – Bagonbon National High School, Jenelyn Baylosis – Sipaway National High School, Jenny Cris Villacampa – Julio Ledesma National High School, and Marieth Pescadero – Colegio De Sta. Rita De San Carlos Inc.
Aside from the contestants embodying Nabingka, the queens together with dancers from their school will also tell her classic tale through a ritual dance.
The Turismo San Carlos said each of these schools selected a queen, who best reflects the many elements of Nabingka’s character that speak boldly of strength, brilliance and resilience.
But who is Nabingka?
Records show that San Carlos City was used to be named “Nabingkalan”, deriving its name from Nabingka, a daughter of a chieftain of the Negrito settlement, who ruled the barrio during the early part in the 17th century.
“She was famous for her loveliness and mental and physical prowess. After her death, the people mourned for two years, and to perpetuate her memory, named the barrio Nabingkalan,” Wikipedia states.
It is definitely not all about beauty and poise; it is also a parade of costumes, the vibrancy of colors, and bringing to your screens the Pintaflores Festival spirit, the organizers said.
This is the second virtual Pintaflores Queen competition due to the continuing threat of the coronavirus disease 2019.
“But no matter how complicated the path to a virtual festivity is, we will always find a way,” the city said.
One such innovative strategy is through the social media, as online voting has been highly used in pageants and contests.
But while the previous online voting was to simply base from the highest number of Facebook photo likes and reactions, the city is taking a different route this year, and has launched a pioneer online voting linked to the Vamos Cares app (version 1.24) that was developed by the San Carlos City government.
In the app’s new update, the Pintaflores icon has been added. With a simple click of a button, you can cast a vote for your favored Festival Queen, or the one who you think best represents Nabingka.
The Festival Queen who will generate the most online voting score will receive the People’s Choice Award or Ms. Vamos Cares.
Hurry! The voting has already started Oct. 20, until 12 noon of November 5.
Make sure that you have downloaded and updated the Vamos Cares app so that you can vote online. The organizers will track the votes in real time and present it on the Pintaflores dashboard in the Vamos Cares app.
One vote per candidate only; and the People’s Choice Award will not impact the judges’ overall scoring.
One lady will be hailed as the 2021 Pintaflores Festival Queen on November 5, starting 7 p.m. via Facebook live.
Last year, Mipsen Calves, a student of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, bested six other candidates after a more than three-hour show streamed on Facebook Live.
She was also awarded Miss Photogenic, Best in Advocacy Video, and Best in Costume.
Zeny Luague was named Miss Pinta Flores, and Juliana Laguda as Miss Tourism.
MORE PINTAFLORES EVENTS
Simultaneous to the Inter-School Festival Queen Competition is the Photography Contest, and is open to all San Carlos-based photographers.
First prize is P10,000, second prize – P7,000, and third prize – P5,000.
The photographers can use the equipment of their choice, either DSLR, phone camera, etc., and should submit a one-shot photo taken during the Inter-School Festival Queen Competition only.
Those interested should register with the City Tourism Office until October 26.
Another highlight is the Arch Competition, participated in by private establishments in San Carlos City.
The arch will be displayed at the establishment’s entrance, and should manifest festivity and vibrance of colors, and spruced up with flowers – the best symbol of the Pintaflores Festival. This is a way to showcase the ingenuity and craftsmanship of private establishments.
The 2021 Pintaflores Festival will be launched on Oct. 26, and the city is encouraging everyone to join the virtual celebration.
The judging of the Pintaflores Arch competition will start 3 p.m. on Oct. 26.
On Oct. 28, there will be an opening of the Pintaflores Booth, launching of the Tourism Jingle, and turnover of Pintaflores Dolls, all at the City Hall lobby, starting at 9 a.m.
From Nov. 3 to 5, the “Pamukaw (Diana)” will be held on the streets of San Carlos, while on Nov. 4, a Thanksgiving Mass will be conducted at the San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral.
The Pintaflores Festival Queen and Pintaflores photo contest are scheduled on Nov. 5, starting at 7 p.m., at the City Auditorium.
Vamos, San Carlos! – CGC
