The Ginoong Pilipinas search in Cebu hopes to redefine pageantry by taking inspiration from the heroism of Lapulapu, the Cebuano warrior who defeated Ferdinand Magellan in Mactan in 1521.
Cebu Director Dexter Alazas tells GMA Regional TV News that for the 2025 search, they are looking for modern day heroes who can make Ginoong Pilipinas Cebu their platform to raise awareness for causes they believe in or fight for.
“We’re not just looking for the physical and inner beauty but the heroism that lies within each man,” Alazas says.
Why is this important?
Essentially, the new Cebu winners - two will be selected in 2025 - have the burden of carrying on the legacy left by previous titleholders who represented Cebu in the national finals and the Philippines in the international stage with flying colors.
Erik Lennart Visser won Mister Universe Tourism in 2023 and his successor, Larz Kent Dawson, was named first runner-up in the international contest a year later.
Alazas says the Cebu organization wants to test the Cebu winners’ “strength and stamina, manliness, and fighting spirit” in preparing for the national finals by being excellent not just in form but also in substance.
He said the two winners who will represent Cebu Province and Cebu City will work extensively with Ginoong Pilipinas Cebu’s partner organizations, including the Battle Against Ignorance (BAI) Foundation.
They will also have to keep the thrust of the Mister Universe Tourism in mind, thereby, can expect possible engagements with the local tourism sector.
This, on top of their personal advocacy project.
“A hero project will be supported by the organization once he wins to get him ready for the national pageant,” Alazas says.
Alazas believes the “ideal Cebuano hero of the future” can surface from a wider pool of aspirants, which is why the search encourages applicants from different fields including finance, education, law enforcement, medicine, and engineering, among others.
Application for the 2025 search is open the rest of December 2024.
Aspirants may apply online via the official Facebook page, Ginoong Pilipinas Cebu, or in person by picking up forms at affiliate venues all over Cebu.
The Ginoong Pilipinas Cebu finals will take place in April 2025 in time for the annual commemoration of the Battle of Mactan.
“Being a modern-day hero entails becoming a force to be reckoned with, embracing both Cebuano and Filipino identities, adjusting to harsh global realities, and accepting change for the Philippines' present and future,” the organization says.
