In focus: Binibining Sibonga

CEBU, Philippines — Pia was going through a rough patch when her handler suddenly broke to her the news that she was joining Binibining Cebu and will be the candidate for Sibonga.

“My heart leapt with joy knowing how special this place is to me,” she says, “that even through the obstacles I was going through at that time, the Lord never left me and blessed me with the municipality that exemplified one of the best traits a Cebuano has, which is religiousness.”

One of the statuesque finalists at five-foot-nine, Pia debuted into pageantry last year when she joined her first beauty tilt via the prestigious and long-running Miss Mandaue competition. She kept the momentum going by joining more pageants that same year, including the Bodyshots search, Miss Heart and Soul and Miss Intramurals.

This morena loves reading books, citing the likes of David Levithan and Chuck Palahniuk among her favorite authors. She also enjoys watching, critiquing and making films.

A third year college student taking up Bachelor of Arts in Communication at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, she volunteers a fun fact: “I’ve been enrolled in USJ-R since kindergarten. Proud Josenian here!,” exclaims Pia, who models on the side.

Her mother, a DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) Officer in Badian, was the reason why she decided to pursue Communication.

“My mom graduated from the same course and since I idolize her a lot, I was inspired to take up BA Communication ever since I was little. As I grew and matured, my passion to take up this course grew because I realized that I want to serve my fellowmen by providing them truthful, accurate, objective, impartial and fair news which is timely, because one of our country’s greatest enemy at the moment is the rise and spread of fake news.”

As a kid, Pia remembers wanting to be an astronaut, an author, a veterinarian, a chef, painter, model, beauty queen, journalist and so much more. What remained consistent among these childhood goals was to become a member of the Fourth Estate.

“The dream to become a journalist has stuck with me until now, which is my reality at present,” she says.

Pia’s suggestion for those yearning a respite from the city’s hustle and bustle? “People should visit Sibonga because aside from it being in between Carcar and Argao which is popular for their lechon, chicharon and torta, we have the Miraculous Shrine of Mama Mary which is a great place to retreat, pray and meditate away from the stressful traffic and pollution of the city where you can relax and reconnect with your faith.” (FREEMAN)