In Focus: Binibining Dumanjug

CEBU, Philippines — We roll our eyes each time a beauty queen aspirant claims she wishes for nothing but world peace. This aspiring diplomat though isn’t afraid to be a cliché, because she really is aiming to walk the talk.

A third year International Studies major at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, Phyllis shares, “I love the world and I love to travel. By earning an International Studies degree, I can not only visit a country but I can actually help it as well. Foreign Politics is very vital in the world today, as what we can see in the news (US and North Korea) and I wanna be able to contribute to resolving conflicts and creating linkages between nations.”

The Dumanjug native also feels her chosen field gives her an edge as a pageant contestant and beauty queen because she is well-versed in political, social and economic relations – subjects that any ambassadress worth her salt should take seriously.

“We are taught to look at things in a whole new perspective and lets us understand the issue and respond to it accordingly,” says Phyllis, adding that with her degree program being Foreign Politics, pursuing a government position isn’t a far-off possibility in her future.

A Miss Teen USC 2014 second runner-up and Miss Dumanjug 2015, Phyllis is into writing poems, watching movies, singing, dancing, acting and listening to music. She also enjoys traveling to other countries, meeting new people and establishing connections. She jokes a lot, even making self-deprecating videos of herself and posting these on her Facebook account. “Humiliating, but it makes people happy,” she says.

She is currently being raised single-handedly by her mom who is an HR manager at a construction company in Papua New Guinea. Her dad used to be a civil engineer in the same company but passed away a couple of years back.

Phyllis says the biggest challenge in joining Binibining Cebu is sharing the stage with the “best Cebuanas in the pageant industry."

“I’d often ask myself ‘Just how do I step up my game?’” she says, “but I always find the courage and the positivity to think of it as a challenge that would change my life if I just do my best.”

When self-doubt creeps up – inevitable when you’re stacked up against 53 other beautiful women – Phyllis just goes back to her life mantra: “In order to succeed in anything, you need 3 Ps: Perseverance, Prayer, and Positivity.”

“Joining Binibining Cebu and observing the other candidates, it made me realize that I need to add another P for Passion. These girls came here to win. They are passionate in what they do and they always have their best foot forward. I realized that if you engage in something, always do it with a heart. Though your victory is not guaranteed, at least you can justify that you tried.”

Phyllis thinks she was selected by her municipality to wave their banner because “they trust me to bring honor to Dumanjug. Being a pure Dumanjuganon, they can see my passion and effort to make Dumanjug known.”

One of the first persons to recognize her passion and potential was an aunt who introduced Phyllis into pageantry.

“Being obedient, I followed her recommendation and tada! From a simple girl who sat on the bleachers, blending in, here I am, one of the official candidates of the first Binibining Cebu. Also, with the full support of our municipality and my people, I got all the motivation that I need.”

Dumanjug, according to Phyllis, should be a must-visit because of its friendly and humble people, among other things. “If you have a friend from Dumanjug, it’s guaranteed that you’ll have good things to say about them. Fun fact: In the whole of Cebu, Dumanjug is the only municipality who has a statue in the plaza that is not Jose Rizal. Our plaza has Dionisio Jakosalem. He was a former governor of Cebu and a former diplomat. Unknown to all, he was a product of Dumanjug. Another famous personality who had made it to the government is former governor, Pablo Garcia and his daughter Gwendolyn Garcia.”

And while Dumanjug might not be top of mind among tourists, Phyllis guarantees their chicken recipe should be worth the visit. “Tourism-wise, Dumanjug isn’t really a place where tourists would flock because we don’t have a lot of beaches. One reason that one should visit Dumanjug is our legendary BISNOK (Bisayang Manok). This scrumptious treat will make your mouth water and once you taste it, you’ll be wanting more. It’s an original and something you should never miss in Dumanjug!” — VAB