Pageant veteran from Talisay crowned Mrs. Cebu Philippines 2022

CEBU, Philippines —  A 24-year-old pageant veteran was declared Mrs. Cebu Philippines 2022 in the early hours of Monday, October 24, during the finals of the beauty tilt for mothers and married women, held at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino.
Joesel Mae Bajamonde of Talisay City nabbed the top crown in this competition that had eight titles at stake, earning the right to represent Cebu, along with her fellow winners, in the upcoming Mrs. International Philippines pageant to be held in Manila on February 2023.
Bajamonde is also a recruitment associate, content creator, and online seller. She joined the pageant with the advocacy of promoting the beauty and relevance of education with diversity and equality.
Pageant enthusiasts in Cebu are familiar with Bajamonde for her numerous stints on stage: She’s been, among others, Miss Calendar Cebu 2015, Miss Silka Cebu 2016, Miss Dumanjug 2017, Miss Liloan 2018, Miss Badian 2018, a Bininining Cebu 2018 candidate, and a Miss Philippines Earth 2019 finalist – the latter being her last competition before becoming a mother.
Asked during the casual Q&A of the 15 Mrs. Cebu Philippines 2022 candidates to choose between marrying someone for stability and security, or someone with a “big heart”, Bajamonde said, “I believe that if I will marry someone, it will be a person who has a big heart, and of course, that person who loves me so much, my partner right now, Marco. I know that if you love each other, you have the ability to transform, nurture, and develop into something new, something that will inspire and motivate you in your lives.”
If chosen for the main title, she promised to “use my voice for the betterment of our future, use my voice for kindness, use my ears for compassion, use my mind for charity, and my heart for truth and love.”
For the final hurdle wherein the Top 9 candidates where asked a common question, Bajamonde’s response when asked what she would tell women after the devastating Typhoon Odette last year, plus the pandemic which claimed numerous lives all over the world.
“Despite all the challenges we encounter, we Filipinos remain resilient. With that, my message is that, we should always be an image of strength, love and hope by never quitting when things go wrong,” she said.
“One great example of not quitting is pursuing your dreams and aspirations, that’s why I’m here to become a beauty queen and inspire more people thru women empowerment, as I further believe becoming a beauty queen is not just wearing a sash and a crown. It is adding jewels to that crown that could make you sparkle forever, and I ready to take that responsibility.”
In a pageant that must have made a record for giving away 80 corporate and special awards, Bajamonde took home plenty for herself, including Mrs. Skin Glow, Most Confident Everyday by Dr. Wong, Best Arrival Look, Best in Runway, Best in Production Number, and Most Beautiful Face.
Named M.S. Cebu Philippines 2022 was Marianne D. Calinawan of Sibonga North, a 24-year-old entrepreneur who will tie the knot this year. A pageant newbie, she advocates for family crisis intervention and the support of local products.
“I want to put a stop to the stigma that local products aren’t of high quality as imports. I also want to instill in the minds of Filipinos that we must support local, because the more we inspire young professionals and start-up entrepreneurs to do better and provide quality products and services. The more we inspire locals, the more we nurture our local community,” said Calinawan.
Mrs. Cebu Philippines Tourism 2022 is Irma Payod-Bitzer of Cebu City North, a 38-year-old certified public accountant, NGO volunteer, and entrepreneur. Holistic education is her passion, especially for the underprivileged. Just a few in her awards haul are Miss Iconique Mall, Waterfront Ambassadress, Miss Congeniality, Best in Talent, and Best in Evening Gown.
Sharing two kids with her German husband, Bitzer shared on stage how to keep the peace in an interracial marriage. “I think there is no perfect relationship. It will really depend on both of you,” she quipped. “For us, we always agree on a win-win situation. We even have a tracker of our preventive and corrective action plans every time we disagree. We always agree that we never allow any miscommunication to destroy our relationship. So communication is the key.”
Chosen Mrs. Cebu Philippines Charity 2022 was Honeylane Palero Labang, a 35-year-old entrepreneur from San Fernando. During her turn in the sit-down Q&A with host Karla Henry, the mother of two talked about the joys and challenges of raising a son with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
“They can have normal lives…we just have to increase our patience and understanding. They have intense feelings, intense sensitivity, but they also have intense curiosity and understanding,” said Labang, a Miss San Fernando 2011 title-holder.
“So what we have to do is accept them for us to have a truly inclusive community-driven society. Also, having a child in the autism spectrum is not a parenting failure. It’s like being given a manual for a Ford, but your child is a Ferrari. So one must have the right manual, right environment and right support for them.”
Winning Elite Cebu Philippines 2022 was Liz Tagimacruz-Vecina of Cebu City East, a 48-year-old industrial psychologist, social development worker, and graduate school professor.
For Vecina, quality health care for women is paramount. “However, there’s a challenge in terms of health access to information and education, that’s why women are not able to make informed decisions, particularly about their reproductive health,” she said of her advocacy to uphold women’s health and rights.
The Mrs. Cebu Philippines Grand 2022 title was handed to Mary Jade Luna, a 38-year-old clinical psychology practitioner from Asturias, who enlightened the audience about not bandying about psychological terms sans official diagnosis.
“We are very familiar with the stigma and the misconception, and that is why I am here for my advocacy which is to promote mental health literacy. Just like what we see in social media, adolescents are the most vulnerable and most of the time they are using the word ‘depression’ in a wrong way,” she said.
“Depression is physiological and scientific so it should not be used like a common word. Instead of saying ‘I’m depressed’, one should say ‘I’m sad’ – because depression has symptoms and has criteria for one to be diagnosed as such.”
Ambassador of Goodwill 2022 is Jen Hecell Rodriguez, a 33-year-old DJ and medical representative from Carcar City. Aside from her hometown’s famous chicharon, she also expressed pride in the Carcaranons’ “exemplary dancing skills”, as proven in its recent back-to-back wins at Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.
Geobell C. Abrenica of Cebu-City South, a 30-year-old singer and former OFW, landed with the Mrs. Cebu Philippines Regional Queen 2022 crown, while Elma Preglo Lavajo of Carcar South, a 40-year-old entrepreneur, finished as first runner-up.
Leonila Bauzon Melgar, a 65-year-old broadcaster from Dumanjug, was likewise crowned Senior Elite Cebu Philippines.
Headed by Regional Director Jee Candelasa-Eribal, Mrs. Cebu Philippines was first staged in 2019 and only returned this year due to the global pandemic.