Mister beauté int’l 2022 Cebu’s John Ernest Tanting triumphs in Türkiye

CEBU, Philippines — John Ernest Tanting of Cebu was hailed the inaugural winner of Mister Beauté International at the pageant’s finals held November 27 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

This is an impressive feat for the newbie, whose very first pageant was last June’s Mister International Philippines (MIP) where he finished among the top six finalists.

The MIP organization later on appointed the 21-year-old Chinese-Filipino to represent the country at Mister Beauté International when they acquired its Philippine franchise.

Tanting, a towering chinito at 6’2”, was likewise awarded Best in Costume at Mister Beauté for his indigenous T’boli tribe-inspired ensemble designed by Mico Dacara.

A resident of Mandaue City, Tanting was on his third year of Physical Therapy studies at Velez College when he decided to take an academic break to focus on pageantry.

“Hopefully, Mister Beauté is just the beginning of many things to come because I really want to do modeling and hosting,” he had told The FREEMAN before leaving for Türkiye. “People have told me showbiz is an option. I would certainly love to do it if I am in the right environment.”

Tanting is the sixth Filipino to place in an international male pageant this year following the wins of Cebu’s Junichi Yabushita as Runway Model of the Universe 2022, Mister International 2022 fourth runner-up MJ Ordillano, Mister Grand International 2022 first runner-up Kristzan Karlo delos Santos, Mister Teen International 2022 Vaughn Justice Zabala, and Man Hot Star 2022 Jovy Bequillo.

Prior to his win, Tanting expressed his desire that pageant-crazy Filipinos view male beauty tilts with the same prestige as its more famous female counterpart.

“I hope more people pay attention to male pageants because we have something to offer and it’s our responsibility to show how great male pageantry is,” he said. – Januar Junior Aguja