CEBU, Philippines — Expect to see a little more spring in Nicole Yance Borromeo’s steps when you catch a glimpse of her in today’s Sinulog Grand Street Parade.
Nicole will not only grace the Cebu streets as lead performer of the contingent from the City of Carcar, she will also dance all over the Queen City as the newly crowned Sinulog Festival Queen.
She outperformed 15 other lead dancers who represent different contingents at the Sinulog Festival Queen 2019 Coronation which unfolded Friday night at the Grand Stage of the Cebu City Sports Center.
“I am so happy and I’m honored to lead the people in this. I worked really hard for this and I’m just so happy that it paid off,” she told the media with a tear-stained face after her crowning. Nicole was already crying during the announcement of corporate awards towards the end of the event, where she bagged most of the prizes.
The 18-year-old took home P100,000 in cash. Her win also makes her the automatic representative of Cebu City for Reyna ng Aliwan this April and Cebu province’s bet to Eat Bulaga’s Miss Millennial Philippines 2019 pageant. Last year’s Sinulog Festival Queen, Shaila Mae Rebortera of Talisay City, took home the Miss Millennial Philippines 2018 crown.
Dominating the competition, Nicole bagged awards for Best in Runway, Best in Production Presentation and Best Solo Performance. Together with Carcar City dancers, she was also awarded Best in Group Presentation with a repentance-themed performance featuring prisoners behind bars, choreographed by Dr. Kathryn Q. Estenzo.
Wearing about ten kilograms on her shoulders, her white and gold gown was also chosen Best in Festival Costume. Her designer, Orville Biongcog, who was assisted by Brianna Alexis Gomez in his creation, was named Best Designer for Festival Costume.
Already excited about her upcoming national pageant (“I will do whatever it takes”), the Grade 12 STEM student from Cebu Doctors’ University shared that Sinulog Festival Queen took a lot of mental preparation and physical exercises, all of which she had to balance with school. Indeed, it takes a lot to interpret the meaning and execute the traditional Sinulog dance when you’re decked out in elaborate, heavyweight costumes.
“I guess the most challenging is the mental state, my perspective on the whole thing,” she said. “Sometimes, you end up thinking badly about yourself. What if I’m not good enough? That I’m horrible. I tend to overthink a lot. But here I am, my hard work paid off. I just kept praying and my prayers were answered.”
Nicole said she eased her worries with the help of the Child Jesus.
“Before the whole thing, I was advised to talk to the baby Santo Niño. It was kind of strange, I had never really done that. But I did and it worked! I felt connected out there, and it felt natural. I did it with all my heart and they were right.”
Grateful and overwhelmed, Nicole could not stop the waterworks when she had to repeatedly march up front to claim her awards. She quipped that perhaps, the judges saw the effort she put in.
Throughout the years, Nicole had only seen the spectacle of the Sinulog Festival on television. She has always been fascinated by how contingents and their festival queens translate their devotion and love into their dance.
This year, Nicole took a leap of faith as she cradles the image of the Child Jesus in her arms and parade him all over the city for the rest of the world to see.
Joining Sinulog Festival Queen is her way of giving back. In an interview following the presentation of Sinulog Festival Queen 2019 candidates at SM Seaside City Cebu two days before her coronation, Nicole said she wished to find her purpose.
“I don’t know what I want for myself as a person. I know that I want to be of purpose. That’s more or less what I usually pray for: to have purpose and to leave something behind that’s greater than me,” the Miss Mandaue 2018 first runner-up, Miss Cebu City Olympics 2016, Miss CESAFI 2017 and Ms. Silka Cebu 2017 titlist said.
Flanking Nicole were 22-year-old Ciairha Jenyne Monsanto of Tribu Malipayon from the Municipality of Consolacion who won P50,000 for her first runner-up finish; 19-year-old Phoebe Godinez of Talisay City Division who took home P30,000 as second runner-up; 17-year-old Sapphire Garton of Tribu Kandaya from Daanbantayan who received P20,000 as third runner-up; and 18-year-old Chloe Boone of the Tribu Higaonon sa San Nicolas Proper of Brgy. San Nicolas Proper, who took home P10,000 as fourth runner-up.
Other awardees were 18-year-old Mary Jae Therese Felizarta of the Mambaling Performing Arts from Brgy. Mambaling who won Miss Photogenic and the Huni Etnyko which was judged Best Instrumentation for their musical work on Tribu Malipayon’s performance represented by Ciairha Jenyne Monsanto.
Hosted by Miss Intercontinental 2014 second runner-up Kris Tiffany Janson and Jonathan Cimafranca, the coronation was divided into several parts, opening with a production number that saw the candidates introducing themselves wearing Rey Humberto Villegas. It was followed by the group performance where the candidates danced with their teams, as a video was shown of each candidate introducing the places they represent. They then each took turns performing solo in their festival costumes, which was followed by the Grand Showdown where all candidates performed together onstage.
Apart from the segments, the ladies were judged by their costume, beauty and figure by the panel made up of actor-TV host Ryan Agoncillo; Ricky Ballesteros, Cebu City Sports Center manager, former Sinulog Foundation Inc., Executive Director who introduced the Festival Queen competition in 2004; Maureen Wroblewitz , “Asia’s Next Top Model” Cycle 5 winner and “Eat! Bulaga” host; Hana Zen Restaurant proprietor Angie Louie; Domo Production Theater President and Festival Director of two major festivals in South Korea, Woon Ki Hwang; Artistic Director of the Philippine Normal University Kislap Sining Dance Troupe Larry Gabao; Vice President and Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and Festival Director of Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, Chris Millado; Executive Director of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Marichu Tellano; National Commission for Cultrue and Arts Chairman, founder of Halili Cruz Dance Company, and Halili Cruz School of Ballet Shirley Halili-Cruz; and Ballet Philippines Artistic Director and CCP Foundation President Nestor Jardin.
The search for the best lead dancer began in 2004 and is rooted on the historical account where it says of Hara Humamay, later named Queen Juana, dancing with joy in celebration of her and her people’s baptism into the Roman Catholic faith in 1521, and replacing the wooden anitos with the image of Santo Niño when Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan presented the image to her husband Raja Humabon.
The competition has witnessed the beginnings of Cebuana beauty queens such as Binibining Cebu 2017 Apriel Smith, Bb. Cebu 2018 Steffi Aberasturi, Miss Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell, Miss Eco International 2018 Cynthia Thomalla, Reyna ng Aliwan 2017 Marla Pino Alforque and Miss Millennial Philippines 2018 Shaila Rebortera.
But the journey is not over for the 16 Sinulog Festival Queen 2019 finalists. Regardless if they came home a winner or not, these women will parade through the streets of Cebu, under the same sun, moving to the same thud of the familiar Sinulog beat.
Whether they made a promise, prayed for a miracle or taking a risk – like the droves of devotees who have come to celebrate – the Sinulog festival queens will express their faith, devotion and intention in the ways they know how. With their grand gestures, they set the celebration to motion, fascinating tourists and onlookers on their way.
They were competitors, but today, when we see Cebu’s pagan past and Catholic present come together in a Sunday filled with festivity and prayer, these festival queens, along with the nanays and tatays, the dodongs and indays, all chant: “Viva! Pit Senyor!”