10 finalists vie for Man of the Philippines-Cebu 2024 title

CEBU, Philippines — The search has begun for three Cebu representatives for the Man of the Philippines 2024 pageant, as the organization’s local franchise holder unveiled its 10 candidates during a Sashing Ceremony and press conference, Sunday, February 4, at Iconique Mall Colon.

“We know that Cebuanos are powerful in pageants. Instead of picking someone to send to Manila, why not make a pageant out of it?” said Gianne Paolo Anciano, Man of the Philippines-Cebu Regional Director.

Among the candidates who will compete this Feb. 13 (venue to be announced) for the chance to represent the province in the national finals this March are Criminology major Romeo Roa III, 23, from the University of Cebu-Main Campus; Marine Transportation students Kenneth John Bohol, 22, from UC; Ellijah Lance Ouano, 21, from UC-METC; and Sharuen Hafeel, 23, from the University of Visayas (UV).

Also in the roster are Information Technology students Adrian Matthew Cortes, 17, from UC, and Klenn Karlo Adlawan, 23, from Cebu Eastern College, who is now working as a talent acquisition specialist.

Completing the line-up are Luke Henry Savior, 20, a Nursing student; Carl Yuson, 18, a Pharmacy student from the University of San Carlos; and Edward Matthew De Leon, a 17-year-old senior high-schooler from UC.

“Since I handpicked these candidates, they are competitive enough to represent Cebu in terms of physique and face,” Anciano told The FREEMAN. “I am confident that they can compete in the national stage.”

With the small amount of time from the sashing date to the coronation, Anciano said that he “opted to make it simple as I would like to focus on their advocacy, how they talk, and how they walk on the ramp”, adding that audiences can expect to see the finalists compete in fun wear, swimwear, and formal wear segments.

Advocacies

Cortes said his environmental awareness advocacy is one of the reasons why he joined the tilt. He declared, “It’s time for us to be aware that we are building our future because nature has been taking care of us for many centuries. Don’t you think it’s time to take care of our future?”

Adlawan focuses on promoting family planning and sex education, explaining that the “Philippines has the highest rate of births than other countries.”

“If we have enough knowledge, we can prevent our future children from being in poverty. If given the chance to be part of an organization, I would like to emphasize the full range of contraceptives and provide education and counseling to couples, especially to the young ones,” he added.

Yuson wanted to make a point that education should be a right and not a privilege through his advocacy of education equity.

“Education is a privilege in this country – which shouldn’t be. There are 10-year-old kids who walk miles from home just to get an education. This is why my advocacy is, education to be fair so that our world can be a better place,” he stated.

De Leon, for his part, talked about personality development for self-empowerment. “Being able to find a purpose gives you a vision of who you are as a person. It enables you to take a path that you want to take. What type of person you want to be in the future enables you to understand who you are and who you want to be,” he said.

Other candidates such as Ouano, Savior, and Bohol have advocacies related to health and fitness, Roa III chose marine ecology as his cause, while Villagarcia wants his platform to promote quality education.

Savior says that the song “I Love Cebu” best represents his stint in the competition as he wants to promote the best that his hometown can offer in tourism, should he get the chance to be part of the nationals.