SINULOG festival queen Cynthia Thomalla won Cebu’s seventh Reyna ng Aliwan title in glittering ceremonies capping this year’s summer cultural extravaganza.
Baguio’s Andrea Fe Gomez, representing the Panagbenga festival, was named first runner-up, with Airish Yamamoto (Anilag festival of Laguna), Darlene Joy Tabuga (Pintados de Passi festival of Iloilo), and Lou Dominique Piczon (Manaragat festival of Catbalogan) shared second runner-up honors.
The half-German Thomalla also won special awards for Best in Festival Costume, Best in Evening Gown, Best in Swimsuit, and Most Photogenic. As Sinulog festival queen, she also rode the IPI-Sinulog float, which won first prize.
Gomez, a student at St. Louis University, also won the award for Miss Unique Smile, courtesy of ACS.
Tabuga, whose features echo showbiz celebrities Ruffa Mae Quinto and Katrina Halili, was named by her fellow candidates as Miss Friendship, and received a special award from Hotel Jen’s general manager Edward Kollmer.
The 2016 Aliwan Fiesta was presented by Manila Broadcasting Company, Star City, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Cities of Manila and Pasay, with support from TM, Pride Detergent, Unique Toothpaste, Shield Bathsoap, Tanduay Rhum, Alaska, Coca Cola, Dunkin Donuts, M. Lhuillier, Columbia Candies, Cherry Mobile, Fukuda, AICS, GES Led Lights, Bayview Park Hotel, Robinsons Place Manila, and Hotel Jen.