The 25 official candidates of the Miss World Philippines 2016 beauty pageant were presented to the press and there were no girls from the Kagandahang Flores beauty camp. Did the KF camp snub the beauty contest?
The KF group headed by pageant guru Rodgil Flores has said that his team got busy in their preparations for other pageants.
“Hindi naman snub. Nagkataon lang na naging busy kami sa ibang pageants,” said Flores.
The beauty queen maker said that he has even received a text message from Cory Quirino, chairperson for Miss World Philippines, inviting his camp to join the annual search.
Last year, two KF girls finished in the Top 5 of the Miss World Philippines pageant – Emma Tiglao won 4th runner-up and Mia Allyson Howell, 2nd runner-up.
Candidates fielded by the KF and its rivals Aces and Queens under Jonas Gaffud and John dela Vega camp are the most-awaited girls in Philippine pageants.
Like their counterparts in Venezuela and Colombia, both rival camps train their girls hard for the pageant. They are known for their special skills and techniques in making beauty queens.
Flores has earlier said that girls training for pageants should give their full commitment.
The pageant expert has said that training in a beauty camp does not guarantee a crown for the girl in the pageant.
The KF beauty camp has successfully groomed beauty queens 2005 Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman, 2013 Miss International Bea Rose Santiago, 2008 Miss Earth Karla Henry, Miss Tourism International queens Angeli Dione Gomez and the late Rizzini Alexis Gomez, Miss Earth 2014 Jamie Herrell, and Miss Earth 2015 Angelia Ong.
Other stellar queens in the group are Miss Intercontinental second runner-up Kris Tiffany Hanson, and Miss Tourism International second runner-up Glennifer Perido. In 2014, KF girls swept the Top 5 for Miss Philippines Earth contest.
In 2010, Julia Morley, chair and CEO of Miss World Limited, awarded the franchise to Quirino. The first Miss World Philippines pageant under the Cory administration was staged on September 18, 2011.
Later that year, Philippine bet Gwendoline Ruais placed First Princess in the Miss World beauty contest held in London. It was the highest placement for the Philippines since Evangeline Pascual won first runner-up in 1973.
In 2013, the Philippines finally captured the elusive blue crown when actress Megan Lynne Young won the Miss World pageant held in Indonesia.