By ROBERT R. REQUINTINA
A 20-year-old aspiring agriculturist who wants to promote the best crops in her town was crowned Miss Umingan 2018 during an annual beauty pageant held in Pangasinan recently.
Antonina Gagote, of the Department of Education Cluster 2, has been an early favorite to capture the crown after she won the major special awards such as Best in Evening Gown and Best in Swimsuit.
Mayor Mike Cruz congratulated the winners as he cited the annual pageant that promotes not only the town as a first-class municipality but also a place with rich heritage and culture. “It’s a place where you can do business with pleasure.”
Gagote is a third year BS Agriculture student at the Pangasinan State University in Sta. Maria. She said that she wants to promote Umingan as an agricultural town that harvests the best squash (kalabasa) in the country.
“But it does not mean that we only have squash here. There’s corn, onion, palay here. That’s the reason why I took up agriculture so that I can also promote Umingan as the town that produces good harvest,” she said.
Gagote said she is also proud of the people of Umingan who are hospitable and respectful. “That’s how we are here in Umingan.”
She also said that she wants to try national pageants in the future to serve as an inspiration to young girls in her municipality.
Members of the board of judges include Domz Ramos, official swimsuit designer for Bb. Pilipinas 2018 beauty pageant, anwd Jojo Bragais, shoe designer of Bragais Shoes.
Other winners in the pageant were Marienilla Brioso, 1st runner-up, Public Secondary School; Raisa Regine Villanda, 2nd runner-up, Umingan Community Hospital; Megan Pagaduan, 3rd runner-up, Cluster 7, and Charlene Wabe, 4th runner-up, PNP BFP.
Special awards went to Pagaduan, Miss Photogenic; and Brioso, People’s Choice Award and Miss Talent.
