Hundreds of Filipinos on Sunday gathered in New Taipei City for a beauty pageant that featured Ilocano contestants older than 40.
The Ilocanos are the third-largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines and trace their origins to northwestern Luzon, the country’s biggest island.
Thirteen contestants aged 42 to 63 took the stage wearing formal gowns in the “Search for Fashionista De Senora” pageant, and were judged on elegance, appearance and presentation.
The pageant, which was held in a community center in Tucheng District (土城), was part of celebrations marking the sixth anniversary of the Taiwan Sorority of the Confederation of Ilocano Association Inc, Samahang Ilokano.
“The focus of the anniversary celebrations this year is to show the beauty of older women, who can compete onstage just like younger ones,” association board trustee Marie Grace Pastor said.
The association, founded in October 2013, has about 170 members, she said.
The contest, attended by about 600 Filipinos, also honored older women for their service to the Ilocano community, she added.
Most of the contestants did not have a chance to participate in such activities when they were younger, as they had to work hard to provide for their families, Pastor said.
Geraldine Domingo, who works in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) as a caregiver and has been supporting her children and parents, won the pageant.
“I feel I am successful, because since I have been working in Taiwan, my daughter has graduated from university in the Philippines with a degree in engineering,” Domingo said. “My son is also now a manager at a bank.”
The celebrations were attended by Philippine community leaders and officials, including Nelson Palaris, assistant director of notarial services at the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
In a speech at the award ceremony, Palaris said that the Ilocanos are an influential group in the Philippine community in Taiwan.
“Ilocanos are also Filipinos, they must cradle not only Ilocanos, but also all Filipinos, especially those who are in distress,” said Palaris, an Ilocano.
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