Ilongga is Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism Queen of the Year Int’l

AN 18-YEAR-OLD Ilongga from Bo. Obrero in Lapuz, Iloilo City bagged one of the five major crowns of the 50th Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty pageant held last Sept 16, 2018 at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena in Pasay City.

Kheshapornam Ramachandran, a Filipino-Malaysian of Indian descent, was crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas Tourism Queen of the Year International.

During one of the pre-pageant activities, she was also adjudged second runner-up in the long gown competition where she paraded a gold-beaded gown designed by top Ilonggo couture designer Alfie Desamparado.

While she was born in Malaysia, her family brought her to Iloilo when she was 8 years old.

A keen-believer in inner beauty, she confidently answered the question on what sets apart the beauty of Filipinas from the rest of the world during the Q and A portion of the pageant.

“A Filipina is not just beautiful, she has a beautiful heart, sense and inner characteristics,” she said.

The Ilongga beauty is also an advocate of victims of criticisms and bullying.

“I want to stop people from being bullied based on how they look, their skin color or religion. We need to unite as one country because we have to make the Earth a better place to live,” she stated.

As part of her advocacy, Ramachandran plans to organize open basketball leagues to promote unity.

“For now, I’m making plans for my advocacy but I’m looking into organizing pen basketball leagues for everyone especially for the LGBTQ. I want to start in Iloilo City and hopefully I can also bring it to other regions and provinces,” she added.

Aside from winning other prestigious titles such as Hiyas ng Iloilo 2016 and Mutya ng Iloilo 2018, the stunner is also a basketball athlete and competed in Palarong Pambasa and Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet.

She is set to compete in Beijing, China for the Tourism Queen of the Year International.

Meanwhile, Sharifa Akeel, a native of Sultan Kudarat, was crowned Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia Pacific International.

The other winner are Aya Fernandez (Mutya ng Pilipinas Miss Tourism International), Pauline Amelinckx (Mutya ng Pilipinas Miss Global Beauty Queen) and Jade Roberts (Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas Communities).

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

Special thanks to: