JEDDAH, 26 July 2003 — Twenty-two-year-old Russel Perez of Lacosta Restaurant emerged as winner for this year’s Ginoong Jeddah held here Thursday night at the Nayong Pilipino Restaurant.
Fair-complexioned Perez, 5-8 tall, outshone the 16 equally gorgeous candidates who vied for this one-of-a-kind competition. Perez won a round-trip ticket to Manila plus a cash prize.
The other winners were: James Ilagan of Saudi American Bank, 1st runner-up; Kris Mendoza of Chilli’s, 2nd runner-up; Jay Mihllorca of Pizza Hut, 3rd runner-up and Giovanni Vengco of Al Tazaj, fourth runner-up. All winners won cash prizes and gift certificates.
Special awards were presented to Giovanni Vengco of Al Tazaj, for best in casual wear; Elmer Good of Domino’s Pizza, for being most photogenic; Ilagan. best in sportswear; Perez, best in swimwear; and Mihllorca, for body beautiful.
Emceed by the legendary Vikki Zaire, the event turned out to be a night of success despite last-minute hitches and obstacles. Sky Freight Forwarders provided a roundtrip ticket to Manila to the winner. Edwin DePa?o of Saudi American Bank gave a SR1,000 cash prize to the 1st place winner. Other sponsors included Fe Espiritu from King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Jun Relucio, Nike, Red Sea Divers and other personalities who contributed cash prizes for the event. Vic Chua provided video coverage of the event.