JEDDAH, 9 June 2004 — “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
We will know the answer to this question tomorrow when the Circulo Ilonggo Saudi Arabia (CISA) crowns its “Lin-ay 2004” at the Philippine Consulate as part of this year’s Philippine independence celebration.
Lin-ay is Hiligaynon word for a girl who is not only beautiful but is also witty, intelligent, cheerful, and helpful.
In the case of Lilian Ardedon, Darie May Barreto, Jenerie Mesa, Blance Mondragon, Janice Paguntalan, Anna Marie Patubo, Luchie Marie Rigor, and Catherine Salas, helpful is the more fitting word. They have agreed to donate 50 percent of the proceeds of the event to the Western Visayas Sanitarium in Sta. Barabara, Iloilo.
Janice Paguntalan, a biologist, leads the contest after the second canvassing. The winner will not be known until the coronation.
She said she delights in participating in this project. “This project will not only help me gain friends and this will not only give me much exposure but it will enable me to reach out and help those who really needs my help. And in anyway I can, by joining this project, my efforts will be worth, because it is for a reasonable cause.”
“The candidates are all excited with the coronation. At the same time they all worked hard to garner points,” says Juliet Roa, president of CISA.
To liven up the coronation night, CISA has organized a special number. Three groups will be performing “Ati-atihan,” “Maskara,” and “Dinagyang,” merry-making dances indigenous to Kalibo, Bacolod and Iloilo in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. These dances are usually associated with colourful costumes and intricate dance steps embellished by rattling drums.
CISA is one of the most active regional organizations in Jeddah. At the beginning of the year it organized the biggest medical and dental mission held at the grounds of the Philippine Consulate.
