BAGUIO CITY – The City Government will honor the international beauty titlist and world-class athletes who brought honor and pride to the city with their wins in the various competitions they joined over the past several weeks.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the local government is preparing a simple motorcade around the central business district for Kylie Versoza who was recently crowned as the 2016 Miss International in Tokyo, Japan last October 27once she arrives in the city on November 26.
He added the city is still awaiting confirmation from the handlers of Ms. Versoza if she can be presented to the people of Baguio during the regular Monday flag-raising ceremony at the city hall on November 28.
Further, a similar motorcade and presentation will be done by the local government for Eduard Folayang who won the Unified Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight belt after outclassing a seasoned Japanese fighter during a mixed martial arts tournament in Singapore last November 11.
Divine Wali, the first Filipino female to win the gold medal in the World Wushu Championship recently held in China, will also be accorded a similar welcome once her schedule will allow her to be presented to the people of the city.
Domogan pointed out the supreme sacrifice made by the beauty titlist and the athletes in preparing for their international exposures paid off when they won in their respective fields of expertise, thus, bringing honor and pride not only to our country but also to the city where they come from.
The Mayor further said the successive wins of Versoza, Fulayang and Wali in their respective competitions serve as an inspiration for upcoming beauty aspirants and athletes to endeavour to match or even exceed the achievements of these home-grown talents.
He called on local residents and visitors to join the local government in welcoming the local heroes as they come back to their city to celebrate their respective victories that were able to place the city in the map of beauty pageants and international sports competitions.
He expressed confidence that there will be upcoming local beauties and athletes who will be able to emerge from the city’s barangays and that they will be able to replicate the success of the three home-grown talents in their respective fields of expertise in the future.
Fulayang and Wali, who happen to be first cousins, trace their roots to Sadanga, Mountain Province and were students of the Baguio-based University of the Cordilleras (UC). Before shifting to mixed martial arts, Fulayang was a wushu gold medallist in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games and had been bringing honor and pride to the city by being able to win various medals in international competitions over the past several years.
Versoza is the daughter of a former semifinalist of the 1985 Bb. Pilipinas and was also a finalist in the 2015 Bb. Pilipinas before being crowned as Bb. Pilipinas International during the 2016 beauty pageant.
By Dexter A. See
