Mandaue City Beauty Pageant

Photos by Robert Gardner

      Some 20 years ago I was staying with friends in Lapu-Lapu City on the island of Mactan across the bridge from Cebu City. One evening, we crossed the bridge to Mandaue City to visit their relatives and everyone was excited about an "event" happening in town that night. We hurried to the town plaza where a large crowd was gathering around an extravagant stage depicting the New York skyline. The event was a beauty contest, which is common enough in the Philippines, but the beauties in this contest had hidden secrets. Here the secrets are revealed and, yes, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Click on any image for slide show.