A STUDENT of Lourdes College is crowned as this year’s Miss Kagay-an during the coronation night held on Thursday at the Atrium of Limketkai Center.
Virnajenn L. Bacus, 18, bested 11 other candidates vying for the crown as she unanimously got the nod of the judges.
“Naj,” as she is fondly called by relatives and friends, represented Barangay Macasandig in the annual beauty pageant.
As Miss Kagay-an 2010, Naj pocketed P50,000 cash and a laptop from Global Chips. She also took home an additional P10,000 cash for winning the Best in Swimsuit and grabbed a Samsung Blackberry cellphone for being chosen as Ms. Samsung 2010.
CAGAYAN DE ORO. Sen. Francis Escudero crowns Miss Kagay-an 2010 Virnajenn L. Bacus during the coronation night held Thursday at the Atrium of Limketkai Center. (Joey P. Nacalaban)
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jennifer Ledesma, Naj was described by the pageant’s director, Glenn C. Cabral, as having “a great determination in life” and “displays enormous strength, being an orphan at nine-month old.”
“She is also good in class,” Cabaral says during a recent interview.
In 2009, Naj was also crowned as Ms. SK Iligan.
Completing Naj’s court are Bianca Myleen Erfe as first runner up, Jeminah Ruth S. Ferrer as second runner up, Diva Catherine D. Opina as third runner up and Rhealou V. Zayas as fourth runner up.
CAGAYAN DE ORO. Miss Kagay-an 2010 Virnajenn L. Bacus (center) with her court. (Froilan Gallardo)
rBianca, 24, represented Barangay Kauswagan. She is a practicing nurse at Xavier Maria Reyna University Hospital.
Bianca says she did not expect to win in the pageant, who first caught the audience’s attention on her “Raj-like major, major answer” when the pageant host asked her a question.
“She’s like talking to her mother in the most convenient way,” as described by one spectator.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Erfe, Bianca bagged a total cash prize of P20,000 and an award as Ms. (GMA) Kapuso 2010.
Jeminah Ruth, 23, also represents Barangay Macasandig and won several awards. Among these are the Darling of the Press, Best in Talent, Ms. Photogenic, Ms. Golden Friendship and Ms. ABS-CBN Kapamilya Star 2010.
Called as Gem by friends, she pocketed total cash prize of P60,000.
Meanwhile, Diva Catherine, 19, represented Liceo de Cagayan University. A daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fe D. Opina, she bagged the Best in Long Gown with P10,000 cash. She pocketed a total cash price of P30,000.
Rhealou, 18, reportedly belongs to a family of beauty queens, with a sister who is also fond of joining many kinds of pageants.
Other candidates who grabbed minor awards include Noriza P. Torio who went home a Blackberry cellphone after bagging the Ms. Globe Texter’s Choice Award; Jo Phel D. Reyes who bagged the Negros Navigation Princess Award, Ms. PLDT and Best in Casual Wear with a cash prize of P10,000 courtesy of Mags.
Jo Phel was Ms. Teen Northern-Western Mindanao 2008 and a national finalist for the Ms. Teen Philippines.