DAVAO CITY (PIA) -- Organizers of the 51st staging of Mutya ng Dabaw will now allow married women and single mothers to join the city’s annual beauty pageant.

According to the City Tourism Operations Office,  they also scrapped the age limit. In past Mutya ng Dabaw pageants, the age limit was capped at 26 years old.

Pageant organizers also scrapped the height requirement for aspirants.

“We try to be more inclusive. We started it last year, where we took out the age limit, the minimum is 18 years old, and we do not have an age limit. Then we include not just singles but single moms, and married (women) can also join; then karon naa tay gidagdagan (now we added something). Last year, ang height requirement was at least 5’4” but this year we scrapped it ,” City Tourism Operations Office OIC Jennifer Ricardo Romero said.

She said that with the new guidelines, they incorporated screenings and orientations so that they could come up with a Mutya ng Dabaw that is fit to be an advocate of Davao City.

“We will be having a sashing ceremony, an orientation of the guidelines, and a workshop for the 30 candidates,” Romero said.

The workshop focuses on personality development, the proper manner in which a beauty queen will look, and training on Filipino brand of service, as according to the city’s tourism head, they are the city’s tourism brand ambassadors.

As the tourism brand advocate for Davao City, Romero announced a new competition within the pageant where each candidate will be required to make a short tourism campaign video.

“Whoever will get to the top 30, we will require them to create their own interpretation of the tourism experience of Davao City,” Romero said.

The Mutya ng Dabaw was started in 1969 under the leadership of Mayor Elias V. Lopez, with Rachell Arkoncel crowned the first Mutya ng Dabaw.

In a 1991 interview, former mayor Lopez said Mutya ng Dabaw was more than a beauty pageant, as it was a search for the symbol of the hopes and aspirations of Dabawenyos, represented by the beauty and character of an ideal woman.

Decades later, the same thoughts were echoed by current Davao City Mayor Sebastian Z. Duterte, whose message during last year’s Mutya ng Dabaw was read by Vice Mayor Mechor Quitain Jr.

“The Mutya ng Dabaw celebration is not just about beauty and grace but also about talent, intelligence, and leadership. It is an opportunity for us to showcase the potential of our young women and to inspire them to continue to make a positive impact on our community,” Vice Mayor Quitain read Mayor Sebastian’s message.

The reigning Mutya ng Dabaw is 23-year-old hotelier Maria Isabel Pelayo, who is the 50th Mutya ng Dabaw. She is the first titleholder since 2019, as the pageant was not held for three years because of the pandemic. (RGA/PIA Davao)