Raising the curtain for the sixth time

It was an evening full of glitz, glamour and fierce catwalks as Miss London NABA raised its curtains for its sixth show at The Camden Centre on Saturday 16th April.

There were two major titles at stake: Miss London NABA and Miss London NABA Entrepreneur.

The candidate who wins Miss London NABA will win a return flight to New York to compete in the grand title of Miss NABA, while Miss London NABA Entrepreneur will win a return flight to Philippines to further

promote the pageant, and its chosen charity: Daan Para Sa Kabataan.

The beauty pageant, which has been running since 2011 opened its doors to the public, local community and all avid pageant fans for what they promised would be a night to remember. We can tell you now, it was nothing short of stellar performances.

The evening began with a choreographed dance put together by Creative Directors, Phil Panganiban and Jennifer Umali who have been working on the pageant since its inception.

“Phil and I have been working on Miss London NABA since 2011 and every year, our objective is to come up with fresh ideas, new moves and unique catwalks; we always aim to make it visually exciting for the audience. Every year, our batch of candidates bring it out of the bag and always show complete dedication to learning the catwalks and choreography. This year, the girls were absolutely incredible and truly made lasting friendships which is very rewarding for us to see, as directors, and as an organisation,” says Jennifer Umali as we caught up with her after the show.

Like all pageants, there are different categories the candidates are judged on: casual wear, sportswear, evening gown, question and answer. Each candidate is put through their paces as the judges score rigorously to find the new representative for London, and the ambassador for Miss London NABA.

Allen Abeleda, Head Producer, commented: “What we look for in our winners is very different from other pageants, while a candidate may have a strong catwalk, we are also looking for someone to become an ambassador for Miss London NABA as she represents our city, and our country, abroad. Personality, poise and eloquence is something we look for in our winners, and so far, we have been fortunate to always have such a strong group of young ladies joining our pageant.”

During the intervals, the audience were entertained with performances from Erika Federis, Miss London NABA 2015, Carmela Finnigan who kindly flew in from Germany to perform, CodeNinety and D-Dance Minis.

Tanikala Foundation

Erika Feeders

D-Dance Minis

D-Dance Minis

CodeNinety

We caught up with Miss London NABA 2015 and asked her how she was feeling about handing over her title to a new winner; Erika Federis commented: “My year as Miss London NABA has been memorable and I have made so many friends here in London and all over the world. What I love the most about Miss London NABA is that it is like one big family. Whether you’re from the batches in 2012 or 2015, you are always welcome and we always love catching up with alumni and hearing about their successes after the pageant. Being a part of the mentoring programme this year has been truly inspirational, all the candidates are so unique in their own way and as you can see, they have strong walks! Whoever wins tonight will have an unforgettable year, and I truly wish them all the best.”

As the crowning moments began, the packed hall of supporters, sponsors and alumnus roared and cheered the numbers of their favourite candidate, but the two lucky ladies to win the grand titles were, Hannah Harrison: Miss London NABA 2016, and Kathleen Mae Aguila Comia: Miss London NABA Entrepreneur 2016. Hannah Harrison, the youngest Miss London NABA to date, at only seventeen years old commented: “This was my first pageant and I still cannot believe I won! I keep feeling the crown to make sure this isn’t a dream. My family, supporters and the entire production team have been so supportive. My mother has been my rock throughout this process and I am so grateful for her encouragement and inspiring me every day. I am really looking forward to going to New York to compete in Miss NABA. If we get a back-to-back, that would be marvellous moment, but for me, being given this opportunity to represent London and showcase Filipino talent and beauty internationally is an honour in itself.”

Miss London NABA Entrepreneur was another major title of the night wherein the winner is given the opportunity to raise more awareness for the pageant and its chosen charity Daan Para Sa Kabataan. Kathleen Mae Aguila Comia said: “Winning Miss London NABA Entrepreneur is surreal! I am exceptionally passionate about charity work and winning this title means a lot to me. Not only do I get to represent Miss London NABA in the United Kingdom, I am now able to reach out to those in need in the Philippines and help change lives. Pia Wurtzbach is one of my role models, and I too, want to encourage more people out there to be “confidently beautiful with a heart” and make a difference, however small in their local communities. I would also like to take a moment to thank all the sponsors who made this event possible and I look forward to working with them again very soon.”

With two new representatives for Miss London NABA and Miss London NABA Entrepreneur, we know their reign in the United Kingdom and internationally will be an inspiration to all. To follow their journey as reigning winners, like the Miss London NABA page on Facebook for new updates.