Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines 2022 successfully concluded last Sunday, and the winners have now been named! Kevin Fredric Lao and Berjayneth Goc-ong Chee have triumphantly taken home the crown.
Since its establishment, the Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines pageant has focused on celebrating and showcasing what it means to be a modern Chinoy— and the 20 #Gen新 candidates were able to prove to the audience that they were capable of breaking barriers while still continuing the legacy of the older Chinoy generation.
The most prestigious night for the Chinoy community was held just this Sunday (October 30) at the Theatre, Solaire, with simultaneous live streams held on both CHiNOY TV and Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines’ Facebook pages.
MMCP’s grand coronation night started off with the Cultural Wear competition. But before that, the special awardees were first announced: Adrian See and Berjayneth Chee won Mr. & Ms. Organique, with ₱50,000 worth of Organique products for each of them.
Ady Cotoco and Jersey Kwan won Mr. & Ms. Silka, with ₱15,000 worth of Silka products and a 1-year brand ambassadorship contract.
Kevin Lao and Karina Ching won Mr. & Ms. OKbet, with a cash prize of ₱50,000 each.
For the Cultural Wear competition, Adrian See won for the male category, and both Lorraine Wong and Mercedes Pair tied for the female category.
All 20 contestants bedazzled the audience in their respective formal wear— but only 2 can win the title. Before the Formal Wear winners were announced, the last leg of the special awardees was announced:
Kevin Lao and Mercedes Pair won Mr. & Ms. GAOC.
Kevin Lao and Karina Ching won Mr. & Ms. Yssabelle Aesthetics.
Lastly, Lorraine Wong gracefully bagged the Ms. Luftonic award.
Wearing their best suit and gown, Kevin Lao and Lovely Lim charmed their way into winning the Best in Formal Wear award.
But wait, there’s more! Awarded the Mr. & Ms. Congeniality, Vince Aseron and Jersey Kwan were voted by their fellow candidates as the friendliest and most charismatic.
The people have chosen their winners, and it is no other than Dane Sy and Karina Ching! The audience roared in excitement as the pair bagged the People’s Choice Award.
After the announcement of the special awardees, the Top 10 finalists were finally named and were to proceed in the Q&A portion (not in particular order): Vince Aseron, Ady Cotoco, Kevin Lao, Miguel Lim, Adrian See, Berjayneth Chee, Lovely Lim, Mercedes Pair, Trumaine Tia, and Lorraine Wong.
The Q&A portion was judged by Camille Co (Content Creator and Entrepreneur), Knoi Austria Esmane (CCO of Hoseki), Charlie Dy (CEO of Virtual Playground), Salome Uy (Businesswoman and Philanthropist), Martina Salimbangon (Business Development Manager of Organique), Gwendolyne Fourniol (Miss World Philippines 2022), Robert Chen (VP for Marketing and Business Development of OKbet), Richard Juan (Actor, Host, and CEO of 28 Squared Studios), Eunice Apple de Belen (Senior Brand Manager of Silka), and Atty. Dan Roleda (Founder of PMAP, Senior Partner of Bautista Roleda Jabla and Yusi Law). Additionally, the results were tabulated by PwC Philippines / Isla Lipana and Co. (Jimmy Disquetado).
Kevin Lao and Berjayneth Chee came out on top and won Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines 2022, with their answers clearly leaving an impact on the judges. When asked the question, “As a modern Chinoy, if everyone spoke their mind, would this world be a better place?” by Miss Salome Uy, Chee answered:
“When I was in Grade 7, I was told that we all have freedom. But you see, this freedom comes with morality. This, what we speak, has a good thing. Well— I believe as a modern Chinoy, we should speak of the truth and we should speak of something that will be able to lift up one another. If we say negative things, I think it is better for us to keep these thoughts in our mind because as modern Chinoy, we want to have this place. We want to have a happy place.”
Richard Juan posed a different question to Lao: “As a modern Chinoy, what is more important for a better world? Intelligence, or wisdom?” As to which Lao answered, “I believe wisdom is important, because intelligence is nothing without good character. And I believe wisdom is important for us to succeed— because as a modern Chinoy, wisdom brings us to progress and that progress will bring us to diversity, inclusivity, and resiliency.”
Adrian See and Lovely Lim came in as 1st Runners-Up, and Vince Aseron and Lorraine Wong as 2nd Runners-Up.
Congratulations to all the winners!
For those who missed it, you can catch the 90-minute documentary on Nov. 13 (Sunday), 8 pm on CNN Philippines where exclusive BTS videos of the coronation night, as well as the whole preparation process that the candidates went through the past month, will be premiered.
Additionally, you can also watch the archived live streams of the grand coronation night on both CHiNOY TV and Mr. and Ms. Chinatown Philippines’ Facebook pages.
