Five candidates to the Mister Philippines Australia 2015 were formally presented to the public last 27 June 2015 at St John’s Hall in Mitcham.
Mister Philippines Australia Male Pageant is a franchise from PEPPS Foundation, official owner of Mister International, Mister Model International, Mister Asia, Mister Manhunt and Mister Global.
“Mister Philippines Australia aims to produce Filipino men to be role models of handsomeness, health, leadership and generosity. Mister Philippines’ main project is Give Love on Christmas Day where we distributed a noche buena pack to unfortunate families in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Currently we have embraced the feeding program for 20 orphanage kids for 200 days,” Liza Di Blasio, Organiser of Mister Philippines Australia, told The Philippine Times.
Also present during the presentation were last year’s winners: Robert McNamara, Daniel Polbrat and Ari Kane who will all compete at the Mister of the Philippines this September to be held in the Philippines. Robert McNamara was named the winner of Mister Philippines Australia. Daniel Polbrat won First Runner-up (Mister Philippines Melbourne), while Ari Kane won the Sponsor’s Choice Award from Western Union.
Meet the five candidates
Jam Acero, 26, is into international relations, fitness training, basketball and singing. He wants to be recognised as one of the best personal trainers in Australia. He is taking the challenge to join Mister Philippines as an opportunity for him to refine his personality in terms of confidence and charisma. He adds: “I also want to proudly represent the Filipino spirit and community in Australia and to serve as a positive example of what a young Filipino-Australian man is capable of achieving.” Jam lives in Docklands and is pure Filipino.
Ben Hitchcock, 29, is into personal training, basketball, kite surfing, game design, Muay Thai,
and dancing. “Since joining the contest I believe my short term goal is not just to get placed highly in the Mister Philippines contest, but to gain confidence and experience through public speaking and being in the public eye,” he said. He also wants his family, friends and the Filipino community to be proud of him. He aims to be a proud representative, spokesperson and role model for the Filipino community. If there are social or environmental issues he wants more awareness, it would be natural disaster relief and poverty aid. Ben lives in Mannerim (Geelong) and is Filipino-British.
Paul John Evenden, 26, is currently into broadcasting and gym fitness. He wants to have his own business and become a Property Manager. He is very keen to build his network and to get to know the community and hopefully to represent Australia for Mister Philippines. Paul lives in Noble Park, and is Filipino British.
Jeremiah Nicolas, 18, is the artist in the group. He plays piano and sketches during his free time. His other love is cooking and he can whip up Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino and other dishes. He is taking up a business course as he intends to put up his own restaurant in the future. He keeps fit through Muay Thai. He joined Mister Philippines to inspire young men to be proud of their Filipino heritage and culture. Jeremiah lives in Hampton Park and is pure Filipino.
Gerald Salvo Nelson Szekszardi, 19, is a thrill seeker and likes travelling. In the future, he will travel more “to open my mind to the world we live in and to figure out what role I play in helping make the world a better place.” He joined Mister Philippines Australia as one of his first steps into improving himself and his confidence. Gerald lives in Footscray and is Filipino-Hungarian.
A night of fun and dancing
Dubai-based Filipina singer, Angel Pacio, who was adjudged 2006 First Pop Star Grand Champion, and Melbourne-based singer, Loreta Cabantog provided song numbers to the delight of the audience. The candidates also paraded t-shirts of Western Union and Megaworld as they compete for the Sponsors’ Choice Awards. Winners for these categories will be announced during the finals.
Sandy Lobriza served as Master of Ceremonies, while DJ of the night was Melvin Diez of MDiez Productions.
The finals will be held on 24 October 2015 and the venue to be announced soon. The Organising Committee will release a souvenir program on the grand finals.
For enquiries and sponsorship, please contact Gina on 0405 636 389. Email Liza Di Blasio at lizadiblasio@yahoo.com.au or glbt.misterphilaust@gmail.com.
For further information, please visit: www.themisterphilippinesaustraliaproduction.weebly.com or http://www.mistersofthephilippines.com/
