MANILA — Janjep Carlos of Cavite on Sunday was picked as the Philippines' representative to the Mister Gay World 2019, an annual international pageant for gay men.
Carlos beat out 17 other candidates and was named Mister Fahrenheit 2019, giving him the honor to carry the Philippine sash at the Mister Gay World 2019 to be held in Cape Town, South Africa in May.
He secured the judges' nods after baring his advocacy for fighting depression through his #IllnessToWellness campaign.
During the final round of the competition, the remaining three candidates were asked why they should be chosen as the flag bearer to the international pageant, to which Carlos answered:
"I think I am the best representative of the Philippines because I always work hard on all the tasks I am committed with... I will also carry the hope of those people with depression because depression is real."
He said he hopes to make an impact by advocating awareness of mental health issues.
"I will carry my advocacy in the international level. And I hope the global community will support me in my advocacy of #IllnessToWellness," Carlos said.
Aside from the top title, Carlos also bagged the special award for best in swimwear.
The competition's runners up were Kevin Garcia of Cebu and Macky Belen of Rizal.
'He's the most ready'
According to Norman Tinio, a pageant expert and one of the judges, Carlos stood out because he carried an "international appeal" similar to that of John Raspado who won the tilt in 2017.
"He's the most ready... When you choose someone you will send to Mister Gay World, you need someone who's 100 percent ready. Someone with an international appeal. Someone who will not be a wallflower," he said.
"Janjep Carlos has those qualities, hindi yan magiging wallflower pagdating sa South Africa. Lalaban 'yan," the expert added.
With barely a month to prepare for the international pageant, Carlos said the next few weeks will be challenging for him.
"I really need to focus on my diet and workout because we know the competition there is very tight... So it's a big challenge for me," he said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
