MANILA - John Jeffrey "Janjep" Carlos became the second Filipino and Asian to win the Mr. Gay World crown after winning this year's pageant in South Africa.
Carlos, who hails from Cavite, bested 21 other candidates in the final round of the pageant in Cape Town, South Africa on May 4 (May 5 in Manila).
He joins fellow Filipino John Fernandez Raspado took the crown in 2017.
Carlos succeeded Mr. Gay World 2018 Jordan Bruno, an Australian national, for the crown
Spain's Francisco Alvarado was crowned 1st runner up, followed by Hungary's Oliver Pusztan (2nd runner up), Thailand's Cjayudhom Samibat (3rd runner up) and Belgium's Nick Van Vooren (4th runner up)
In his introduction video posted on the Mr Gay World 2019 Youtube channel, Carlos said mental health awareness was one of his main advocacies, particularly the fight against depression.
"Depression is real, and it has caused the tragic loss of lives. Depression is a real illness that can be treated if properly diagnosed," he said.
"With love and understanding of people undergoing depression, this illness can be transformed into wellness."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
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
