Masbate Province

Kisses dons festival costume and rides on horseback in tourism video

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Kirsten Danielle Delavin, the 22-year-old proud daughter of Masbate, who won both as Miss Teen Masbate (2013) and Miss Masbate (2016), is very much immersed in the making of her MUPh tourism video.

Like a festival muse, Kisses not only dons a costume from the Lapay Bantigue Dance Festival but also performs street dancing moves with a troupe at the opening of her montage. Held every last week of September, Lapay Bantigue is a local dance art festival that originated from the graceful movements of hovering birds known as seagulls, or the lapay, found abundant in the barangay of Bantigue.

Flocks of lapay seagulls create a marvelous scenery and, inspired by the old folks to come up with a local folk dance, that, since then, has existed and has become an important aspect of the local culture of the people of Brgy. Bantigue and the entire province of Masbate.

"Hello there, I present to you, Masbate! When you open the map of the Philippines, right at the heart of the archipelago is where you can find my hometown. I'm proud of this fact! Like a heart, in this place really does come so much joy and life to us Masbateños and Masbateñas everyday. Of course, we have pristine beaches, with crystal clear waters, outstanding marine life, postcard-worthy views, and rodeo action."

Like a character from the cult classic "Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa," Kisses is on horseback and rides the dunes of the neap tides, in her MUPh tourism video, with grace and confidence, as only a natural-born Masbateña can. After all, Masbate is the "rodeo capital of the Philippines."

It is difficult to be shot on a running horse. The late Anita Linda recalled how National Artist for Film Gerardo de Leon, who directed the 1952 award-winning movie "Sisa," required her to be on horseback for a particular scene. The veteran actress, who won FAMAS Best Actress for that role, confessed she fell from the horse during the first take but had to reshoot the scene for arts sake.

"Masbate would be regarded by tourists as a dream destination. But for me, Masbate is more than that. I have lived a full life here with these wonderful people. Almost every corner, every place has memories of people I know and love - where neighbors know and love each other. That's one of the best parts."

Kisses won the Lazada promotional video challenge, and will be awarded together with Leren Mae Bautista of Laguna and Steffi Rose Aberasturi of Cebu Province during the preliminaries.

In her Purple Chair interview with Boy Abunda, Kisses revealed that her daily school allowance was Php 1K but she only gets to spend about Php 100 for an entire week. The reason is because she lives right across the campus. She walks to school and eats her meals at home, thus, saving most of her 'baon'. Her saved allowance and measly weekly expenditure became trending topics on social media.

"In Masbate, there are almost a million of us there. But why does it feel like we all know each other? I have lived here for fifteen years and its beauty still surprises me everyday. I'm proud of my province. I am a proud Masbateña! And this is my home - Masbate!"

Catch the final part (Part 3/3) of Kisses' Purple Chair interview on Sept 17, 8 pm, at the Boy Abunda Talk Channel, where she gets to answer a number of pageant questions.

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Images from Facebook/KDD and EP