BICOL'S PRIDE. 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray in her national costume during the pageant in Thailand. The costume was on exhibit at the Museo de Legazpi from January 15 to February 14. (PNA file photo)
LEGAZPI CITY -- Almost 2,000 tourists, students, and residents viewed the national costume of 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray during an exhibit at the Museo de Legazpi here from January 15 to February 14.
Gray used the costume during the pre-pageant competition in Thailand in 2018.
“We displayed the costume of Catriona Gray (at the Museo) because she is a Bicolana from Oas, Albay. That put the Bicol region (on) the map in the world of pageantry. Second, we are part of that national costume because, at the back of the gown, we can see the Cagsawa Ruins and the Mayon Volcano. That’s how important this national costume is,” Darlito Perez, City Museum Curator, said in an interview on Tuesday.
Perez said the national costume honors Gray who brought pride to the region.
The exhibit showcased not only the costume but also the importance of Filipino culture and heritage, he said, noting that the costume’s design was based on the country’s cultural heritage.
The costume is a bodysuit of patterns of tattoos of pre-Hispanic Filipino Visayan warriors recorded in the 16th-century manuscript, Boxer Codex. It is accentuated by T’boli accessories, such as the brass belt, and features Mindanaoan textile patterns. The backdrop shows a Pampanga lantern at the center, as well as Mount Mayon and the Cagsawa Ruins. At the back is a mural of Philippine history.
Perez expressed gratitude to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) for granting their request to have Gray’s national costume displayed at the Museo de Legazpi.
“The exhibit was just about the life story of Catriona Gray that included the first search that she joined and the charity that she worked (with) and most importantly, how she performed the lava walk until she became a Miss Universe,” he said.
Perez said the Museo de Legazpi was the first museum to exhibit Gray's national costume, which would soon be brought to the National Museum in Manila.
He said he was also planning to display at the museum the memorabilia of the late Bicolano action star Eddie Garcia starting in May.
“I already talked to Ako Bicol Congressman Alfredo Garbin to convince the family of Eddie Garcia in order to exhibit the life story of the great Bicolano actor at the Museo de Legazpi,” Perez said. (PNA)
