Miss Universe Candidates Visit Camiguin to Explore Island, Sea Glass

Sea glass is quickly becoming more and more popular, and the queens of Miss Universe 2017 seem to think so as well.

Miss Italy Maria Polverino, Miss Netherlands Nicky Opheij, Miss Canada Lauren Howe, Miss Spain Sofia del Prado, Miss USA Kára McCullough, Miss Korea Sewhee Choo, Miss Singapore Manuela Bruntraeger, and Miss India Shraddha Shashidhar recently visited the island of Camiguin to show their support for the area and the jewelry they are known for.

The eight Miss Universe candidates visited the island on December 8 as part of the Department of Tourism’s Bring Home a Friend program. According to Rappler, the women spent the day doing different activities and hanging out with the island’s residents. Mambajao Mayor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said that their visit will help to boost tourism not only on the island but in Mindanao as a whole.

“There are many beautiful places to visit in the Philippines…You can send the message to your fellow countrymen that Camiguin is beautiful. Please come back, you must come back to explore more place here,” Romualdo said to the Miss Universe women.

The women visited the Sunken Cemetary and Balay sa Baibai, which is home to a group who specializes in working with sea glass. They take the glass and turn it into different accessories such as necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Over the past ten years, collecting sea glass has become extremely popular. Many of the popular sea glass beaches have been picked over due to the heavy collecting, and very little, if any, natural sea glass remains.

Cocoy Bajuyo, an artist/photographer with international experience in the tourism sector, spoke with PhilStar Global.

“What makes the sea glass special is that it’s just trash, polished over time by nature and now becomes a gem,” Bajuyo said.

Even though sea glass is a huge part of the Camiguin culture, there are many other reasons to love and visit the island. When you visit Camiguin, you can swim on the infamous white sand beaches, enjoy a few drinks out of coconuts, and get to know the locals and their fascinating culture.