MISS unpacks codes of representation and performativity found in the more established world of transgender beauty pageantry in the Philippines, and by looking closer to the rigor and choreography in subculture and rural pageantry; where queerness explodes any fixed categorization of femininity and fantasy. In the whole world, the Philippines remains the powerhouse in international beauty contests and has garnered fifteen winners for pageants Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth, and Miss International. The performance is based on his current research with Bellas Artes Project about Philippine Queer Pageantry.
The research examines various regional pageants in Bacolod, Cebu, and Manila. It further investigates these competitions through Cebu's eighth edition of the Queen Philippines, the grandest and most prestigious beauty pageant for transgender women in the country; and my interviewed queens from these regions. The performance explores the unseen politics, culture and practices that surround the local pageant industry. Also tracing its religious and colonial influences.