Nothing could be further from the truth. What is the difference between hicksville and a cosmopolitan city? The difference is glamor. And there is no better event in Cebu to prove that we have oodles of it than the Miss Cebu pageant, held annually to coincide with the Sinulog festivities. Miss Cebu is glamor in purely concentrated form; no occasion is more important in Cebu's calendar of events as Miss Cebu, other than, of course, the Sinulog itself. It's not just another beauty pageant; Miss Cebu is a beauty pageant, the Acadamy Awards, the latest Paris collection, and Las Vegas all rolled into one.

Every town - every village - has its pageant in the Philippines, but most of these events flash by unnoticed in the current of time. Miss Cebu, on the other hand, is the second most important pageant in the Philippines, after the Miss Philippines event. Originally called Miss Cebu Tourism, the Miss Cebu event is still organized by the Cebu City Tourism Commission. That is why it's so good. Miss Cebu is Cebu's way of saying to the world: "Look at us. Look at what we have to offer. Check it out."

The eventual winner must do a good job of representing Cebu. To this end the candidates are given a tour of museums, and given workshops and seminars on everything from politics (courtesy of Councilor Arsenio Pacana) to self defense training (courtesy of Phalanx Unified Martial Arts).

The elite of Cebuano society shows up for the Miss Cebu event. The garage of the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug was once again overflowing with luxury vehicles; inside, tycoons greeted each other ("Pit Senyor!"), politicians hobnobbed with industrialists, and their wives preened.

Unlike the Sinulog itself, which as usual was an organizational fiasco, Miss Cebu was superbly well organized under the leadership of Philip Rodriguez, an urbane fashion designer who served as project chairman of the event. The theme this year was "Cebu: Where Currents Meet", and various judging sections were punctuated by song and dance numbers designed to illustrate this concept. (Incidentally, in case you're unfortunate enough never to have been to a world-class beauty pageant, the song and dance numbers are performed by professional dance companies - not by the contestants.)

In the case of Miss Cebu 2005, Rochelle "Raki" Vega, Cebu's very own winner of a nationwide diva competition, was there to serenade the crowds, as was rising star Christian Bautista. In keeping with the theme, dance troupes performed numbers inspired by Chinese, Spanish, and American culture, as well as Cebu's own Sinulog. Most of these performances were of such high calibre that they alone would have merited a show of their own.

Then there's the fashion. Cebu's designers proved once again that their talent is second-to-none, with stunning evening gowns that would make even the plainest girl look glamorous. Imagine the effect as ten perfectly proportioned head-turners glide on to the stage in fabulously elegant dresses: it is enough to take the breath away of even the most seasoned photojournalist.

Beauty pageants have gone somewhat out of fashion in the West, and to cater to the tides of criticism from latter-day feminists, the organizers of beauty pageants in places like the US nowadays tend to put more emphasis on various talents (such as singing ability), or the right story, or abstract concepts such as inner beauty. Not so in Cebu: beauty is what a beauty pageant is about, and beauty shall reign supreme. Cebuanos, obsessed with looking good to begin with, make sure that the prettiest girl comes out holding the crown.

The judging is serious business. Runners, immaculately attired in white shirts and black slacks, literally run down the aisles, shuttling the judges' scoresheets to the back office, where earnest young people with spectacles and calculators tabulate and retabulate the results. Security is tight: Wa'y Blima! tried to take a peek and was immediately hustled out of sight by taciturn staff.

As midnight approaches, five finalists remain on stage; the rest are already scrubbing their make-up off. Lesser prizes - such as most photogenic, best gown, etc. - have long been awarded, and slot numbers three, four, and five have been filled. The host prattles on, the audience suffers through the banter, and finally, here it is: the moment of truth. And the winner is... Katrina Minoza. Second? Please. Nobody ever remembers who came in second.

Balloon and confetti fly through the air, and Mayor Tomas Osmena and Vice Mayor Mike Rama go up to congratulate the winner. But for once, just this once, the spotlight isn't on them. Tonight, it is a young woman's turn to shine, and no-one notices as the politicians amble off, anonymous amongst the throng of people going home.

Ms Minoza, as it turned out, already had a couple of titles under her belt: Miss Lapu-Lapu and Miss Mandaue. It goes without saying that all of Cebu is rooting for her to take home Miss Philippines. While the city government expects her to concentrate on fulfilling her duties supporting the tourism industry of Cebu, what better way could there be for her to publicize Cebu than to win the national crown? Wa'y Blima!, for one, hopes she brings home the Miss World title. Go girl!