213. Carnival Beauties: BEATRICE SANUP, 1927 Miss Baguio

BEDIMPLED BEATRICE. The first official representative of the Pines City to the Manila Carnival beauty contest was Beatrice Sanup, Miss Baguio 1927 who fascinated the crowds at the fair not only with her dusky beauty but also with her traditional wardrobe.

Like Ilocos and Cebu, the province of Benguet has a rich carnival tradition that began in 1915 with the election of Ibaloy schoolgirl Eveline Chainus Guirey as its first queen. Its premier city, Baguio, held its first ever carnival in 1923, with Martina Salming reigning as queen. The beautiful mestizo Carmen Reese also was a royal-elect and other famous beauties who made national headlines included Corazon Custodio, Adela Romero and Rosita Moldero, originally from Lubuagan, Kalinga, who made it as Miss Free Press Luzon of 1929.

At the second National Beauty Contest, the Pines City was ably represented by local lass Beatrice Sanup, who, together with Juliet Linney (Miss Mountain Province) made waves at the fair with their exotic looks and fascinating local costumes. The bedimpled Beatrice took pride in wearing a traditional Igorot costume consisting of a ‘kambal’ (woven blouse top), “divit” (woven skirt) and "panjet" (headband), recorded for posterity in her official studio pictures.