BALITANG SHOWBIZ: Johanna Oyog crowned “Miss Sinulog” 2026 milestoning its 50th Golden Anniversary of “Sinulog sa Kabankalan” [#TheBrightonBugleEXCLUSIVE]
Originally published on January 16th, 2026 due to serious overslept issues from our editorial news department, resulting both lack of energy and catching up.
(Written by Andrea Davenport & Dominique Resuma Canio / Online News Correspondent of The Brighton Bugle, and Regional News Contributor of OneNETnews)
KABANKALAN, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL – The Hiligaynon community of “Sinulog sa Kabankalan” celebrates its historic 50th Golden Anniversary, and one of the best highlights of the event was the pageant display as the centerpiece of the celebration held within the selected barangays.
Twelve (12) beautiful pageant contestants, coming from different institutions of learning, including high schools, universities, and colleges located at Kabankalan City Plaza (KCP), stepped into the limelight Thursday night at around 8pm onwards (January 15th, 2026 – Kabankalan local time), vying for the most prestigious title in their respective province. Not to be confused with the Sinulog Festival Queen as a sister flagship event, which will be held tomorrow on Friday (January 16th). Quad Cities newspaper outlet ‘The Brighton Bugle’ had to stand at the front row to this cultural milestone, bringing the glamour of the Negrosanons above the north to our global audience.
The evening began with a brief delay from 7pm as the event organizers of Kabankalan Sinulog Foundation (KSF) who attentively making some last-minute changes for this golden jubilee celebration, but it was definitely well worth it. Hosted by Miss Universe (MU) 2025’s 3rd runner-up 'Ahtisa Manalo’ hailing from the Province of Quezon, and a charming 'Hanz Denzil Villahermosa’ from Dumaguete City.
The pressure was on as these pageant of contestants faced an esteemed panel of judges seated at a table, with MU Negros Occidental representative 'Alexandria Margarette Colmenares’, former veteran local radio anchor of 'Radyo Bandera: Sweet FM’ (now 'K5 News FM Dumaguete’) & the current City Councilor of Bayawan named 'Mark Fidencio “AbayDan” Logronio Aurelia’; pageant representative at MU 'Erica Jean Cadayday’; pro scuba dive master of 'Aqua Ventura Divers’ & Negros Oriental male pageant 'Joeren King Finney’; and Philippines first MU 1969 winner 'Gloria Diaz’.
With the music at full throttle, the event entered the highly-awaited segment of the pageant, the Swimsuit Competition. Twelve (12) regional candidates exuded unmatched confidence and sportswoman-like vigor, evoking the energetic health and dynamism of the Negrense woman. All candidates paraded the runway in choreographed swim costumes that reflected the tropical colors and fiesta spirit, showcasing they are as tough as they are lovely.
But the group dynamic changed completely, going from energetic and exciting to simply stunning, in the Evening Gown competition. This was seriously a masterclass in “it-girl” fashion! The catwalk was a dazzling display of sparkles, beads and flowing designs everywhere you looked. These were not simply Filipiniana gowns, they were pieces of art exemplifying the expert craftsmanship of local designers. The elegance and refinement shown by the models had the audience and judges holding their collective breath everywhere.
Filipino judges like Gloria and among others, need to engage in careful consideration to identify the leading candidates for various minor awards, each with a cash prize of PHP5,000 (or U$D84 bucks). These awards include titles such as 'Best in Talent’, 'Miss Photogenic’, 'Miss Congeniality’, and more. This process has narrowed the competition down to the Semi-Finals in no particular order for the Top 6, namely 'Shakerah B. Perocho’ (18 y/o from Barangay Camugao), 'Prncs. Alea Vargas Bestuir’ (18 y/o from Brgy. Daan Banwa), 'Zuria Mae S. Mirano’ (19 y/o from Brgy. Camingawan), 'Jasai Almedos Beronio’ (22 y/o from Brgy. Inapoy), 'Johanna Marie A. Oyog’ (19 y/o from Brgy. Oringao), and 'Carla Marie O. Carmona’ (21 y/o from Poblacion 3).
After a very challenging Question and Answer (Q&A) portion that probed their wit, intelligence & heart… The judges arrived at their last deliberation. In an exciting turn of events, The Brighton Bugle and OneNETnews are the first to disclose the official and final results for the barangay queen winner in Kabankalan City, celebrating a remarkable overnight achievement.
The 2nd runner-up title, with a cash prize of PHP20,000 Philippine pesos (roughly U$D340) goes to Camingawan, while the 1st runner-up belongs to Poblacion 3, snagging the prize of PHP30,000 (about U$D504). Sinulog sa Kabankalan’s Grand Golden Champion of the evening, and the prize of PHP50,000 (or U$D841) goes to Oringao. This year’s selection projected winner of Miss Sinulog is 'Johanna Marie Oyog’.
Oyog’s win was a moment of pure magic. Being a winner of the minor awards as well, she is expected to take home, close to more or less than PHP70,000. Per the Philippine law, prizes beyond the amount of PHP10,000 are subject to withholding tax through the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s regional district office (BIR-RDO) in Binalbagan, which will be handled by the respective event organizers at KSF.
As we wrap up the golden milestone for this year’s “Miss Sinulog” glorifying the “Sinulog sa Kabankalan” to pay tribute to the 'Señor Santo Niño’, through a sister flagship festival in Metro Cebu, the Negrosanon community came together in celebrating the cultural heart and northern soul of the Hiligaynons.
It has been our supreme joy to observe the passion, tradition, and marvelous skills possessed by these young Negrense women, and we shall not soon forget this experience that we have. Congratulations to 'Johanna Oyog’ for this stunning display of a golden milestone! You have truly set the gold standard for celebrations.
Needless to say, the excitement is far from over. While the Kabankalanons rejoice and join in the night of celebrations, the global newspaper team of The Brighton Bugle, and Dumaguete’s internet public news media OneNETnews will be catching both a bus and ferry transportation to Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) in Metro Cebu via 'San Carlos, Negros Occidental’ as we continue the Sinulog journey coming next weekend on Sunday morning (January 18th)! You won’t want to miss a single second of the 'Festival of Festivals’.
SCREENGRAB COURTESY: 101.3mhz DYLR-FM Heart FM Kabankalan via FB VIDEO
BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: TEGNA
SOURCES:
*https://archive.org/details/miss-sinulog-kabankalan-2026/
*https://www.facebook.com/100087236301605/posts/841349658782903
*https://www.facebook.com/61554273385471/posts/122246598560142446
*https://www.facebook.com/61574586508298/posts/122152158398819550
*https://www.facebook.com/61574586508298/posts/122152164392819550
*https://www.facebook.com/100084064746848/posts/885352030943614
*https://www.facebook.com/61574586508298/posts/122152167056819550
*https://www.facebook.com/100084064746848/posts/885355957609888
*https://www.facebook.com/61574586508298/posts/122152169726819550
*https://www.facebook.com/100084064746848/posts/885400607605423
*https://www.facebook.com/100084470170971/posts/860081463484185
*https://negrosnowdaily.com/johana-marie-oyog-crowned-miss-sinulog-sa-kabankalan/
*https://www.facebook.com/100084064746848/videos/873979935333147/
and
*https://www.facebook.com/100064597936432/videos/1288484056641318/
– The Brighton Bugle Newspaper Team
