Mindanaoan ladies join Eco Earth pageant in Las Vegas

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Two Mindanaons are participating in the Mrs. Eco Earth USA pageant scheduled on Feb. 8-11 this year at the Las Vegas Luxor Hotel.

Janet Pichon Hixon, a native of Davao City will join the pageant while Malou Tabada Cordery of Cagayan de Oro City, both in Mindanao, Philippines will design her gown for the event that is sure to draw hundreds of women from all over the country.

Janet, a 2010 Mrs. Asia USA winner and Malou, a sought after avant garde designer, both reside in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Janet was an Ambassador of Asian Culture and visited schools and intensive care units at hospitals.  The bulk of her volunteer works were done in her country of birth the Philippines. 

She told me about her conversations with children who told her sbout their needs, dreams snd aspirations which made her emotional. 

“Their(students) indomitable spirit and resiliency made me cry and I was reminded of some classmates and schoolmates back then,” Janet said.

She said her conversations with the children reminded her about the country's problems in education, health and the environment as seen in the annual loss of lives and property due to natural and manmade calamities in the Philippines.

Janet is a mother of an 18-year-old son named Lamoine and a 13-year-old daughter named Lindsey. 

She divides her time between her volunteer works here in the US and in the Philippines and is ever supportive of her husband Richard.

She was encouraged to join the Eco Earth competition to pursue her commitment to sustainable development while having fun doing it. 

“I am a winner already representing North Carolina and the Philippines. She is thankful to Malou and Edna Griffin, her personal fitness trainer, for helping her prepare for the event.

Malou, a mother of two, made a gown modeled by her daughter Alyson in a fashion show held in May 2017.

Speaking of Malou,she has relatives in the Tadeo Zayas family on her mother's side and Navarro Tabada on her father's side. 

The black and white Asian recyclable gown which takes its inspiration from the animated film Mulan is featured as one of several winning pieces during  the Charlotteseen Fashion Week in 2017,it was learned. 

One of Malou Cordery's creations

“The gown represents a beautiful warrior princess. My daughters Genevieve and Alyson were fond of Mulan and the funny dragon character played by Hollywood star Eddie Murphy,” Malou said.

The piece is a used hospital lab gown adorned with recyclable materials like table cloth and beads of old jewelry. In designing her pieces, Malou cites practicality as a guiding principle. 

The recognition from fellow designers and the community had not changed Malou who said she made the gown when Alyson came back from Japan after a year of schooling. 

Whatever happens in the pageant, both Janet and Malou had won the praise and support of fellow Filipino-Americans in the Carolinas. They are already winners. (For questions and comments email me at susanap.dennis@yahoo.com or follow me on Instagram at carolina1girl)