Oro mounts photo exhibit for Pia Wurtzbach

• Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2016/01/23/oro-mounts-photo-exhibit-pia-wurtzbach-453358
• Sunday, January 24, 2016

By Pamela Jay F. Orias

TO GIVE Kagay-anons an idea of the Queen’s journey to the world’s grandest crown, the City Government mounts a weeklong photo exhibit in honor of Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach featuring the work of a world-renowned photographer Jory Seriña Rivera.

The exhibit, which kicked off at Limketkai mall Saturday afternoon, was put up as a tribute to Wurtzbach’s triumph in the Miss Universe Pageant in 2015.

In an interview with Rivera, he said the photo exhibit would showcase Wurtzbach’s road to the crown, from her screening as candidate for Bb. Pilipinas way back in 2013 up to her first day as Miss Universe in New York City.

Rivera said he was amazed with Wurtzbach’s one-of-a-kind determination and perseverance to achieve the crown.

“In my interview with Pia after she won, I asked her what people can learn from her journey, she said to never give up so that’s the reason for this exhibit. Aside from celebrating her victory, I want the people to see her journey on how she worked hard to fulfill her dream through my photos,” Rivera said.

He said he wants to give the people more depth of Wurtzbach’s story than that they see in televisions, read in the newspapers, and hear over the radio.

“By now, everyone is familiar with her story that she joined Bb. Pilipinas three years in a row, tried her luck again in 2014 but went home empty-handed then gave herself a last crack and finally winning it,” he added.

Rivera is a photographer of the OPMB Worldwide, a pageant website known dedicate in covering international beauty pageants.

Rivera narrated how he got excited when Wurtzbach, during the Bb. Pilipinas pageant, introduced herself as a native of Cagayan de Oro City, where Rivera also came from.

They then immediately ‘clicked’ and even found out that they were from the same school in elementary – Corpus Christi School.

Rivera was born in the city and was raise in Opol town, Misamis Oriental and studied his grade school and high school in Corpus Christi School in Macasandig and earned his degree in Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University.

“Pia joined three years in Binibini and I too was present in all the Binibini events to take photos, I got to know more about Pia along the way,” he said.

A pageant enthusiast himself, Rivera shared how he’s fond of covering international pageants and taking photographs of the most beautiful ladies in their respective countries.

To name a few, Rivera has covered Miss Universe 2010 in Las Vegas, Miss World 2011 in London, Miss Universe 2012 Las Vegas, Miss World 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, Miss Universe 2013 in Moscow, Russia, Miss Universe 2014 at Miami, Florida and the latest, Miss Universe 2015 where Wurtzbach reigned, ending the country’s 42 years drought.

Rivera is working full time for Hewlett Packard as an IT professional and also a photographer for Broadway World covering musical theater shows in Manila.

Rivera hopes that Wurtzbach’s triumph will inspire Kagay-anons, ‘not only the beauty queens to join the pageants but everyone of us who dreams,’ he said.

“As Pia told me, let us be firm with our goals but flexible with our methods, we all have our own goals and we just have to be determined and focused.”

The photo exhibit is placed at Limketkai Mall’s 2nd floor, Activity Center, near Marks and Spencer and will run from January 23-30.