ANDREW WOLFF
Just days after triumphantly arriving in Manila from Singapore where the Philippine Volcanoes qualified for the 2013 Rugby World Cup, team stalwart Andrew Wolff is high above the skies again, flying out to England at this very moment.

The half-Filipino, half-British athlete won’t be kicking any balls around when he gets to Kent in the outskirts of London, though; instead, he will be vying for the title of Mr. World 2013.

Yes, the 6’2” man of steel is joining the male version of the 60-year-old international beauty pageant, Miss World, and believe it or not, he is very much excited.

“It’s an honor for me to be able to represent the Philippines not only in rugby but in the Mr. World pageant,” Andrew said at the official announcement of his participation at Annabel’s Restaurant in Quezon City on Monday. “The Philippines is where my heart is, and I promise to do my very best in representing the country and hopefully bring home the crown.”

The news of Andrew’s novel endeavor caught the public by surprise since no one had heard of a local pageant taking place before. This fact was confirmed by CQ Global Quest Inc. CEO Cory Qui-rino, the franchise-holder of Miss World in the Philippines, who also revealed that her company was only granted the Mr. World license three weeks ago.

“The UK pageant date is already on November 24, so what we did was to invite top talent and modeling agencies to send in their bets, and from a total of 20 candidates, a private panel of judges selected Andrew to be the Philippines’ first Mr. World title holder,” explained the respected philanthropist and health and fitness advocate.

Unbeknownst to Andrew, his seasoned talent manager Arnold Vega-fria entered him in the list since he believed his ward perfectly fits the bill for Mr. World.

“According to the requirements, is not just about brains and brawns as Cory put it, but they also need someone who is athletic because there will be an endurance test that the candidates from the different countries have to go through,” Arnold related. “Physically, Andrew is more than ready for that since he just came from Singapore with the team. Besides this, he is also a model and has dabbled in acting before, so it’s really just more of the mental and emotional preparation we have to work on.”

“In fact, in the checklist that Mr. World sent us, we were able to tick every box for Andrew unlike the other entries that we received,” verified Cory. “So I think he really stands a good chance of bringing home the crown.”

According to the Mr. World fact sheet from CQ Global Quest Inc., the pageant was established in 1990 is the search for the “most desirable man in the world.” An exclusive competition for men ages 17 to 27, Mr. World is owned and managed by the Miss World Organization, which is the same organizer of the Miss World Pageant.

Headed by Julia Morley as chairman, the international event held every two years attracts over 70 participating countries. The last Mr. World Pageant was held in 2010 at Incheon, South Korea. The title went to Kamal Ibrahim of Ireland.

As in previous pageants, The Mr. World Pageant will include the following theme and qualifying competitive events: Sports, talent and multi-media award.

“A unique Army Assault Course will also be introduced this year making the Mr. World Pageant the most unique and challenging of competitions,” added Cory.

As for Mr. World Philippines himself, he sees his proficiency in various sports (including soccer and badminton), his ad shoots and runway stints, showbiz guestings, and entrepreneurial skills (he has several sports-related businesses) as a good mix of experiences to make him a well-rounded candidate for Mr. World.

“This will definitely be something I will remember until I’m 60 or 70 years old,” Andrew declared. “So please do support me so I can bring the crown home.”