MANILA – A Binibining Pilipinas candidate received mixed reactions after donning the vestments of Sto. Niño as her national costume.

Joy Dacoron, who is representing Cebu province, surprised the public when she appeared as the child Jesus – the image popular in the province – in her official national costume photo for the pageant.

“My costume symbolizes unwavering faith and pays tribute to our province’s patron. The Senor Sto. Nino de Cebu is a source of inspiration and strength of numerous Catholic faithful. I am one of those,” wrote Dacoron on her social media page.

According to the aspiring beauty queen and former volleyball athlete, her faith in Sto. Niño strengthened when her father died due to an accident.

“The Sto. Nino paved the way for me to shed off my doubts and made me realize that everything happens for a reason. In gratitude, I am sharing this faith on the national stage,” she further wrote.

However, it did not sit well with many devotees, including the Catholic Church.

Cebu Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Ruben Labajo revealed that Dacoron had asked for permission but only to shoot with the churches as her background. She did not specify that she will also be using the official vestments as inspiration for her costume.

“I didn’t have any idea that she would promote the vestment of Sto. Niño as national costume and even more, the Augustinian priests do not know about this,” Labajo said in Cebuano through a message sent to reporters.

“Creativity has to be paired with reflection from the Holy Spirit for the true beauty of God’s creation to come out. There is a need for respect to culture and religion,” Fe Mantuhac-Barino, chairman of the Commission on the Laity in the Archdiocese of Cebu, added.

The Basilica Minore Del Santo Niño, which houses the image of the Child Jesus, has yet to issue a statement on the matter.

• Volleyball player Joy Dacoron makes it to Binibining Pilipinas

Dacoron is a former Adamson University middle blocker. After college, she joined the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, which won the inaugural season of PVL as a professional competition in 2021.

She moved to the Cignal HD Spikers in the previous season of PVL where they finished first runner-up.

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