Miss Philippines Angelee de los Reyes had to change her head dress for her National Costume after the original design, which utilized real feathers, earned some few protests from other candidates. For some of the candidates, the use of real bird feathers is a form of animal cruelty and insensitivity towards Mother Nature. At the last minute, the designer has to switch for faux feathers which are significantly less colorful and lacks a more realistic appeal.
Thus, some beauty pageant analysts contend that Miss Philippines could have won the gold in the Asian division of the National Costume contest if not for the switch. The costume evokes the spirit of pre-colonial Philippines using the mythical bird sarimanok on the head dress.
