Janjep Carlos named Mr. Fahrenheit 2019

Janjep Carlos will represent the Philippines in the Mr. Gay World 2019 pageant which will be held in Cape Town, South Africa from April 28-May 5.

Carlos, 41, businessman, earned the right to represent the country in the prestigious gay pageant abroad when he won the Mr. Fahrenheit 2019 contest held on E. Rodriguez, Quezon City at dawn March 31.

First runners-up honors went to Kevin Garcia and Macky David Belen.

This is not the first time that Carlos joined the national search. In 2017, Carlos competed but lost to John Raspado who later captured the Mr. Gay World title in Spain.

"I joined the national search because I really wanted to represent the Philippines in the international contest," said Carlos.

The hunk trader also said that he also wanted to carry his advocacy abroad. "I always work hard with the task that I am involved with. I always put my best foot forward. With the prestige of carrying the Filipino flag abroad, I also carry the hopes of people with depression. As what I have said, depression is real. Young lives have been destroyed because of depression. If you give me the chance, I will carry my advocacy into the international level. I hope that the international community will support my advocacy illness to wellness."

Despite being in his 40s, Carlos said that he strictly follows a healthy lifestyle to keep him strong and young-looking. "I always work out and I practice healthy lifestyle all the time. I always sleep eight hours a day."

Carlos is in a relationship with a man for five years now. He even documented his gay love story on Youtube entitled "A Couple's Story (Janjep) which has now attracted more than 67,000 views.

Asked what makes him a proud Filipino gay, Carlos said:  "I have been travelling for quite a while now and I always tell them that I am a proud Filipino gay. It's because I carry with me the values many foreigners admire. Filipino gays are family-oriented, respectful, and we love our elders."

Now on its 17th year, the annual search is organized by businessman and former Mr. Gay World Philippines titleholder Wilbert Tolentino. The winners were chosen verbally by a set of judges composed of beauty queens and journalists based on their looks and answers during the question-and-answer portion. - ROBERT REQUINTINA