THE WORLD OF KIRK BONDAD

SAIGON—Handsome is a lame word to describe Kirk Bondad. Our Mr. World Philippines is not just beauty and brawn. He is also an embodiment of brains and breeding.

- MILLET M. MANANQUIL

All the Bs that could have made him Mr. World 2024, but then it didn't happen.

At the Nova World Pan Thiet, Binh Thuan in Vietnam, where the finals for Mr. World were held, the pageant stated that Mr. World seeks out the "Most Desirable Man" which goes beyond looking not just for physical appearance but also personality and skills. Kirk first made waves in the Philippines as Century Superbods grand winner in 2022. He is currently a famous Bench endorser, a feat aspired to by movie stars and models as the ultimate stamp of approval in the industry.

At the Vietnam pageant, Kirk was named among the Top 5 Models and was one of the 20 finalists. All throughout the well-presented pageant, he stood out. The contestants went through the usual rigors—answering questions during the preliminary judging, competing in sports, showing off their talents, vying for best national costume—but the system of judging, by continents, didn't work well for all contestants. The usual way is for pageants to choose the best candidates, regardless of continent of origin. The continental zones were Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Asia had seven candidates in the Top 20.