Cosplaying in the Philippines formally debuted back in 2000 during the Anime Explosion event. It was one of the first ever anime related events here in the Philippines, and I'm happy to have become part of it. I was there :)
Cosplayers donned their best costumes and attended the event just for the fun of it since at that time, cosplay competitions were not organized yet. Most of them cosplayed as characters from Saber Marionette, The Vision of Escaflowne, Rurouni Kenshin and Fushigi Yuugi.
Being a young otaku that time, I was easily and simply fascinated with the cosplayers. I felt all giddy-giddy and hyped upon seeing these people with their aesthetically appealing costumes and props that complemented their outfits. Ever since then, I wanted to cosplay as well :)