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Pageant season off and running By Neil Ray Ramos Here they go again. The Binibining Pilipinas pageant [formerly called Miss Philippines], the oldest surviving beauty tilt in the Philippines, recently announced the names of the 24 candidates for this year’s contest. Organizers, Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. (BPCI), crowed that this batch is “among the best” in recent years. It should be noted that last year’s Binibining Pilipinas-World candidate Janina San Miguel never recovered from the media backlash resulting from the infamous “slip up” she made during the ‘‘question-and-answer’’ portion of the tilt. She eventually relinquished her crown [the official statement given was that the “untimely demise of her grandfather,” among other personal reasons, “has caused her undue stress, thus hindering her from fulfilling her duties”]. Meanwhile, last year’s Binibining Pilipinas-Universe titleholder Jennifer Barrientos wasn’t able to place during the Miss Universe 2008 competition held in Vietnam. BPCI is a non-stock, non-profit organization headed by Stella Márquez Zawadski (more commonly known as Stella Márquez de Araneta), who is a former beauty queen herself (she was a former Miss Colombia who went on to become a Miss Universe semi-finalist and winner of the first Miss International beauty pageant in 1960). Winners of this spectacle often go on to compete in one of three international beauty pageants, namely the Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International. Although the organization has produced two Miss Universe winners (Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Maria Margarita Moran in 1973) and four Miss International winners (Gemma Cruz in 1964, Aurora Pijuan in 1970, Melanie Marquez in 1979, and Precious Lara Quigaman in 2005) already—it has yet to produce a Miss World. Our highest placement in the Miss World tilt came in 1973 when Evangeline Pascual placed second. Actress Ruffa Gutierrez placed third [second runner-up] in 1993. Gutierrez wasn’t the only actress to join the contest. In 1991, Anjanette Abayari was actually crowned Binibining Pilipinas-Universe but resigned due to citizenship issues. The newest group of hopefuls is joined once again by a couple of showbiz “notables” including Rich Asuncion, who is using her real name, Richell Angalot, for the said contest. A former contestant in GMA-7’s Starstruck show, Angalot believes she has what it takes to be a beauty queen. “I have a strong sense of self-belief and that… I believe, will help me make it through,” she says. Another TV alumnus is Priscilla Navidad, who was once a former “housemate” in ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Big Brother reality TV show. Navidad, who is deaf-mute, says she is championing the cause of the differently-abled. “I can do it… and if I can do it they should believe they can do it too,” she said in Tagalog. Other “famous” candidates are: Cheryl Oliveros, (which some may recognize as Wowowee dancer Aiko Climaco) and Sandras Inez Seifert, who actually was a swimsuit model familiar to subscribers of the local edition of a popular men’s magazine. Another who drew a lot of attention early on is Abegail Lesley Cruz, said to be popular TV host Paolo Bediones’ current girlfriend. Cruz already joined the tilt in 2007 but only placed second runner-up. Asked why she joined again, Cruz simply smiled and said, “Why not? I am still young. I don’t want to live in regret.” The 24 official candidates to the 2009 Binibining Pilipinas: Ma. Paula Bianca Paz |
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