Miss Universe 2015 Front-runner

Pia was not a standout in every round but she made it a point to make every cut and did her final blow in the Top 5 and then Top 3 Q&A.

The ballgame has always been like that in the Miss U pageant. The front-runner not being able to sustain the fight when the dimension of the competition changes from beauty (form) to wits (being).

Take the case of Caroline Izsak of Venezuela who was a complete standout in Miss Universe 1992 but was given a mediocre interview score in the Top 6 making her not to advance to final 3.

The pageant was won by Namibia's Michelle McLean. Now it should be noted that McLean was just a semifinalist in the Miss World 1991 pageant which Ninibeth Leal of Venezuela won. Leal on the other hand was Izsak's runner up in the Miss Venezuela national pageant. Of all those instances that Venezuela failed to win the crown despite a very strong performance, it was with Izsak's that they feel they were robbed of the crown

And who could forget Mika Chulina of Venezuela taken over by Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico in Miss Universe 1993? Minorca Mercado again of Venezuela versus Sushmita Sen of India in Miss Universe 1994 in the Phil. Our very own Miriam Quiambao versus Mpule Kwelagobe of Bootswana in 1999.

Pia's failure in Binibining Pilipinas 2013 and 2014 helped her get into this mindset that every round counts. She aced all the segments during the Miss Universe 2015 finals without any reservation.

Just like Perez Hilton said, Colombia came to lose, while Philippines came to win.

Venezuela's Edymar Martinez wins Miss International 2015 crown

With Filipino pageant fans drooling over the buffering live stream of the Miss International 2015 pageant's final moments towards coronation, their shared hope for Bb. Pilipinas International 2015 Janicel Lubina to put Philippines in a tie with Venezuela for having six Miss International titles apiece was very high. However, fate has it for Venezuela to further advance in the crown tally from six to seven -- same number of Miss Universe crowns they have for their country.

Edymar Martinez of Venezuela, along with Mexico's Lorena Sevilla and Philippines' Janicel Lubina were the early crowd favorites and are more-likely considered to win the title. Even after the announcement of first runner up, the competition was still between the three of them. Why not, since the turn of the millenium, Venezuela, Mexico and the Philippines were the highest-placing countries with Venezuela's four titles (2000, 2003, 2006 and 2010), Mexico with two (2007 and 2009) and Philippines with two titles as well (2005 and 2013).

Below are the other finalists who placed in this year's pageant edition?

1st Runner Up   - Honduras -  Jennifer Valle
2nd Runner Up  - Kenya     -  Eunice Onyango
3rd Runner Up  -  Vietnam  -  Pham Hong Thuy Van
4th Runner Up  - USA         - Lindsay Becker

Top 10:

Brazil   - Isis Stocco
Mexico - Lorena Sevilla
Philippines - Janicel Lubina
Thailand - Sasee Sintawe
United Kingdom - Sophie Loudon

There are just some noteworthy trend the way the above-mentioned countries place in the top-three or top-five since the turn of the millenium;

1.) That Philippines, Mexico and Venezuela has never been together in a top-three or a top-five spot.
2.) Philippines has never been a runner-up in the twenty-first century. It's either they win it, or forget it.
3.) Just like Miss Universe, most Miss International winners are latinas. Since 1997, only in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2012 and 2013 that the titles were won by non-latina candidates.

Miss International 2015 - Philippines versus Venezuela

Philippines                      Country                    Venezuela
Janicel Lubina                   Name          Edymar Martinez
20 years old                      Age                    20 years old
5' 9"                                Height                           5' 11"
Unplaced              Placement last year           Unplaced
Winner (5 )             Best Performance          Winner (6)





Barely two weeks before the Miss International 2015 finals yet the heat is on as the candidates from different countries participate in several pre-pageant activities. While there are several early favorites out of seventy-two (72) entrants, long time pageant aficionados can figure out that the competition is neck-to-neck between the representatives from Philippines and Venezuela.

 Janicel won the Bb. Pilipinas International title on March 15, 2015 along with the other winners for Miss Universe, Miss Supranational, Miss Intercontinental and Miss Tourism pageants respectively. Her more than seven months of preparation goes with it some sort of pressure as one of her colleagues, Ann Lorraine Colis bagged the crown for the Miss Globe 2015 pageant.

Prior to being crowned  Bb. Pilipinas International, she also joined Miss World Philippines 2013 pageant and placed 1st runner up to the eventual Miss World 2013 winner Megan Young.

Edymar was crowned Miss Venezuela Internacional 2014 on October 9, 2014 along with the winners for Miss Universe and Miss Earth pageant for 2015. Her more than a year of preparation was designed to put Venezuela back on the Miss International map. It should be noted that Venezuela set a record of winning the crown in a three year interval -- 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2006. The last time Venezuela claimed a Miss International crown was in 2010.

In the event that Janicel wins the crown this year, that puts Philippines in a tie with Venezuela for the most number of wins ( 6 ) in the Miss International pageant history. Should Venezuela win, it would raise their title count to seven, same number as of the Miss Universe titles they have.

Hillarie Danielle Parungao is Miss World Philippines 2015

For the first time in Miss World Philippines' five year pageant history, a Filipino-sounding last name got crowned as Hillarie Daniel Parungao bested 25 other hopefuls to represent the country in the Miss World 2015 pageant to be held in Sanya, China.

Completing the Top 5 are; Candidate No.  14 Marita Cassandra Naidas, 1st Runner Up, Candidate No. 21 Mia Allyson Howell, 2nd Runner Up, Candidate No. 1 Maria Vanessa Wright, 3rd Runner Up, and Candidate No. 12 Emma Mary Tiglao, 4th Runner Up.

Parungao also snagged most of both special and sponsor awards including Best in Sports Challenge, Best in Fashion Runway, Best in Swimsuit, Best in Gown, Miss Zen Institute, Miss Technomarine, Miss Solaire, Miss Figlia and Miss Phoenix Petroleum.


Nineteen (19) is a a lucky number. Originally candidate number 27, she had to take the place of candidate number 19 Diana Pinto who withdrew from the competition just a week and a half toward towards the finals. It should be noted that Valerie Weigmann's number assignment last year was also 19. In 2012, candidate 19 Lorraine De Guzman was a semifinalist, while in 2013 candidate 19 Bianca Paz was third runner-up.

Foreign-sounding last name. The titleholders for the past four years of Miss World Philippines are all mestizas. Gwendoline Ruais is half-French, Queenierich Rehman is half Pakistani, Megan Young is half-American, and Valerie Weigmann is half-German. Following this trend, pageant fanatics were thinking that it's Mia Allyson Howell who will eventually win the crown.

Miss Philippines the second-time around. Last year, Hillarie was given a chance to represent Philippines in the Miss Asia Pacific World 2014 in South Korea and placed third runner-up. That experience and exposure really showed on the Miss World Philippines 2015 finals.

With what she has shown during the pageant finals, it seems Philippines is set to witness another Filipina Miss World bringing home the crown.

Notable Miss Universe Philippines Repeaters

When Binibining Pilipinas 2015 coronation night ended, there were three topics talked about the most in social media; Wyn-Wyn Marquez not winning a title, Toni Gonzaga's hosting, and Pia Wurtzbach being a repeater. The first two issues eventually died down, but with Pia being a repeater is something that continued to hound her title to date. But Pia is no pioneer being a repeater. Her predecessor MJ Lastimosa was also a repeater. And so was Janine Tugunon, who was a first-runner up the year preceding her Miss Universe Philippines title win.

Looking back at the history of Binibining Pilipinas pageant, it seems that "try and try again" is an adage that holds true not just with Pia, MJ and Janine. Let's take a look at the other five Bb. Pilipinas who gave it another shot at the Miss Universe Philippines crown.

Miss Universe 3rd Runner Up Desiree Verdadero posing with the eventual winner from USA and Miss Venezuela.

Maria Desiree Verdadero was adjudged first runner up in the Bb Pilipinas 1982 pageant. The BB. Pilipinas Universe title went to the more eloquent Maria Isabel Lopez.

When Lopez failed to place in the Miss Universe 1982 pageant in Peru, a lot of pageant fans clamored that Philippines would have placed better had it been Verdadero who was sent to the pageant. That gave Verdadero the idea of joining the pageant again after two years. Strange enough, she in fact replicated the third runner up placement of Chat Silayan in the Miss Universe 1984 pageant.

Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1985 Joyce Burton in the traditional Santacruzan event in Araneta Center, with her escort Tonton Guttierez.

Joyce Ann Fellosas Burton first joined Bb Pilipinas in 1981 and was adjudged Miss Young Pilipinas. The Miss Universe title was won by Maria Caroline Mendoza.

Inspired by Desiree Verdadero's second attempt victory in Bb. Pilipinas 1984 and eventually a third runner up placement in Miss Universe 1984, Joyce decided to give Bb. Pilipinas Universe title a second shot the next year.

She joined Miss Universe 1985 in Miami, Florida, USA but did not place. The title was won by Yvonne Ryding of Sweden that year.

Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1997 Abbygale Arenas

Abbygale Williamson Arenas joined Bb. Pilipinas 1994 pageant and became a runner-up to queens; Charlene Gonzales - Universe, Cara Subijano - World, and Alma Concepcion - International. The three Binibini titleholders all made a semi-finals placement in their respective pageants.

She joined the 1997 edition of Binibining Pilipinas and got the ticket to represent Philippines in the Miss Universe 1997 pageant held in Miami Florida, USA. Abbygale missed the tenth spot in the semi-finals by just a hundreth point (.01 ). Along with Nina Ricci Alagao, she's one of the few Miss Philippines who placed 11th in the Miss Universe pageant.

Binibini winners from left-to-right: Rachel Soriano - World, Collete Centeno - International, Jewel May Lobaton - Universe

Jewel May Lobaton first joined Bb. Pilipinas in 1995. She made it to the Top 15 semi-finals. The titles went to Joanne Quintas-Universe, Reham Snow Tago - World, and Gladys Dueñas - International.

After three years, she joined the pageant again and became one of the crowd favorites to win the crown following her eloquence during the question and and answer portion. She turned out to be first runner up, though. A few weeks after the coronation, Tisha Silang who was originally crowned Bb. Pilipinas Universe was dethroned because of residency issue. Jewel May being the runner-up automatically assumed the crown and got on to represent Philippines in the Miss Universe 1998 pageant in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Jewel didn't make a placement on that pageant which was won by Trinidad and Tobago's Wendy Fitzwilliam.

Bb, Pilipinas Universe 2004 Maricar Balagtas being crowned by the outgoing winner Karla Gay Balingit.

Maricar Manalaysay Balagtas is the first to win the Bb. Pilipinas - Universe title on a third attempt. She joined in 2000 but failed to make a placement. Tried again the next year and became second runner-up. Her placement that year  became her ticket to represent Philippines in the Miss Globe International 2001 pageant held in Istanbul, Turkey, which she apparently won the title.

Despite having won an international pageant title, she was allowed to join Bb. Pilipinas in 2004 the third time. That year, she got the Bb. Pilipinas - Universe title and represented Philippines in the Miss Universe 2004 pageant held in Quito, Ecuador.

Balagtas was unable to make a placement. The title was won by Australia's Jennifer Hawkins.

It seems the trend's not new. Will we be seeing more of repeaters finally snagging the Miss Universe Philippines crown in the future? We'll find out!

PBB Queens

In the history of the reality show Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) there were three housemates who were crowned-beauties prior to going inside the house, while two used their experience inside and eventually became beauty queens. Let's take a look at these ladies and let's get to know as to which national pageant they were declared winners.

Zephorah "Zara" Aldana Mayon (born April 17, 1989)  is a former Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific, winning the title in 2007. She gave up her crown in less than two months of her reign after controversies hounded her due to poverty.

She entered the PBB House on October 14, 2007 for the Celebrity Edition 2. On November 3. 2007, after twenty-one days inside the house,  Zara became the third celebrity housemte to be evicted.

In 2011, she joined the Binibining Pilipinas as Candidate No.1 alongside Shamcey Supsup, Diance Necio, Janice Tugunon, Mary Jean Lastimosa, and Queenierich Rehman but didn't make a placement in the semi-finals.

Riza Raquel Santos  (born August 30. 1986) is a Filipino-Canadian beauty queen and soldier trainee. She competed under the Canadian flag in the Miss Earth 2006 pageant and was adjudged Miss Photogenic. She ended up being the runner up to the grand winner Ruben Gonzaga during the Celebrity Edition in 2007. She placed the highest among the three beauty queen housemates that edition and the all-time highest placement by a beauty queen in PBB.

She starred in several television series like "Palos" starring Cesar Montano and Jake Cuenca but her career went lackluster prompting her to go back home to Canada. In 2011, she won the Miss Canada World title and went on to represent Canada in the Miss World 2011 pageant in United Kingdom.

Two years after, she went on again to represent Canada in the Miss Universe 2013 pageant but failed to place. She holds the distinction of being the only Miss Canada to win three national titles from three different franchise holders and being the only Miss Canada to represent the country in three of the four major international pageants.

Megan Lynne Young (born February 27, 1990) was an actress and former GMA Network talent when she entered BB Celebrity Edition 2 along with Zephora Mayon and Riza Santos. She was the first Starstruck star to transfer to rival station, ABS-CBN, in a bid to change her image from villain to a "nice girl".

On day 35, November 17, 2007, she was the fourth celebrity housemate to be evicted. She went on to co-star in television series after gotten evicted -- one of which is the Philippine remake of Betty La Fea which starred Bea Alonzo. It was on this series that she got close with Miss World 1993 Second Princess Ruffa Guttierez. Later on, when Megan Young got crowned Miss World 2013, she revealed in an interview that it was during her bonding days with Ruffa in the set that she realized she really wanted to be a Miss World. 

But prior to joining Miss World Philippines in 2013, and eventually snagging the first Philippine Miss World crown, rumors have it that she underwent training camps in preparation for Binibining Pilipinas 2012. Apparently, she was disqualified from the pageant because of some conflicts with her corporate endorsements.

Valerie Clacio Weigmann (born November 22, 1989) was 18 years of age when she entered the PBB house for the Teen Edition 2. She was born in Weisbaden, Germany. She was profiled as a "Daddy's Girl" currently trying to re-establish her ties with her Filipina mother since the death of her German father. Although she has lived most of her life in Germany, she has a great Filipina sensibility, visiting her mother's country very often. Regardless of her German tradition and heritage, she also has a good command of the Tagalaog language and has plans to enter Philippine showbiz. Valerie was evicted on Day 67. 

During her stay inside Big Brother house, she was linked to the eventual winner Ejay Falcon. The next few years after her PBB experience, Valerie went totally off the radar and concentrated in her studies. She resurfaced as the mestiza host wannabe in Eat Bulaga's Juan for All, All for Juan barrio sorties. It was her exposure in the GMA Network shows that put her in a very good position comes Miss World Philippines 2014 pageant. Apparently, a former PBB housemate was destined to inherit the MWP crown from a fellow PBB alumna.

Vickie Marie Milagrosa Sausa Rushton (born May 8, 1992) is a half-Pinay, half-British Bacolod-based model who also wants to pursue a career as a flight attendant so she can travel. She joins beauty pageants for the prize money and to make her visually impaired mother proud. 

In 2011, she bagged the Mutya ng Pilipinas International title alongside the would-be Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago who was assigned a special title of Mutya ng Pilipinas Overseas. Because of conflict in the pageant schedule, Vickie wasn't able to represent the Philippines in the Miss Intercontinental 2011 pageant held in Alicante, Spain.

During the PBB All In edition, Vickie was only nominated once but was eventually saved. She is the 4th Big Placer during the season. She was linked to the eventual winner Daniel Matsunaga. The loveteam did not prosper as Vickie was already committed with actor Jason Abalos.

Miss Universe Theme Song

Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen with Miss Greece, Miss USA and Miss Sweden with the little sisters from the Philippines

For the benefit of the new-generation of beauty pageant aficionados, below is the lyrics of the Miss Universe theme song sung by the little sisters from the host country during the gown competition.

You Are My Star 
Artist:  Little Sisters

You are my star
You light my way
You brighten all my nights and make my day

You are my star
And even more
You are the friend that I've been waiting for

And if I start to lose my way
I search the sky and find out where… you are
Then I call on you to lead me through
Because you are…because you are my star

With WME/IMG acquiring Miss Universe Organization, fans all over the world are expecting a major pageant format again. Hopefully it would be for the advantage of our Miss Universe representative.

2015 Beauty Pageant Season Begins

Whilst Philippines was once a beauty pageant powerhouse back in the 70's, it was hardly noticed in comparison to other powerhouse countries like USA, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and India in the early 21st century. But right after Venus Raj's breakthrough comeback in the 2010 Miss Universe in Las Vegas, the way was paved for the Philippines to be once again noticed as a force to reckon with in any international pageant - big or small.

This year's international pageant season begins with Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc (BPCI) acquisition of national franchise of Miss Globe and Miss Grand International. Miss Globe, an Albanian based pageant which has been existing since 1973 while Miss Grand International, a Bangkok, Thailand based pageant is on its third year.

Below are some of the international pageants that Philippines is sending its contestants and tentative dates of the pageant.

Representative: Ann Lorraine Colis
Pageant:  Miss Globe 2015
Date: October 8, 2015
Venue: Rose Theatre, Toronto, Canada

Ann won the Binibining Pilipinas - Tourism title on March 15, 2015 but was handpicked to represent the country when BPCI subsequently acquired the franchise for Miss Globe.

Representative: Parul Shah
Pageant:  Miss Grand International 2015
Date: October 26, 2015
Venue: Indoor Stadium, Huamark, Bangkok, Thailand
Philippines' Best Performance: 3rd Runner Up (Analie Forbes, 2013)

Parul was Bb. Pilipinas Tourism 2014 but was not able to compete in the Miss Tourism International as the pageant was not held last year. She was handpicked to represent the country when BPCI subsequently acquired the franchise for Miss Grand International.

Representative: Toni Alyessa Hipolito
Pageant: Miss Globe International  2015
Date: TBA
Venue: Brussels, Belgium
Philippines' Best Performance: Winner (Maricar Balagtas, 2001)

Toni joined Binibining Pilipinas twice: 10 semi-finalist in 2010 and in 2015 which she didn't place. A month after, she was chosen to wear the sash for the Philippines in this year's edition of Miss Globe pageant.

Representative: Janicel Lubina
Pageant: Miss International 2015
Date: November 5, 2015
Venue: Shinigawa Prince Hotel, Tokyo, Japan
Philippines' Best Performance: Winner (1964, 1970, 1979, 2005, 2013)

Prior to joining Bb Pilipinas 2015, Janicel joined Miss World Philippines 2013 and placed as 1st Runner Up to the eventual Miss World 2013 winner Megan Lynn Young.

Representative: Rogelie Catacutan
Pageant: Miss Supranational 2015
Date: December 5, 2015
Venue: Sports Hall Krynica-Zdroj, Poland
Philippines' Best Performance: Winner (Mutya Johanna Datul, 2013)

Prior to being crowned Bb. Pilipinas Supranational 2015, Rogelie was Miss Cebu 2010  3rd Runner-Up, Reyna ng Aliwan 2011 winner, and one of the 12 semi-finalists in the Miss World Philippines 2011 pageant.

Representative: Angelia Gabrena Ong
Pageant: Miss Earth 2015
Date: December 5, 2015
Venue: Marx Halle Vienna, Austria
Philippines' Best Performance: Winner (2008, 2014)

Angelia has big shoes to fill as Jamie Herell, the reigning Miss Earth is also from the Philippines. Also, it's the second time the pageant will be held outside of the Philippines taking her away the home-crowd advantage.

Representative: Christy Lynn Mcgarry
Pageant: Miss Intercontinental 2015
Date: December 18, 2015
Venue: Grand Ballroom, Maritim Congress Hotel, Magdelburg, Germany
Philippines' Best Performance: 2nd Runner-up (Kris Tiffany Janson, 2014)

Win or lose, Christy Lynn will surely make a record in the pageant for being the only contestant to have joined the pageant twice. In 2010, she replaced Muya ng Pilipinas Intercontinental 2010 Karla Jenina Lizardo Jenina Lizardo and eventually placed in the Top 15 and was named Continental Queen of Asia and the Pacific.

Representative: TBD
Pageant: Miss World 2015
Date: December 19, 2015
Venue: Crowne of Beauty Theater, Sanya, China
Philippines' Best Performance: Winner (Megan Young, 2013)

Valerie is yet to relinquish her crown to the next representative. As of writing, the preliminary activities for Miss World Philippines are ongoing with October 18, 2015 as the coronation night.

Representative: Janela Joy Cuaton
Pageant: Miss Tourisn International 2015
Date: December 31, 2015
Venue: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Philippines' Best Performance: Back-to-back win (2012 and 2013)

Janela will continue Philiippines' 3 year Top 5 placement streak (two titles and a runner up) in this year's pageant to be held in Vietnam instead of the usual Kuala Lumpur.

Representative: Pia Wurtzbach
Pageant: Miss Universe 2015
Date: TBA
Venue: Las Vegas, USA
Philippines' Best Performance: Winner (1969, 1973)

With the new MUO ownership and management, Pia will try to get hold of the elusive third Miss Universe crown for the Philippines.



The past three years, Philippine representatives have been winning crowns for the country. Hopefully, one of the crowns at stake for the above-mentioned pageants could be brought back home by these ladies. Good luck and more power to the Filipina beauty!

Nina Alagao Apologizes

A few hours after Nina Ricci Alagao (a former Miss Universe Philippines representative) tweeted her thoughts about how Toni Gonzaga handled the Q & A portion of the Binibining Pilipinas 2015 pageant, bashes were redirected from Gonzaga to her.

The classy, and still  statuesque Alagao immediately did what needs to be done to avoid things go more out of proportion. She tweeted an apology to Gonzaga's fans and raised some points to correct the wrong impression set.

For the benefit of those who were out or Alagao's circle or followers -- as she temporarily took down her Twitter account -- here's the apology she tweeted (and I lifted) from her Twitter account prior to the take-down.

I apologize.

If it will appease her fans, then I apologize, but not without pointing a few things. Just because I said what I said in my previous post it does not necessarily mean I am not also a fan of hers. I admire her confidence and determination. I have seen all her movies, been moved to tears and burst with  laughter with her acts, and will continue to do so in the future. That does not also mean I did not defend her in the past when people spoke ill of her. And best of all, I admire her for having stayed chaste in a world where it is easy to be weak and stop adhering to such virtues. When one points out a person's mistake, that does not say anything about whether he or she hates the person. When a mother scold or reprimands her children it does not mean she loves them any less.

On bringing back the past, I find nothing wrong in looking back and seeing how much better life has become. It is a constant reminder that we should aspire to improve ourselves everyday and with every experience. My friends know I have nothing against self-improvement of any kind, whether in attitude or appearance, if it boosts a person's self-esteem. Going under the knife is something I have yet to explore, and will not judge those who have done it. I believe it to be a powerful tool in making people's lives better. So if I may have mentioned anything that I don't suppose is a secret, know that it was not meant to humiliate. It was simply to state that we should allow people room to get better. 

I also did not say she was NOT a good host, nor did I say I did not find her antics funny. As a matter of fact, I did, although we should apply humor where appropriate. I commend her for her effort to lift the candidates' spirits and ease their tension with her jokes, but I wish they were more carefully chosen.

Vice Ganda earned my respect when he delivers his question in a manner appropriate for a Bb. Pilipinas judge, quite contrary to how he would normally handle such circumstances, what with his bully humor and perky personality. Indeed it was a class act.

People will love us hate us for what we do or say, and for how they interpret the things we do or say. I had my time of criticism in 2000: I looked like a horse; won for being smart not beautiful; didn't look anything like a beauty queen..it's endless. But I was gracious in accepting all those criticisms, and used them for my betterment.

This is not about fame or power, nor is it about the person in general, please do not get the matter out of perspective. I am not nearly as well-loved by fans as her (and that is true now more than ever) and definitely haven't gained half her fame, but that is not the whole point of my previous statement. 

So again I apologize once and for all, and wish we'd all be open-minded about this. I did NOT criticize her, nor her performance last night in general. It was specifically the Q & A I tackled, and my intention was not how many of you have interpreted it.

Pageant fans may at one point say that Alagao's luster may have faded fifteen (15) years after she failed to place in the Miss Universe 2000 pageant. On a personal note, the way she handled the issue with the above statement shows that Nina Ricci Alagao really got class.

Keep Toni Gonzaga off Binibining Pilipinas

Going around social media sites, discussions are no longer on whether or not Pia Wurtzbach would be a strong contender for the Miss Universe 2015 crown, or why Binibining Pilipinas as an organization overlooked the fact that Christy Lynn Mcgarry had been once the Philippine representative to the Miss Intercontinental pageant (2010), but on Toni Gonzaga's unconventional hosting style of the pageant and how Nina Ricci Alagao -- a once celebrated Philippines bet and a favorite to win the Miss Universe 2000 title -- reacted and ranted on Toni's hosting.

On a personal note, here are some of the inappropriate comments Toni Gonzaga made during the Question and Answer portion:

On Hannah Ruth Sison's (Number 28) earrings that Toni made fun of like a chandelier. In prestigious beauty pageants there are no-no's being observed by the hosts during the question-and-answer portion especially about the contestant's wardrobe and accessories to maintain impartiality and propriety. 

On Rogelie Catacutan's last name - equivalent to being dreaded in English. Nobody in the duration of Shamcey Supsup's reign that her last name was made fun of despite it's sexual attribution.

On Kimverlyn Suiza making it to the Top 15 for the first time. Toni asked Kimverlyn if she's looking forward joining the pageant again next year. Whilst she was able to justify that MJ Lastimosa tried three times before snagging the Miss Universe - Philippines crown, asking Kimverlyn that question could be taken by the judges the wrong way -- thinking that Kimverlyn must have been a trying-hard contestant so desperate in joining the pageant.

On Teresita Senn Marquez being very confident in answering the question. A host should not comment on how he/she feels about how a contestant answers questions again for the obvious reason of maintaining impartiality. Worse, she made fun of Marquez'' nickname being Wynn-wynn which sounds like win-win. The judges must have been influenced by that comment comes deliberation time, reason why Wynn-wynn didn't snag a title or even just a runner-up despite her outstanding performance all-though-out the pageant.

On calling Pia by her showbiz name Pia Alonso versus Pia Wurtzbach. In 1993, two showbiz personalities were on neck-to-neck for the major titles; Ruffa Gutierrez and Dindi Gallardo. But never in the duration of the pageant that the host Apa Ongpin called Ruffa by just Ruffa and Dindi by just Dindi but Sharmaine Ruffa Gutierrez and Melinda Joanna Gallardo. More than the reason's of propriety, Apa Ongpin was so clever not to call them by their showbiz name so as not to influence the judges with their decisions. Ruffa and Dindi weren't judged because of who they were in showbiz but because of their showmanship in the pageant.


Hopefully Toni would understand and realize that there's a thin line between arrogance and humor. And given that a beauty pageant is a celebration of woman's beauty both by its form and its being, taking away the spotlight from them by making disparaging comments which spans from one candidate's last name down to another candidate being a repeater is so uncalled for.

Binibining Pilipinas International - Janicel Lubina

Janicel Lubina was a stand-out last night. In this generation of Binibining Pilipinas pageant, it's seldom that a Binibini bags the Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown awards at the same time. Only her, Janina San Miguel (2008) and Giona Cabrera (2005) was able to achieve that feat in this millenium.

However, it's apparent that just like Janina San Miguel, Janicel's communication skills would be a disadvantage in the international pageant arena. 

That brings me into raising these two points: 1.) She should have been awarded the Bb. Supranational title (remember Mutya Datul?), and 2.) Making her as Bb. Pilipinas International might have been on purpose as in the Miss International pageant, candidates are not being asked a question like that in the Miss Universe but just have to deliver a speech which anybody else could prepare for her and memorize. 

Remember that she was Megan Young's runner-up in the Miss World - Philippines 2013 pageant -- which if not because of Megan Lynne Young's Fil-am background, could have given her a run for the Miss World 2013 crown.

Binibining Pilipinas 2015 Frontrunners - Christi Lynn McGarry

Having a contestant with a complete package in the Binibining Pilipinas seems too good to be true. More often than not, when a contestant has a complete package, it's either she has been a contestant in the past year, or if not, she would eventually be removed from the roster because of issues like citizenship or conflict with their prior endorsement engagements.

Who can forget Joey Mead (2001), Juliana Palermo (2003). Sandra Seifert (2009) and even Megan Young (2012). And in few instances wherein a strong contender goes through and snag a title, they get stripped of their title because of citizenship issues like what happened to Anjanette Abayari (1991), Tisha Silang (1998) and Janelle Bautsita (1999).

This year however, one strong contender made sure she got her bases covered. While Christi Lynn McGarry was born and raised in the US, she stayed in Nabua, Camarines Sur and immersed with the Bicolanos to solidify her Filipino-roots

Fast Facts:

Full Name: Christi Lynn McGarry
Hometown: Nabua, Camarines Sur
Height: 1.80 meters (5 ft 11 in)
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown


Previous Pageants:

Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia Pacific
Top Model of the World 2010 (Top 15)
Miss Intercontinental 2010 (Top 15 & Queen of Asia & the Pacific)



Here are some points to consider about Christi Lynn:

Pageantry. While she is not a Binibining Pilipinas veteran like Pia Wurtzbach, Christi Lynn has two international pageant appearance under her belt. She consistently placed on the semi-finals in both Top Model of the World 2010, and Miss Interncontinental 2010.

Communication Skills. Being born and raised in the US, the ability to converse in English with ease is a given. Not only that, she graduated Valedictorian from the grammar school Our Lady of Victories in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Foreign Sounding Last Name. While on a personal note I find her a potential contender for the Miss Universe 2015, history told that aside from Joyce Burton in 1985, no one else with a foreign sounding last name got to represent Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant. Normally, for a foreign-sounding-last-name-contender like McGarry, should be awarded a title, it would be Miss International. Take the case of Yedda Marie Mendoza Kittilstved (1996), Susan Jane Juan Ritter (1997), Colette Centeno Glazer (1998), Lalaine Bognot Edson (1999), Nadia Lee Cien dela Cruz Shami (2007), Melody Adelheid Manuel Gersbach (2009), Krista Eileen Arrieta Kleiner (2010), and Nicole Cassandra Maturan Schmitz (2012).

Hopefully the above-mentioned trend gets broken by Mcgarry and she be chosen to represent Philippines in the Miss Universe 2015 pageant. 

Binibining Pilipinas 2015 Frontrunners - Pia Wurtzbach

One thing that made Miss Universe Philippines Mary Jean "MJ" Lastimosa to stand out in the Bb. Pilipinas 2014 pageant was her maturity being a three-peater of the pageant. This is also the same strength that Pia Wurtzbach is enjoying in this year's pageant.




Fast Facts:



Full Name: Pia Alonso Wurtzbach
Hometown: Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental Philippines
Height: 1.73 meters (5 ft 8 in)
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown







Below are some points that puts Pia on the front row.


Showbiz Industry Background. Just like Megan Young, her exposure to limelight is an edge she gets to enjoy comes pageant night. When put under pressure, a showbiz insider like her can still maintain poise and grace without exerting an effort. She just needs to avoid staying on the safe side though, like what happened when she was asked by Senator Sonny Angara in Filipino during the Binibining Pilipinas 2014 pageant.

Being a Three-peater. Her third attempt is reminiscent of MJ Lastimosa's comeback in the Bb. Pilipinas 2014. They were both runners-up on their first attempt. Both failed to snag a major placement on their second. Subconsciously, their failure on their second attempt put them in a very good position in terms of awareness and strategizing.

In 2012, MJ Lastimosa was under the pressure to outwit Janine Tugunon, knowing that Janine's selling point was her eloquence and poetic approach in answering questions. Reason why MJ was prompted to use big words like "pheriperals" which apparently she wasn't able to substantiate.

Pia did the same thing in 2014. Being a repeater, she was under the pressure of taking her being articulate up a notch. It's a pity though that she succumbed to the displaced nationalism of Senator Sonny Angara asking her a question in Filipino when apparently, a big percentage of the judging panel was made up of foreign dignitaries.

Communication Skills. With or without talent-camp-prep on how to answer questions, Pia has achieved a certain level of wit that would leave her not buckling even when asked the most complex of questions. She reminds me of Janine Tugunon who consistently adhered to the global-standard in answering beauty-pageant-questions; 3 to 5 sentences.

Having said all that, I personally find her a good cut out for the Miss International title as opposed to being a Miss Universe. Hopefully she gets to replicate the same comeback as MJ did last year.

Mock Question and Answer - Miss Universe 2014

Even before the 68th Miss Universe pageant was over, there had been a lot of "what ifs" going on in every Filipino viewer's mind in relation to Philippines' bet Mary Jean Lastimosa not making it to the Top 5. 

Not only that the hope of getting the third crown for the Philippines was shattered but also the four-year-top five-placement streak was ended.

MJ, when interviewed by Kris Aquino on television, nonchalantly answered the questions asked to the eventual Top 5 candidates of the 68th Miss Universe pageant. On a personal note, as expected, I was impressed with how she would have answered the questions. That awoken the once-beauty-contestant-spirit in me and made to answer the Top 5 questions myself.

Manny Pacquiao asked to Miss USA: “If you were given 30 seconds to deliver a message to a global terrorist, what would you say?”

I would tell him that I would never be in the position to judge him as to what his circumstances are. But I would let him feel that regardless of what he's gone through to make him compelled spreading terrorism, he has this inherent goodness and wisdom to make every moment an opportunity to touch anybody's heart and make a positive difference. 

After all, at some point, he still goes to sleep at night or day to find peace in himself.

Emilio Estefan asked to Miss Jamaica: “One of every three women will experience violence in her lifetime. What can be done to get that number down?”

Charm. It may sound ideal, but regardless of culture and religion, it's apparent that men and women alike always regard women inferior to men. This is immortalized in the adage, "Behind every man's success or failure is a woman."

When a woman uses her charm, she knows how to position herself in a situation. Meaning, she knows when to submit, when to concur and when to maneuver. By doing this, a woman sends out a message of partnership and complementing a man and thereby eliminating conflict which often results to violence.

Lisa Vanderpump asked to Miss Ukraine: “If you could remove the swimsuit competition from the Miss Universe pageant, would you? Why or why not?”

Being beautiful is subjective. What is beautiful to me may not be beautiful to another. To define beauty we have to celebrate its form and its being. The swimsuit competition embodies its form, the gown showcases the grace, the interview its being.

We could remove the swimsuit competition but I wouldn't as removing it disproportionates the balance between the form and being. Again, these two elements are essential in celebrating beauty and its purpose.

Giancarlo Stanton asked to Miss Netherlands: “What’s the biggest change you’d like to see for young women in the next generation?”

Ï would like to see women (and men too) take time to improve their communication skills. By communication skills, I mean not just the grammar, the subject-verb-agreement, coherence among others. It's also not limited to English language either but also Filipino, Cebuano, Hiligaynon or what have you.

I believe that everybody has a good heart. But while we wanted to do or say something good, conflicts arise when what we intend to do or say gets lost in translation because the right words to use are not in our vocabulary. With an improved communication skills, we can eliminate negativity by showing humility and sincerity in what we say or do.

Rob Dyrdek asked to Miss Colombia: “Probably all the time, people have asked what men can learn from women. But I’d like to know what can women learn from men?”

For me it's the men's ability to strategize with ease. While women most of the times do things out of passion, men are more objective being able  to determine early what they really want to achieve in a situation. They are more gifted with this ability to maintain balance between what is ideal and what is practical.

Facebook question asked to all five finalists: “What is the greatest contribution of your country to the world?”

While there are a lot of good things the world can associate to a Filipino wherever he goes, it's being hospitable that we are being remembered the most. Our being hospitable goes beyond making our guests or visitors comfortable and by letting them enjoy what we have to offer. Our being hospitable is characterized by letting other nationalities blend into our culture without them losing their own.

So for me, the greatest contribution of the Philippines to the world is being able to redefine the concept of hospitality which brings about a smile in every other nationalities' face by just the mere mention of the word "Filipino