Author:
Joseph Vitug
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Date Posted: 01:54:31 03/07/09 Sat
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Like the year that was most memorable for its tumultuous global crises, last year’s Bb. Pilipinas had its share of controversies, starting from the selection of Janina San Miguel as Bb. Pilipinas World despite a widely talked-about horrendous interview and depriving early favorite Danielle Castaño of a title. But somehow, like Barrack Obama’s historical triumph as the first colored American president, glimmers of hope soon came upon the horizon even when there were bleak difficulties ahead. First was Janina’s surprise withdrawal due to “personal reasons” and to take her place is…Danielle Castaño! Then, in Miss International in Macau, Patricia Fernandez displayed spunk and vibrancy that was absent during the Bb. Pilipinas finals night and made the Top 12 amidst an astoundingly cutthroat batch of delegates in a newly revitalized pageant in Macau. Danielle then made a great impression making the Top 10 in Beach Beauty at Miss World and the Top 32 shortlist in the Top Model fast track, though the finals was heartbreaking as she missed the final cut by theoretically just a little.
This year’s batch generated serious excitement as there were several contenders who rate high on the “babe” factor, and they have the potential to improve last year’s track record. A controversy ensued with the near-last-minute disqualification of Candidate No. 13, Sandra Inez Seifert, one of the front-runners for the crown. I felt bad about her disqualification (because of a photo shoot she did for FHM—the issue is not the photos per se but the fact that they appeared in FHM, so the “come hither” poses in modest, fashionable bikinis have a supposedly “seamier” context; I personally don’t think so and I thought they were shot in good taste) because she could’ve been a serious contender in the international arena (even if some pundits may wonder if she may end up as a “Maggie Wilson”—a lady with the qualities to potentially be an international front-runner but ended up as “just another pretty face” in the pageant).
CANDIDATE NO. 1 – Vanessa Johnson. In another year, she would be regarded as one of the prettiest faces of the group. But amidst the bevy of stunners this year, she is “just another pretty face.” A relatively voluptuous figure doesn’t seem to bolster her cause, especially in relation to the rest of the competition. U – 7.5; W – 8; I – 8
CANDIDATE NO. 2 – Carishiela May Kuijpers. A little language lesson: Remember Honey Lee’s actual Korean name is Lee Ha-Nui, with the “u” part barely pronounced that most people will hear her given name sounding like the word “honey” (hence the Westernized version)? Apparently the Dutch language likewise has that tendency, too, and the “ij” part of Cai’s surname is pronounced like either the “ay” part in “say” or “ee” part in “keep”. Her surname is thus pronounced “keepers” or “capers”. This experienced model with a victory in Malaysia’s equivalent of Tyra Banks’ famous “America’s Next Top Model” reality show has indeed made a major splash in this pageant with her fierce projection skills and striking Eurasian looks. She actually also reminds me of a haute couture version of Miss International 2005 Precious Lara Quigaman, and she is likewise blessed with Precious’ great proportions that made her seem tall standing on her own despite her 5’6” height. Hope that if the powers that be bless her with a title, they then consider providing her with wardrobe from the caliber of, say, Monique Lhuillier instead of the usual Cumbia/Barraza set. She can easily do a Miyako Miyazaki (who similarly stood at 5’6” or 5’7”) at Miss Universe, is a cinch for a shortlist for the Top Model fast track at Miss World, and her strong projection skills and great looks are definitely an asset at Miss International. U – 9.5; W – 10; I – 10.
CANDIDATE NO. 3 – Richell Angalot. Better known as Rich Asuncion, a GMA Starstruck talent/reality show contestant, she is a comely enough mestiza and she has some significant support to be taken into serious contention for the finals. But I fear that in the international arena, she’ll be treated as just “another pretty face”. U – 8.5; W – 8.5; I – 8.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 4 – Gizelle Jasmin Rivamonte. Her standout feature is her flippy hairdo. Otherwise, she will likewise end up the same way as in Miss Philippines-Earth last year: a “Thank-You” girl. U – 5; W – 5; I – 5.
CANDIDATE NO. 5 – Diana Arevalo. She does have striking eyes and pouty lips to make heads turn, and sweetly pleasant cheekbones. But amidst a relative embarrassment of riches, I could only see that her best prospects is a semifinal finish. U – 8.5; W – 8.5; I – 8.5
CANDIDATE NO. 6 – Maria Paula Bianca Paz. Usually candidates that have this number are usually the homelier non-contenders. But not this time as this lady is indeed extremely attractive with appealing “Pinay” features. In a sea of striking mestizas, she could indeed be a sleeper surprise. U – 8; W – 8.5; I – 7.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 7 – Mary Jane dela Cruz. In the real world, she would be regarded as a babe. In the world of pageants and modeling? Not quite a standout. U – 6; W – 6; I – 5.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 8 – Cheryl Oliveros. I find her face a tad overpowered by her hair, but she is undeniably attractive. U – 8; W – 8; I – 8.
CANDIDATE NO. 9 – April Love Jordan. This former Mutya ng Pilipinas runner-up is another lady with more “Asian” features among a sea of fair-skinned mestizas. She does make a great impression, but enough to stand out? She is a strong semifinals contender. U – 8.5; W – 8.5; I – 8.
CANDIDATE NO. 10 – Priscilla Navidad. This is the first time a deaf contestant competed in this pageant. Can she parlay her handicap to a Miss International title the way France, Venezuela, and Brazil have done?*1 Though she is attractive and has an enviably lean and trim figure, there are two points against her: first, remember that Bb. Pilipinas is broadcast on GMA 7—remember she competed as a “housemate” in the rival network’s Pinoy Big Brother—Teen Edition? The second point is that her features and projection are not charismatic enough to be in serious contention. U – 6.5; W – 7; I – 7.
*1 In 2007, both France and Venezuela fielded deaf candidates, with Venezuela going as fare as making the Top 15; in 2008, it was Brazil’s turn to field a deaf contestant.
CANDIDATE NO. 11 – Regina Hahn. She is eligible to compete in only one pageant: Miss Universe. She is already overage to compete in the other two pageants, so my rating for her for the other two would only be treated as theoretical. She has two aces in her favor: she is the daughter of Miss Universe 1975 4th runner-up Chiqui Brosas-Hahn, and her interview skills are reportedly topnotch. Too bad that Miss Universe is now in the Trump Era, where intelligence is not necessarily held at a premium. Still, she is undeniably great looking, but much remains to be seen if she has the stage chops to make the needed impression in Miss Universe and break our country out of an almost decade-long semifinals drought. U – 9; W – 9.5; I – 9.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 12 – Jaysel Arrozal. This semifinalist from last year has the same candidate number as last year’s stint. Could she repeat her semifinalist finish from last year? Remember that this is a stronger batch than last year, and she should also step up in the interview department to recover from last year’s weak interview performance. U – 8; W – 8; I – 8.
CANDIDATE NO. 14 – Keann Mallari. She was a surprise semifinalist two years ago, and in retrospect, that batch was a highly competitive one. Can she repeat her semifinalist finish? If she can stand out from the sea of fair-skinned mestizas, she might be able to pull it off. In my opinion she seemed to exude a stronger presence than two years ago. U – 8; W – 8; I – 7.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 15 – Pamela Bianca Manalo. There are some fans and pundits praising her to the heavens and claim that she’s a perfect fit for Miss World. Though I agree she is prettier than her sister, Kate Manalo, who was a Top 10 finalist seven years ago, I’m not sure if she has enough charisma the way Danielle had last year. There is talk that the Miss World title is already reserved for her—though she has several strong merits, I believer there are candidates who are a better fit for this title than her. U – 8.5; W – 9.5; I – 9.
CANDIDATE NO. 16 – Mary Tiffany Jones. Yes, she has attractive mestiza features, but there is something about those features I found a tad off. I couldn’t get a handle on what exactly is a tad askew… U – 7; W – 7; I – 7.
CANDIDATE NO. 17 – Marie-Ann Umali. Though in later photos she started to radiate again the way she did in 2006, early impressions made me think that she was made over to be like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, with her jet-black hair color contrasting sharply with her alabaster complexion. It wasn’t a good strategy, if you ask me. Now, for her to be in serious contention for a title, I hope her handlers have coached her better in the interview segments. U – 9; W – 8.5; I – 9.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 18 – Marie Lorraine de Guzman. Her chinita features are appealing enough, even if they make some people recall Rica Marie Taylor. In another year, she could have made serious inroads into the finals, but this batch is too formidable that at best she’ll be a sleeper surprise into the semifinals. U – 7.5; W – 8; I – 7.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 19 – Stephanie Rose Señires. This is a lady who grew on me. At first I wasn’t into her looks, but in photos of later public appearances, she seems to exude a fierce vibe that she could possibly one of the possible upset surprises who could usurp perceived favorites. U – 8.5; W – 8.5; I – 8.
CANDIDATE NO. 20 – Melody Gersbach. There were pageant fans and pundits buzzing about her and that in person her charisma is worthy of a title. I do believe she is a strong possibility, but I have an issue that she might look too Caucasian in the international arena to make that smashing impression. She is undeniably great looking, though. U – 9; W – 8.5; I – 9.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 21 – Hazel Sutch. Like Gizelle Rivamonte, this lady’s standout feature is her dyed honey blonde locks and little else. She’s better looking than Gizelle, at the very least (at her best, she reminds me of Sheila Alonzo). U – 7; W – 7; I – 7.
CANDIDATE NO. 22 – Priscilla Mae Honorio. She is another worthwhile contender who could stand to be a sleeper surprise in the finals. To go far for any of the titles, well, I’m not that certain. U – 8; W – 8; I – 8.
CANDIDATE NO. 23 – Barbara Salvador. I guess I have a soft spot for her because she came from the same university that I graduated from—Ateneo de Manila University. Plus, there was buzz that she made a great impression during the pre-judging interviews. Not that many fans and pundits were buzzing about her title prospects, but for some reason, I feel she is in the best position to pull off an “upset” over perceived favorites. Sure, her college pedigree would no longer be that much of an asset in Miss Universe, but her features exude the vibe of “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto—and I meant that as an extreme compliment. As much as it seems logical to have Regina Hahn bag the Universe crown, I believe this lady would make a stronger impression and could seize the residual love the American public had over the Oscar-winning film. And I feel she has the prettiness and charisma to charm Morley & Co. or those judges in Macau. U – 9.5; W – 9.5; I – 9.5.
CANDIDATE NO. 24 – Abigail Lesley Cruz. She garnered 2nd runner-up honors two years ago, and is obviously hoping to improve her standing this time. She still looks striking enough to make the right impression, but since this year it is a more competitive batch, there are no guarantees that achieve that goal. And wonder if being the girlfriend of this year’s pageant host Paolo Bediones would be a hindrance or an advantage? Whatever the case, judging from her own merits, she has the right kind of Asian features that would be pleasing to the eyes of both Trump and Morley, and she can open the eyes of the Caucasian-leaning Miss International pageant to make way for more Asians besides Japan, Korea, China, and India. U – 9.5; W – 9.5; I – 9.
So, how does my “fearful forecast” look like? Here goes:
TITLE CONTENTION: 2, 11, 15, 20, 23, 24
LIKELIEST SEMIFINALISTS: 3, 5, 9, 12, 17, 19
BUBBLING UNDER: 1, 6, 8, 14, 22
Wonder how the judges decide this time. Hope still springs eternal that the right decision will be made.
JUST ME!
JOSEPH
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On Pamela Bianca Manalo!
bb. pilipinas 2009 in youtube
THEY DONT ALLOW THEM TO POSE IN SEXY MAGAZINES BUT THEY LET THEM PARADE AROUND ARANETA CENTER WEARING SKIMPY SWIMSUITS!!! WHAT'S UP WITH THAT??? (NT)
SUREST BET SUREST NO MORE!
