Last week, we featured a fun interview with the queenly and eloquent Catriona Gray, the country’s representative to this year’s prestigious Miss Universe pageant. Now it’s time to train the spotlight on the equally regal and articulate beauties who won the coveted crowns in the annual Binibining Pilipinas beauty tilt.
Our up-close interviews were done in pairs of Bb. Pilipinas-International Ahtisa Manalo with Bb. Pilipinas 2nd runner-up Samantha Mae Bernardo, Bb. Pilipinas Supranational Jehza Huelar with Bb. Pilipinas-Grand International Eva Psychee Patalinjug, and Bb. Pilipinas-Intercontinental Karen Gallman with Bb. Pilipinas-Globe Michelle Theresa Gumabao.
The free-wheeling and engaging exchanges were centered mostly on the beauty queens’ lives after they won and their plans for their respective international competitions. Most, if not all are saying, “It hasn’t’ sunk in yet.”
Manalo, a 20-year-old Accountancy graduate, said that they are busy with media tours and looks forward to a vacation and her homecoming in Candelaria.
“I still have not absorbed how big the responsibility given to me to represent the country in the Miss International pageant. Maybe I would realize that when I see the magnitude of the crowd that would turn out to watch my homecoming parade,” said the Barbie-doll of Candelaria, Quezon who hopes to have the same destiny with her look-alike Kylie Verzosa.
Manalo, who loved playing boys games and become one of “Charlies’ Angels” as a child, still entertains her desire to become a policewoman. In fact, she had filed her application at the PNPA before her stint at Bb. Pilipinas. Asked what she would like to tell the police, Manalo said, “To all of you there in PNP, just continue to serve and protect.”
Huelar, who, like her role model Pia Wurtzbach, finished as runner up on her first try at Bb. Pilipinas and bagging a title on her third and final attempt. “It’s surreal to be finally wearing a crown,” said the 23-year-old executive assistant and Finance graduate at Ateneo de Davao University. “I’m learning about the background and history of the Miss Supranational pageant as well as the people behind the organization before I compete in Poland,” said Huelar who is engaged to Magnolia PBA star Peter Jun Simon.
Patalinjug, a 23-year-old Cebuana nurse and former Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific International, is an advocate on HIV awareness, prevention of violence against women and children and cyber bullying. The “Face of Binibini” winner revealed how she felt so nervous when she got the Ambassador-judge during the Q&A and would have preferred the “Government Build, Build, Build Program” question as she was more knowledgeable in that subject being a law student. Patalinjug will be the first to compete this October in Myanmar.
Gallman, 25-year-old Fil-Australian and graduate of Queensland University, said she would like to pursue a career in showbiz as an actress. “I am still taking my time to enjoy the moment. Maybe I could work on public speaking, improve my communication skills. But I would not be so “gigil na gigil” when I compete. I just want to enjoy myself during the Miss Intercontinental pageant,” said the Bohol-born and former Little Miss Philippines contestant.
“I want continue my advocacy to help improve compulsory education among the poor rural communities. You know, growing up in Bohol, I studied there in elementary before I migrated in Australia, I experienced walking with my brothers for some 30 minutes and saw the hardships of the students and the lack of teaching materials,” Gallman said.
Gumabao, the 25-year-old actor’s daughter and women’s volleyball’s pin-up girl, born in San Mateo, California and a marketing management graduate at De La Salle University, said that she hoped that all six of them will be given 100 percent support by BPCI to be a ‘complete package” as they compete on the world stage.
Gumabao, who finally grabbed the opportunity to join Binibini, was asked by film director Jeffrey Jeturian, and given the go-signal by her Volleyball team, said, “I hope that my win would serve an inspiration to other volleyball players to join the pageant world. Aside from promoting health and fitness, I want to focus on sustainable programs in grass roots development. I want to be a voice to the other sports which lack media attention so they can get more support from sponsors to compete internationally,” Gumabao stressed.
Asked about aspiring beauties undergoing cosmetic surgeries to enhance their bodies in order to win, both Gallman and Gumabao said that there is nothing wrong with it. “So long as they feel happy, to boost their confidence, and feel beautiful about it, then so be it,” Gallman said.
“I’m not against it as long as it’s done by licensed doctors and it’s safe. It’s a personal choice, and hope that people should just look in the mirror and mind their own business,” exclaimed Gumabao who also confessed getting shocked by the intrigues in the world of pageants.
Images By Sonny Espiritu