Monthly Archives: February 2012

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Karen Gallman

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #1 Karen Gallman (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)

Beautiful Karen! (Photo credit: Jory Rivera/OPMB Worldwide)

What’s not to love about Karen Gallman? The 19 year-old Fil-Aussie – who traces her Pinoy roots in Bohol – is living up to her pre-screening hype as the girl who could possibly be THE face of Bb. Pilipinas 2012. With that angelic face, very-in personal style, cool communication skills and an over-all stunning Latina aura, she should be guaranteed a crown this early in the competition. But wait. There is one nagging quality that’s constantly bothering armchair judges who want to give their all-out support to this Rodgil Flores ward – her height. You see, if not for standing barely 5’5″, I would put my name at stake and predict her as the sole qualifier for the Bb. Pilipinas-international title. The girl is a perfect fit for the Japan/China-based pageant where a doll-faced delegate is almost always a shoo-in for the top.

Karen’s fans and supporters are likely to counter my views by stating that if she meets the minimum height requirement, then there should be no cause for concern at all. But that’s exactly it – a middling height can be cause for concern in the international arena. And I’m not even being subjective because pageant enthusiasts will bear me out on this matter. To state that she is capable of doing a Precious Lara Quigaman would be taking things too far at this point.

Karen Gallman as photographed by Bruce Casanova for Bb. Pilipinas

Give me some more time to mull things over. And if my mind totally clears up by the first week of April, I would have a more definitive take on her chances of bringing home one of the three crowns on coronation night. At this point, I’m still giving the other Miss International-fit delegates (like the significantly taller Katrina Dimaranan, Roxane Joy Jesalva and Liezl Alcantara) some elbow room to nudge their respective game plans for the national finals.

Meanwhile, check out for more of Karen Gallman as she competes for Bb. Pilipinas 2012. ;-)

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Annalie Forbes

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #29 Annalie 'Ali' Forbes (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)

Proudly representing the City of Malolos in Bulacan, 19 year-old Annalie ‘Ali’ Forbes is the chanteuse who works as a lounge singer in 5-star hotels such as Dusit Thani Manila and New World Renaissance in the business district. A John dela Vega protege’, she is coming into the pageant armed with poise, good public relations skills and a sultry personal style. She may not be one of the taller ladies in this batch, but she surely knows how to make her presence felt. With a gentle head tilt, she sways her long tresses to maximum effect while doing the trained walks and poses like a pro.

Beneath the glamorous facade, Ali is a very simple girl who bonds with family members and friends like any grounded individual. Back in her hometown, days are normally spent. It is when she goes to her semi-nightly singing gigs that she transforms into the beauty that we are seeing now in the pageant. Can she pull it off as a potential beauty queen? Does she have more to offer than what has already been said in pre-screening posts?

Watch out if the pretty Ali Forbes can sing her way (and more) to a Bb. Pilipinas 2012 crown. ;-)

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Roxanne Tadique

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #20 Roxanne Tadique (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)

Another member of the Kagandahang Flores group comes in the person of Roxanne Tadique. The 25 year-old Manilan is an alumna of Bb. Pilipinas 2008 and Miss Philippines Earth 2010 (representing Pasig then, she withdrew before the contest wrapped up). She may not have been fortunate in her previous attempts to become a beauty queen, but she is not stopping, not especially now when she is already on the verge of getting past the age limit in just a year’s time. The svelte 5’7″ contender has greatly improved from her looks years back. And this could be attributed to the discipline she gave to further training and development in the pageant scene. Will better luck smile at this juncture? A semifinal placement would be great, although she is eyeing an achievement that would hopefully be the crowning glory (no pun intended) of her beauty contest-joining years.

The Roxanne Tadique makeover under Rodgil Flores' supervision. (Photo credit: Rouge Studio+)

See more of Roxanne Tadique as she battles it out with the other beauties of Bb. Pilipinas 2012. ;-)

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Marie Irisha ‘Mia’ Arcenas

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #28 Marie Irisha 'Mia' Arcenas

Mia Arcenas as featured on the Cebu Daily news

Marie Irisha ‘Mia’ Arcenas is Cebu’s Pride in Bb. Pilipinas 2012. The 21 year-old (she will turn a year older by March 13) businesswoman holds the flashiest credentials among the delegates – not that it pulls a lot of strings in a national beauty competition. A Summa cum Laude graduate with a degree in Apparel Manufacturing and Management from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles, she is currently running one of the family businesses, aside from being the Trends Editor of Zee Lifestyle Magazine and an active member of Beautiful Cebu Movement Foundation Inc. If that’s not enough, she sings and dances well, does occasional theatre performances and plays various musical instruments. During her down times, she also maintains two personal blogs – MIA and Mia.Cake. Whew! Does the girl even rest?

The 5’7″ Mia cannot be faulted for having a killer body as well, highlighted by a 23″ waistline that will never escape the stares and whistles of people around. Mentor Rodgil Flores made sure that all her assets – tangible or otherwise – are flaunted every step of the way.

What else is she aiming for? For starters, she joined the Philippine’s premier beauty pageant to win and serve the country as its representative in one of three international tilts BPCI is sending its winners to. Will she get a crown on April 15? What do you think, dear readers?

Stay stuck for more about Mia Arcenas as she vies for Bb. Pilipinas 2012. ;-)

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Anna Czarina Buenviaje

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #17 Anna Czarina Buenviaje (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)

A native of Malinao, Albay, Anna Czarina Buenviaje is one of the several Bicolanas competing in Bb. Pilipinas 2012. The 19 year-old lass stands a breath taller than 5’8″ and is one of the more statuesque contenders in this batch. In person, she actually looks 5’9″ with her long legs and torso. Unlike her other provincemates who went through the usual Miss Bicolandia and Mutya ng Magayon Pageants prior to gunning for the national level, this girl is relying on her natural youth and beauty to pull ahead of the former. Will it work? The competition for the three crowns (even the runner-up placements) is fierce. But we’ll see…

In the meantime, watch out for more of Anna Czarina Buenviaje as she competes for Bb. Pilipinas 2012. ;-)

Welcome back to Bb. Pilipinas 2012, Ayelee Marie Dasalla!

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Maxine Medina’s loss is another girl’s gain. And Ayelee Marie Dasalla of Bataan is the one picked to replace Candidate #12 in Bb. Pilipinas 2012. She is now officially part of this year’s batch. Handler John dela Vega must be smiling ear-to-ear.

Some people might think that she may already lag behind what the 29 other hopefuls have done so far. But since the Press Presentation has not been conducted yet, Ayelee still has the time to catch up. She may have missed the Talent Competition, but still no biggie since it’s more important to have her photos taken for the website.

So there. Welcome back, Ayelee! Fate has it in store for you. :-)

(Photo credit: OPMB Worldwide)

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Ma. Alicia Elena Ariosa

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #6 Ma. Alicia Elena Ariosa (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)

Allen during the Bb. Pilipinas 2012 screenings (Photo credit: OPMB Worldwide)

Ma. Alicia Elena V. Ariosa, or Allen for short, is one of the beauties from Mindanao in this year’s edition of Bb. Pilipinas. Hailing from Pagadian City, she actually took part in Miss Philippines Earth 2011 and made it to the tough Final 10 who were given full focus during the coronation night held in Palawan. Meeting the minimum height requirement of 5’5″, she tips the scale at 118 lbs. and has vital statistics of 36-25-36.

At this point, Allen has loads of fans and supporters who are planning to uniformly wear baby pink during the finals on April 15. A little too early for something like this, some might reckon. But if you have backers like she does, it clearly boosts their bet’s confidence to the fullest.

And 24 year-old Allen is not about to leave it all to fans’ cheers and fate. She is priming herself up for the more wringing demands of Bb. Pilipinas, just as she was able to survive three pre-pageant eliminations in MPE2011.

Allen Ariosa as photographed by Ivan Diaz

Check out for more updates on Ma. Alicia Elena ‘Allen’ Ariosa as she competes in Bb. Pilipinas 2012. ;-)

Are we looking at new crowns for Bb. Pilipinas 2012 or what?

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Could this be the new Bb. Pilipinas Universe crown?


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Could this be the new Bb. Pilipinas-International crown?

Rumors floating on the net are saying that the images above are the alleged new crowns to be worn by the Top 2 winners of Bb. Pilipinas 2012 – Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and Bb. Pilipinas-International.

If verified as true, how do you feel about the designs? Do you find them more attractive than the old ones? Do they make the wearer look more regal and elegant?

Thoughts, please. ;-)

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Nicole Marable

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #3 Nicole Marable

It’s funny how googling Nicole Marable’s name would give out dozens of other Nicole Marable’s from other countries, except the Philippines. So it can be tricky doing a write-up on her.

Anyways, Nicole Marable – aged 17 years – happens to be the youngest Official Candidate in Bb. Pilipinas 2012. The Quezon City resident – a 5’6″ stunner – is not about to let her relative youth get in the way of being crowned as one of the winners during the finals night on April 15. Of course, it goes without saying that her relative inexperience in a big national pageant could also hinder an out-and-out presentation of herself vis-a-vis the more ‘practiced’ styles of her fellow batchmates. All things being equal, however, she can count on her fresh looks, winning smile and lively aura in racking up enough points to edge out the competition. But will these advantages be enough? Methinks more training is a must. At any rate, more surprising outcomes have happened in a national pageant like ours, so seeing come-from-behind victors won’t jar my senses anymore.

Nicole during the Bb. Pilipinas 2012 Press Launch (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)

My hope is that Nicole won’t allow the pressures of the beauty contest get into her nerves. Being young has its pluses, just as the obvious debits could also lead to cancelling each other out in the long run. My advice? Enjoy the experience and be prepared for whatever the results will hold for everyone.

Witness in the next several weeks as Nicole Marable continues to compete in Bb. Pilipinas 2012. ;-)

Getting-to-know-your-Bb.Pilipinas-2012-candidate: Meiji Cruz

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Bb. Pilipinas 2012 candidate #22 Meiji Cruz (Photo credit: Jory Rivera/OPMB Worldwide)

Meiji during the Bb. Pilipinas Press Launch (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)

Valenzuela City’s bet in Bb. Pilipinas 2012 is 18 year-old Meiji Cruz. This girl’s closest claim to fame is a First Runner-Up finish in Bb. Valenzuela 2010. Thereafter, she resumed her university studies at the Lyceum of the Philippines before re-surfacing once more in the national pageant screenings. She was initially thought of as still being raw and untrained for the demands of big-time pageantry. But she must possess something endearing in the eyes of the judges that led the latter to give her the nod to capture one of the 30 slots as #22. Will she live up to the expectations of everyone around her?

Meiji after being announced as an official contender for Bb. Pilipinas 2012 (Photo credit: OPMB Worldwide)

Meiji, who stands between 5’7″-5’8″, is hoped to have the style and confidence to make good of her inclusion in this year’s batch, and in the process, give pride to the city that she represents.

See more of Meiji as she competes for Bb. Pilipinas 2012. :-)