Czarina Catherine Gatbonton

All posts tagged Czarina Catherine Gatbonton

Czarina Catherine Gatbonton’s send-off for Miss World 2010

Posted by Norman on September 29, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

An exotic Filipina for Miss World 2010, this Czarina Catherine Gatbonton. (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB)

Czarina Catherine Gatbonton is your typical teenager who goes through a house-school-house daily routine in her isolated hometown province of (Isla) Pamarawan in Malolos, Bulacan. In fact, she had to ride a motorized bangka (small boat) to and from her house just to catch a jeep to school or a bus to the city. But all that changed when the 19 year-old surprised everyone at the Binibining Pilipinas 2010 finals after clinching the Bb. Pilipinas-World crown, thereby, earning a ticket to the Miss World 2010 competition in Sanya, China later next month. Since then, she has been shoved to an exciting world of glamour, filled with endless trainings, personality and communication development and guest appearances everywhere. The provinciana – who used to speak with an unmistakable Bulakeno accent – can now glide into a room with confidence and socialize like a true lady. True, more polishing will transform her into an even more ravishing exotic beauty, but her untouched natural charm might just do the trick in China given the fact that Miss World 2009 Kaiane Aldorino was initially unnoticed in a bevy of more than 100 delegates up until the organizers and judges took a shine on her.

Wishing Czarina all the best for Miss World 2010 are: (L-R) Dianne Necio, Venus Raj, Krista Mae Kleiner and Nicolette Henson (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB)

Yesterday, Czarina was given a formal send-off by the Binibining Pilipinas group. She is set to leave for Sanya, China shortly and the one-month stay will see her competing with a sea of lovelies from all over. One particular highlight of her participation should be the trip to Inner Mongolia which has never been visited by a huge pageant like the Miss World.

As the organizers stated, she will be a breath of fresh air in the competition. The 2010 ladies – Venus Raj, Krista Mae Kleiner, Nicolette Hension and Dianne Necio – as well as her parents and brother – were around to give their warm wishes and to further boost her confidence.

Good luck, Czarina! (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB)

Will Czarina continue the Venus Raj streak and perform well enough to land among the top ladies in the Miss World 2010 finals? We’ll see…

Best of luck to you, Czarina! 😉

The Bb. Pilipinas Fashion Show

Posted by Norman on September 28, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , .

(L-R) Bb. Pilipinas International Krista Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas Universe Venus Raj and Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbonton (Photo credit: MabuhayBeauties.com)

Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) in cooperation with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) recently held a fashion show at the Ali Mall with the reigning queens strutting the runway together with PBA professional players. Much to the delight of the audience, they were able to see their favorite basketball personalities, while seeing the troika of Bb. Pilipinas winners complete after the long absence of Krista Kleiner who joined Julio Iglesias’s World Tour for three months.

Here are videos of the event (courtesy of OPMBvids):

Bb. Pilipinas Universe Venus Raj (Photo credit: Boyet Blas of MabuhayBeauties.com)

Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbonton (Photo credit: Boyet Blas of MabuhayBeauties.com)

Bb. Pilipinas International Krista Mae Kleiner (Photo credit: Boyet Blas of MabuhayBeauties.com)

Sending off Venus to the Universe!

Posted by Norman on August 3, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, Blog Bites: Miss Universe 2010. Tagged: , , , , , .

Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj during yesterday's send-off ceremonies for the Miss Universe Pageant in Las Vegas. (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)

Finally, the day has come. Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj was feted by Binibining Pilipinas organizers with a formal send-off to the Miss Universe Pageant to be held in Las Vegas on August 23. Attended by media, family, fans and supporters, Venus was visibly glowing as she basked in the fulfillment of one of her dreams – to represent the Philippines in an international beauty competition.

Venus was all smiles as well-wishers trooped to the Gateway Suites at the Araneta Center for her send-off. (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)

Venus will actually be arriving in Las Vegas a few days earlier than the rest because she was handpicked to join a small group of candidates who will accompany Donald Trump in a media tour of the pageant to drumbeat interest for the same. And she is taking this opportunity to start making her mark.

Venus with her proud mother. (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)

During the send-off, BPCI (Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc.) head Stella Marquez de Araneta clarified some questions regarding Venus. She reasoned out that the usual Colombia training was altogether scrapped due to time constraints. She also shared that a Filipino designer offered his services to assemble Venus’ wardrobe but was turned down since they have already completed all the attires to be worn in Las Vegas. Regarding the National Costume, she neither confirmed nor denied that Alfredo Barraza created the same, but added that a brand-new show-stopping piece will be worn during the pageant.

Two gorgeous morenas - Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj (L) and Bb. Pilipinas-World 2010 Czarina Catherine Gatbonton. (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)

Below is a video of Venus being interviewed by ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo during the send-off. She proudly showed off her 22-inch waistline here.


video courtesy of YouTube/takibreaxti

Best of luck in the pageant, Venus! 😉

Bb. Pilipinas 2010 Winners post-victory pictorial at Gateway

Posted by Norman on March 11, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: , , , , , .

Here are photos of the Binibining Pilipinas 2010 winners and runners-up days after their coronation. This pictorial was held at the Gateway Mall in Araneta Center.

(L-R) Krista Mae Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas-International 2010; Maria Venus Raj, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 and Czarina Catherine Gatbonton, Bb. Pilipinas-World 2010. (Photo credit: OPMB Worldwide)

(L-R) Helen Nicolette Henson, 2nd RU; Krista Mae Kleiner, BP-International; Maria Venus Raj, BP-Universe; Czarina Catherine Gatbonton, BP-World; Dianne Necio, 1st RU. (Photo credit: OPMB Worldwide)

2010 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Maria Venus Raj (Photo credit: OPMB Worldwide)

2010 Bb. Pilipinas-International Krista Mae Kleiner

2010 Bb. Pilipinas-World Czarina Catherine Gatbonton

From hereon, these ladies will head straight to more intensive trainings and preparations for their respective pageants abroad. Let’s hope that at least one of them ends up winning one of the grand slam pageants before the year ends! 😉

Raymond Saldana photographs the Bb. Pilipinas 2010 Queens

Posted by Norman on March 10, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: , , , .

Ace photographer Raymond Saldana was tasked to take the profile photos of this year’s Binibining Pilipinas candidates. Here are the shots of the three winners where you can better gauge their individual charm and beauty.

Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 Maria Venus Raj

Bb. Pilipinas-World 2010 Czarina Catherine Gatbonton

Bb. Pilipinas-International 2010 Krista Mae Kleiner

What do you think, guys? 😉

Bb. Pilipinas 2010: The crowning glories

Posted by Norman on March 8, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Here are photos of the Binibining Pilipinas 2010 Coronation Night last Saturday, March 6. Of the three winners, one came out as a complete surprise (Czarina Catherine Gatbonton) while the two others (Maria Venus Raj and Krista Mae Kleiner) have been strong favorites ever since the candidates were announced early this year.

(L-R) Helen Nicolette Henson - 2nd RU, Krista Mae Kleiner - Bb. Pilipinas International 2010, Maria Venus Raj - Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010, Czarina Catherine Gatbonton - Bb. Pilipinas-World 2010 and Dianne Necio - 1st RU. (Photo credit: Melvia Sia of OPMB Worldwide)

Maria Venus Raj, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010

Czarina Catherine Gatbonton, Bb. Pilipinas-World 2010

Krista Mae Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas-International 2010

Dianne Necio, 1st Runner-Up

Helen Nicolette Henson, 2nd Runner-Up

Let’s see what’s in store for the Top 3 ladies this year. I am most optimistic with Krista Mae Kleiner because she is the perfect fit for the Miss International competition. As for Maria Venus, I hope that she breaks the drought of a placement in the Miss Universe because it has been more than a decade since the Philippines last did. And for Czarina Catherine, I wish her lots of luck. Miss World is very unpredictable so if Julia Morley takes a shine on her, then good for us. I hate to think that it will be another forgettable Miss World turn for our bet, but who knows? She might even surprise everyone if she has all the lucky stars aligned in her favor.

Congratulations again and best of luck! 😉

Many thanks to Melvin Sia of OPMB Worldwide for the images above.

Binibining Pilipinas 2010 WINNERS!

Posted by Norman on March 7, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, Blog Bites: Miss Universe 2010. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Here they are! The winners of Binibining Pilipinas 2010 have been crowned during glittering ceremonies at the Araneta Coliseum last Saturday night. From the bevy of 24 Official Candidates, the ladies have been scored for their swimsuit and evening gown presentations, plus the all-important question-and-answer segment. The creme of the crop are as follows:


Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2010:
MARIA VENUS RAJ


Binibining Pilipinas-World 2010:
CZARINA CATHERINE GATBONTON (The biggest surprise of the night!)

11 - Krista Mae Kleiner


Binibining Pilipinas-International 2010:
KRISTA MAE ARRIETA KLEINER


1st Runner-Up:
Dianne Necio


2nd Runner-Up:
Helen Nicolette Henson

Rest of the Top 10:
Mary Ann Misa
Gwendoline Ruais
Rose Ann Aguilar
Mariella Castillo
Kate Princess Alimurong

Special Awardees:
Best In Swimsuit: Krista Mae Kleiner
Best In Long Gown: Maria Venus Raj
Miss PAL Sunniest Personality: Helen Nicolette Henson
Miss Photogenic: Helen Nicolette Henson
Araneta Shoppers’ Choice Award: Selena Antonio
Texters’ Choice Award: Laurese Ann Caparas
Manila Bulletin Readers’ Choice Award: Czarina Catherine Gatbonton

All three winners will now get ready for their respective international competitions – Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International.

Good luck to our queens of 2010! 😉

Bb. Pilipinas 2010 Official Headshots are here

Posted by Norman on February 10, 2010
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

(L-R)
1st Row: Mariella Castillo, Rachel Ann Bustamante, Patrixia Sherly Santos, Selena Antonio
2nd Row: Nicole Kaufmann, Patricia Lae Ejercitado, Laurese Ann Caparas, Ana Marie Morelos
3rd Row: Laica Joy Jimenez, Maria Venus Raj, Krista Mae Arrieta, Reina Mae Maerina
4th Row: Gwendoline Ruais, Mary Ann Ross Misa, Jam Charisa Libatog, Toni Alyessa Hipolito
5th Row: Rose Ann Aguilar, Helen Nicolette Henson, Kate Princess Alimurong, Marie Ysabelle Matubis
6th Row: Czarina Catherine Gatbonton, Dianne Necio, Mhirra Hernandez, Angelica Damian

I have reservations with some of the girls’ shots (because a lot of them really look good in person) but I would add that this is an excellent batch of candidates – even stronger than last year’s because I still could not come up with my predictions for the March 6 Coronation Night.

Below is the video clip of the candidates’ guesting during the Anniversary Presentation of Master Showman Presents on GMA-7 last weekend.


video courtesy of YouTube/deybid007

6'1" Gwendoline Ruais and 6' Reina Mae Maerina towering over singer Jose Mari Chan during the candidates' guesting in Master Showman Presents. (Photo Credit: Bruce Casanova)