Bb. Pilipinas International 2010 Krista Kleiner at the Shanghai World Expo during the candidates' visit to the same.
Our girl is currently one of the hot favorites for the crown! Let’s hope she does the country proud come November 7! 
Bb. Pilipinas-International 2010 Krista Mae Kleiner waves to well-wishers during her send-off to the Miss International 2010 Pageant in Chengdu, China.
Krista Mae Kleiner was feted by Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI) to a formal send-off to the Miss International 2010 Beauty Contest which will be hosted once by Chengdu, China. She is the last of the three Bb. Pilipinas winners this year to compete abroad (Czarina Gatbonton is currently in the thick of Miss World competition in Sanya). Pageant pundits are optimistic of her chances to become the country’s 5th Miss International titleholder and for good reason. Watch the video below to see why…
video courtesy of YouTube/OPMBvids
Wishing Krista the best of luck are: (L-R) Dianne Necio (BP 1st Runner-Up), Venus Raj (BP Universe 2010), Krista Mae Kleiner and Nicolette Henson (2nd Runner-Up)
R&B Singer Jay-R, who happens to be Krista Mae Kleiner's boyfriend, shares his wishes of good luck to the love of his life.
Best of luck, Krista! Bring home our 5th Miss International crown!
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!
(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)
Bb. Pilipinas International 2010 Krista Mae Kleiner (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)
Krista Mae Kleiner has been having a wild year so far. After having won the title of Bb. Pilipinas-International 2010 earlier this year, she was taken in by world-renowned singer Julio Iglesias to be part of his World Tour for three months. After that stint, she’s now back in Manila to prepare for the Miss International 2010 Pageant to be held in Chengdu, China in November. Then the Manila Hostage Crisis happened which strained the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and HK/China. What’s a girl to do when her competition will be hosted by the Chinese? Well, immediately after arrival from the US, she went straight to the Quirino Grandstand to offer flowers and prayers for the victims. Thereafter, she must have sought the advice of BPCI organizers on how to condition herself for Miss International.
Psyching herself well for Miss International 2010, Krista Mae Kleiner is surrounding herself with positive vibes despite all the intrigues coming her way. (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)
Things are a bit more relaxed now. Krista Mae is deep into training for the pageant, studying Chinese history and culture, and even learning a Chinese song. She wants to immerse herself in more good vibes than otherwise so as not to get distracted in her hunt for the title which has been captured by four (4) Filipinas (Gemma Cruz, Aurora Pijuan, Melanie Marquez, Precious Lara Quigaman) to date.
Krista Mae Kleiner is China-bound and she is out to win the Philippines' 5th Miss International crown.
The crown is hers to lose, as many people would say, because she is being seen as a shoo-in to land the finals, even place in the Top 3 if not bag the top prize. And at this point in time, she can’t afford to slack in her preparations because more than looking fierce and gorgeous, she needs to deal with the underlying tensions between the Philippines and China and how it could affect her chances of winning.
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!
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?
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.
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
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!
It’s all about the best fit for each of the international beauty competitions that the three winners will be sent to. This is the basis for my fearless picks for Binibining Pilipinas 2010. Representatives to the Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International should have the specific mold and variety that each pageant is likely to favor. For example, I have learned time and again that a Bb. Pilipinas-International should have a pretty face first that should be truly attractive to a regional public (the contest will be held in China, but with still heavy Japanese influences). For Miss World, the national titleholder will benefit best if she is a bit on the dusky side with a generous hint of exotic features. Some people might quip…”but Julia Morley’s group prefers caucasians or blondes!” Yes, that is true, but since the Philippines can never produce someone in that category, better source a bet who is identifiably Filipina with global potentials. As for Miss Universe, this is the more difficult to size up as of late. We know for a fact that Donald Trump strongly favors Eastern Europeans, but can be easily weighed down by the judges if the latter sees a Latina or Asian being more qualified to win. Fashion Model-types have also been given extra premium in recent years. Henceforth, it would be wise to field in a statuesque Filipina with excellent runway skills, distinct facial features that do not easily give away her nationality and an all-together vibrant personality that craves for attention without begging for it.
With this in mind, here are my predictions for Binibining Pilipinas 2010 which will culminate in a lavish pageant tomorrow night at the Araneta Coliseum with a slightly delayed telecast over GMA-7:
My Top 5
Gwendoline Ruais for Bb. Pilipinas-Universe!
Maria Venus Raj for Bb. Pilipinas-World!
Krista Mae Kleiner for Bb. Pilipinas-International!
Mary Ann Misa for 1st Runner-Up!
Dianne Necio for 2nd Runner-Up!
Here are the remaining five ladies in my Top 10:
Mariella Castillo - Top 10!
Ana Marie Morelos - Top 10!
Nicole Kaufmann - Top 10!
Helen Nicolette Henson - Top 10!
Jam Charisa Libatog - Top 10!
As the title of this blog suggests, I predict that the half-breeds will win – Gwendoline (6’1″) is half-French, Maria Venus (5’10″) is half-Indian, and Krista Mae (5’8″) is half-American. Of course, my dear readers, you can take my selections with a grain of salt or otherwise. I have followed the Binibining Pilipinas for the longest time, and I am fairly confident with my choices for the Top 3, even if the runner-up positions are always open to switches depending on which girls will turn on the additional heat during crunch time, i.e., the question-and-answer portion.
Let’s see how this will compare with the actual results tomorrow night.
P.S. I am in the US right now until March 14 so I may not be able to watch the pageant on TV. My family will be on a road trip to Grand Canyon and Lake Havasu, Arizona tomorrow and I’m not happy that there might not be a strong internet connection where I can possibly get a live streaming of the same. At any rate, I wish all the 24 candidates the best of luck!!!
