Finally…BPCI released the official profiles of this year’s candidates…read on!
1 Karen Gallman, 19, 5’5 1/2”Karen was born and raised in Ubay, Bohol and proud of having “Bisaya” as her first language. It is her first time to join a beauty pageant but has always had a fascination for pageants even as a child. She desires to be a beauty queen convinced that by being so, she can work for the betterment of society. Karen is a certified “beach chick” who loves the water. She migrated to Australia when she was eight and returned to Manila when she turned fifteen. Karen also loves playing netball and touch football.
2 Romelin Roxane de Castro, 20, 5’5”This lady is Taguig City’s pride. Currently a 4th year Mass Communications student at St. Paul University Manila, she dreams of being an actress and in fact took up Mass Comm as a step towards her dream. She believes that she is a good leader and is also into martial arts like judo and karate ever since she was thirteen. She also took up swimming and her idol is a swimmer too – Enchong Dee.
3 Nicole Marable, 17, 5’6”Nicole hails from Quezon City. Although she speaks with an accent influenced by her Australian buddies, she considers herself as pure Pinoy. It is her first time to join a national beauty pageant upon the prodding of family and friends. She is interested in history and philosophy because these open her eyes to the world. She says that she joined the pageant to be an inspiration to her fellow teenagers, share with them her experiences and the values she learned, especially appreciating life and valuing inner beauty.
4 Jaine Hidalgo, 25, 5’6 1/2”This lady from Naga City, Camarines Sur is a registered nurse, a product of the Unibersidad de Santa Isabel in Naga City. She is very sports-minded and loves extreme sports such as wakeboarding. She is also into badminton, table tennis and swimming. She even swam with the whale sharks in Donsol! Her pageant experience includes Ms. Kaogma Festival 2012, Miss Bikolandia 2010, Miss May-Ylaud Festival 2010.
5 Rose Ann Aguilar, 24, 5’6”It is the second time for this Caviteña to join a pageant, the first one being in 2010. After that 2010 stint, she trained harder and feels more ready for the competition this year. The loves to cook especially Italian food and plays basketball and is passionate about cars. She had a harrowing experience three years ago as a kidnap victim which taught her to appreciate the more important things in life.
6 Maria Alicia Elena Ariosa, 24, 5’5”This girl who hails from Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur is a registered nurse and a “lady farmer.” Her family is into agri business such as prawn farming, rice and rubber plantations. She helps out in the family farm where she says that it is “the opposite of what I like because it is hard work and bawal ang maging maarte.” She sees the competition as a win-win situation, an opportunity to gain friends, reach your maximum potential and learn new things. She plays the piano, makes necklaces and bracelets and reads a lot of fashion magazines.
7 Patricia Lae Ejercitado, 23, 5’6”Patricia comes from Cainta, Rizal and is a practicing interior designer. She graduated from BS Interior Design from the University of Santo Tomas and got her license in 2011. She has done designs for restaurants, and residences. It is her second time to join the pageant after her first try in 2010. She has tried to polish her catwalk skills, make up, personality development and reviewed previous pageants to prep her for this year. She is also into painting and the visual arts, usually painting religious images to give to her friends and family.
8 Nicole Schmitz, 23, 5’7”Representing Cebu City, Nicole will soon be the holder of two degrees – Law and Psychology, in Australia. She is set to graduate from Law by the end of 2012 and graduated in Psychology with honors. She is a keen traveler and plans to climb the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. She also loves extreme sports, white water rafting, hand gliding and dances the salsa. Her dad is German and her mom is from Cebu. It is her second time to join the pageant, the first time being in 2007 when she was just 18. Joining the Bb. Pilipinas has always been top of her mind because she feels that she has a lot to offer to the pageant.
9 Mary Jean Lastimosa, 24, 5’7”This Davaoeña knows how to play the violin and has spent some time in North Cotabato where she personally witnessed people getting killed and bombs exploding everywhere. The experiences have taught her to be a strong, brave, independent and resilient woman. MJ landed the 2nd runner up spot in last year’s Binibining Pilipinas Pageant. Her pageant experience also includes the Aliwan Festival Queen 2008 and Mutya ng Davao 2008.
10 Jillean Camille Orbina, 20, 5’8”Jillean is from Cordon, Isabela and is currently studying Communication Arts at the Philippine Women’s University. She placed 2nd runner up in the Mutya ng Taguig 2011. She grew up with her grandparents and describes herself as an observant book lover who is also very versatile.
11 Marie Virgenia Cecilie Peter, 21, 5’7”Marie was born in Kalibo, Aklan but her family moved to Norway when she was just seven years old. Her mom was the one who told her about Bb. Pilipinas and she has always wanted to be a model and a beauty queen. She views joining the contest as an “experience I will bring for the rest of my life.” She describes herself as being very Pinay even if her features look foreign. She is fluent in Aklanon and is grateful that she never forgot this dialect because she believes that language is part of her heritage. She is also fluent in English, Filipino, Norwegian and German. As a leader of a youth organization in Norway, she has traveled to schools, engaged in debates, attended conferences and seminars, the last being the Climate Change Conference in Denmark.
12 Ayelee Marie Dasalla, 21, 5’7”Ayelee hails from Mariveles, Bataan and is the older of two siblings. She has a 19 year old brother. She is the real “biggest loser” since she used to weigh 200 lbs as a high school student. During her “super obese” phase, she endured being called “baboy”, “matabang bata” wherever she went. She decided to lose weight for health reasons since her family has a history of diabetes. She also had asthma as a child. When she was heavy, she thought that joining a beauty pageant was an impossible dream. As a nurse, she lost weight the healthy way through diet and exercise. Since her family owns a motorcycle spare parts shop, she is skilled at changing flat tires, oil and motorcycle maintenance. She joined Ms. Bataan in 2011. She is also into target shooting and chess.
13 Katrina Jayne Dimaranan, 18, 5’8”Katrina was born in San Juan, Metro Manila and just recently graduated from high school. She wants to take up Psychology in college because she believes she can relate to different kinds of people because of her life experiences. Because of her family’s situation, she has attended 13 schools and has learned to be independent. She was also homeless for a while even to the point of sleeping in a terminal bathroom with her siblings. She loves to sing and has exposure to choirs, events and musicals. Despite her challenging experiences, Katrina maintains a positive outlook in life. She joined the pageant to be an inspiration to people and that despite all odds “all will turn out all right”.
14 Gina Joy Howell, 20, 5’9”Gina is a Kapampangan who studied BS Computer Science at the Angeles University Foundation. She describes herself as a “Jill of all Trades” because she sings, dances, plays the guitar, plays volleyball and is into visual arts. She also loves trekking, camping and going to the beach.
15 Elaine Kay Moll, 20, 5’10”Elaine hails from Catarman, Northern Samar. She is a 3rd year Business Management student from National University. She was a member of the Lady Bulldogs, her college women’s basketball team. She also plays volleyball and is a part-time model. She recently competed in the Asia Model Awards in Korea just in January 2012. Her Binibini idols include Miriam Quiambao, Venus Raj and Shamcey Supsup because they gave honor to the country.
Next stop…Candidates 16-30
ang ganda ni gina howell para lang ang mrs.universe 1973 na c margarita moran ng pilipinas
I believe that they all have what it takes to be the next Bb. Pilipinas. However, when I was looking at there photos above, I was most mesmerized with Mary Jean’s beauty. As her school mate going back to college, I can say that she doesn’t only possess the external beauty, she has also the beauty whithin and that what makes her even more beautiful. I believe that she will be able to bring home the bacon and make Davaoeños proud. Good luck Mary Jean….”Kaya Nimu Nah…Ikaw Paba!..Abtik Lang!hehehe”
Just to let you know that I’ve changed the title of my article above, from “GINA JOY HOWELL: A FOUR-CUT JEWEL FOR BB. PILIPINAS” to “GINA JOY HOWELL: A FOUR-CUT JEWEL IN THE 2012 BB. PILIPINAS CROWN.” I’ve just realized that the latter sounds better. I was hoping you could remove the article, so that I will post another one with the better title. Sorry for the inconvenience. Just the same, thank you for being there all the time.
GINA JOY HOWELL: A FOUR-CUT JEWEL FOR BB. PILIPINAS
By ARIEL ALLERA
Cebu
Twenty-year-old Gina Joy Howell may not be the most hyped Binibining Pilipinas 2012 candidate, but she is damned well one beauteous belle worthy to wear a crown and bring honor to our country. I can’t say it enough: that she is perfect Miss International material, simply because she is gently beautiful owing to her soft facial features, demure demeanor, and immaculately clear complexion. Much as I’d like to give her the title, I have no right to limit her potential to such crown alone.
As pageant enthusiasts and supporters, we now have one more reason to be excited for our favorite candidates, because last March 7, BPCI (Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc.) acquired the franchise of a four-year-old global beauty pageant based in Europe; thus, four glittering crowns will be awarded this year: Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, Bb. Pilipinas-International, Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism, and Bb. Pilipinas-Supranational.
I was happy upon reading the news, because I’ve always visited the pageant’s website since the contest was founded in 2009 by World Beauty Association in Poland, and I believe in its mission that reads, “It is our passion to tear down borders. We draw attention to those countries on their way to become tourism destinations of high attraction. We enable the youth to expand their horizons by showing them the beautiful side of a truly globalized world.” Needless to say, Gina Howell’s youthful energy and vibrant beauty are very much in keeping with all of the above.
Any of the candidates could pass for every title in store, but what makes Miss International different from Miss Universe is the certain amount of fierceness. Yes, a Miss Universe doesn’t have to be fiercely beautiful all the time, but let’s face it, most Miss Universes (including the runners-up) do look so. Moreover, the fact that you are Miss Universe doesn’t necessarily mean you are more beautiful than Miss International, or than Miss Tourism Queen International, or than Miss Supranational—your distinct beauty just happens to be fit for that title.
Miss International 2005 Precious Lara Quigaman said that her childhood dream was to become Miss Universe. Had she been chosen to represent our country to the Miss Universe pageant in 2005, I’m sure she would’ve been easily blown out of the top five by no less than the four fierce Latina beauties: fourth runner-up Monica Spear (Venezuela), third runner-up Laura Elizondo (Mexico), second runner-up Renata Sone (Dominican Republic), and first runner-up Cynthia Olavarria (Puerto Rico), not to mention the winner who was the fiercest and the fairest of them all, Natalie Glebova from Canada.
What makes Gina Howell a cut above the rest is her five-feet-nine stature and svelte figure, which can take her just about anywhere, help her land safely, and let her bring home the bacon, if ever the Binibining Pilipinas-International crown won’t be bestowed on her. Since the pageant started in 1993, the winners of Miss Tourism Queen International vary in terms of look and style, just like Miss Supranational which is still new in the industry. It goes without saying that Gina can go between the four titles, because… done with fiercely styled hair, seductive eyebrow shape, dramatic eye shadow, thicker eyeliner, meticulously contoured nose, rouge blush, and a lip color only a team of Kryolan professional make-up artists could decide, Gina is good to go for Miss Universe!
More thanks to you, Norman, for letting me be read by your followers. It’s an honor to share my thoughts on Bb. Pilipinas 2012 with someone that’s deemed to be one of the top pageant bloggers in the country. You have no idea how highly I respect you in this department—alongside Joyce Ann Burton-Titular and Rafa Delfin. My brain is not functioning properly now, so I could only think of the three of you, plus my favorite commenters: Basil, Glenn Dyer, and Asian. I love the way these three beauties and brains put their thoughts into the comment fields, and I hate it when others go bashing the candidates they like least. May Rafa, Joyce, Basil, Glenn, Asian, and you continue to be objective with your opinions, because you are the front-runners in making a difference in the pageant world. Since I have already made friends with Joyce and Rafa on Facebook, I hope I could also befriend you, Glenn, Basil, and Asian. I would appreciate it if you could let them know how much I admire them for what they do. God bless!
Thank you for the kind words, Ariel. 🙂
GINA JOY HOWELL: Strutting Her Way Internationally
By ARIEL ALLERA
Cebu
The first time I saw Gina Joy Howell was during the Search for 2010 Mr. & Miss University-Philippines, an annual national inter-varsity beauty pageant held at the University of the Philippines Theater in Diliman, Quezon City, in which she placed first runner-up to Sabrinne Al-Tawil, one of last year’s Binibining Pilipinas official candidates. I was (Sharon Angel’s) the Region 7 delegate’s makeup artist and Gina represented Region 3. She was very sweet and well-mannered. Her impeccable Amerasian countenance, smooth skin, silky black hair, and stunning elegance made me think that she should consider joining Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant someday. Such combination of beauty and height should not be put in vain, for many are called but only few are chosen. There are a lot of beautiful girls out there who would kill to become Binibining Pilipinas, but could only keep on wishing, because their height won’t suffice. When I saw Gina popping out of the Gateway Suites after the Binibining Pilipinas 2012 final screening last February 11, I couldn’t help but take pride in my hunch two years ago. I was so happy to see her there, especially that she’s one of the standouts from this year’s lineup. I congratulated her on making it as an official candidate, and am very proud of her because she has what it takes to represent our country internationally.
Among this year’s bevy of beauties, Angeles City-Pampanga’s Gina Joy Howell tops my favorite picks for the title of Binibining Pilipinas-International 2012. Why? She’s a natural charmer, a pretty lady, a lovely lass, some perfect girlfriend material. I will never ever fall in love with a woman, but I have a feeling that’s what a Miss International is mostly about—however, the smart and gorgeous Gina may not be able to prove her brains in this event that traditionally skips the all-important interview competition. And because the Miss International Beauty Pageant may not be quite particular about height, Gina’s five-feet-nine stature would be an ace up her sleeve.
Gina Howell’s immaculate, almost porcelain-white skin stems from an unblemished mix of American and Filipino blood. She glides like a darling of the crowd. While many missologists are saying she looks like Binibining Pilipinas-International 2004 Margaret Ann Bayot, I would say that she bears more than a passing resemblance to Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez, only a little fairer in complexion. And because Melanie was awarded by Global Beauties as the Most Beautiful Miss International 1960 – 2000, it would be perfect if Gina be given the Binibining Pilipinas-International crown, so that the Miss International Beauty Pageant organizers in Japan would feel visited by the most memorable winner that has ever walked their stage. Needless to say, Gina would also make a strong contender for Miss Tourism Queen International, but she is too pretty for Miss Universe.
Thanks for sharing, ariel. Her mom would love reading this. 😉
Thank you for profiling each of the candidates and posting their official headshots. It’s not that I find it unfair; I’ve just noticed that while some girls are given longer descriptions of themselves, some others seem to be underrated. Hence, please allow me to share my brief blog on Gina Joy Howell, my top favorite for the title of Binibining Pilipinas 2012-International. I may have posted the same somewhere else, but am hoping that you could give me a space here just the same. Thank you so much.
Katrina Jayne Dimaranan’s story moved me to tears. I admire her for the strength that she’s mustered as a result of her life experiences. It’s good that there’s a candidate who had such a life, so that many people, not just young girls, out there will be inspired by her. One huge reason why Venus Raj is well loved by many is because of the instant inspiration that she became when she won such a prestigious beauty title as Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2010 despite her poverty, when she placed as fourth runner-up at Miss Universe despite the obstacles that she had encountered en route to the competition. If Katrina wins one of the four crowns, she will be an instrument of strength for those who are on the verge of despair; through her example and by her inspiration, many of the homeless individuals out there will feel at home in the assurance that with faith in God, perseverance, and hard work, nothing can stop someone beautiful from getting there. And I’m not just talking about a beautiful woman, but any person who’s beautiful both inside and out.
— ARIEL ALLERA (Cebu)
I was blown away with the background of Kathrine Dimaranan, she is too young to experience those misfortunes. but look at her now,looks like she has never been through those trials. should she win one of the four titles come the pageant night,i’ll have no objection at all.
dimaranan for the win!
I was also surprised to read about Katrina’s background because it doesn’t show on her at all and one would have never known. It’s also the kind of story that the Trump organization likes to hear about. Imagine if she won Miss Universe, headlines would scream “Formerly homeless girl wins Miss Universe,,,” Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda was lionized by the media here in the U.S. specifically because he was homeless at one point in his life.
Katrina continues to be one of my solid choices for this year. And I agree that the human interest angle works in her favor without the story overly-shouting for attention. She always projects a dignified self in all her presentations.
I was surprised as well. Who wouldn’t root for her at this point? I’ve been rooting for her since I saw her pictures and videos from screening. I really hope she does well. Miss U perhaps.
I totally agree with Glenn!.
Thanks, Asian. The more I look at and compare the candidates, the more I’m beginning to realize Katrina seems to be one who has it all…