Courtesy of Tony Paat
The year was 1993. And it had one of the most intrigue-laden candidates’ screenings in the pageant’s history ever after everyone waited for then upcoming actress Sharmaine Ruffa Gutierrez until very late to show up and be counted as an aspirant for the year’s batch of Binibinis. She eventually did and became the hot favorite to win the Bb. Pilipinas Universe crown. However, the less popular but equally competitive Dindi Gallardo was not to be denied the chance to gun for the highest title as well. The two of them were like the two frontrunners by a mile. Everyone else had to be happy competing for the Bb. Pilipinas International or Tourism crown which eventually went to the late Sheela Mae Santarin and Jenette Fernando. This was also the edition when the Bb. Pilipinas Look of the Year title was handed out to Ana Maria Gonzales.
normannorman.com 
In my opnion, Ruffa’s placement was the right one in that year. Yes, she was very well a Miss Universe caliber lady but I don’t think she would topple off Dayanara Torres. At best, Ruffa would have been the first runner up. Now, I’m assuming that Miss World back then is not the same (and as boring as) the ‘very conservative and charity-oriented pageant’ that it is today. I’m picturing that MW back then is somehow more similar to MU during that era. Now, looking at the Top 3 of MW1993 gosh kitang kita naman na angat na angat si Ruffa. Politics aside, we really should have had our first Miss World crown in 1993. Kaso ayun nga, napulitika talaga si Ruffa bigtime
@ unorthodox I was honestly surprised by Dayanara’s win. I was expecting Paolo/Colombia.
Dayanara looked and sounded quite RAW. She was probably 18, if I am right, then.
You are right. MW back then was much like MU.
Paola.
Oh really? well, i was basing my judgment on their facial beauty naman and I think i would have favored Venezuela’s Milka Chulina over Paula Betancur
Dayanara wasn’t a frontrunner then. She was a dark horse.
When Mexico failed to make the cut, Mexicans looked for someone to cheer and they chose Dayanara.
C Dindi ay naglakad lang at nagsmile ay nanalo na🤧
Pang MU Ang personality ni Ruffa at di patatalo sa mga Latina😊
Dindi looks amazing I think she has a prettier face than ruffa???
Dindi looks amazing I think she has a prettier face than ruffa???
Fire fire fire is the key . Something we saw in Ruffa Miriam Venus Janine Pia and Cat. Nina Ricci had that too but the MU judges saw that as overconfidence. I would love to see her go head to head against Lara Dutta who, after re-watching the show , was not that impressive at all.
I wish Ruffa had won MUP
I think Dindi was a deserving winner as well . She just did not have the fire that Ruffa showed . I also know people were not very confident about Ruffa especially after losing big time at Look of the Yr .
As it turned out , Ruffa had the last laugh
Yung mga nagsasabi na si Gazini daw ang may pinaka walang kwentang sagot sa Q & A ay hindi nakakita ng video na ‘to.
Jusko, di hamak milya2x ang lamang ni Gazini sa Q and A performance ni Dindi!! Kaloka. Literally HINDI and WALANG naisagot!
Tama ka!
May preliminary judging na po at sa closed door interview ginawa yung scored na Q&A. Formality na lang yung coronation. At si Dindi mismo nagsabi na maayos yung interview nya.
Kahit sa MU, sa interview sya may pinakamataas na score. 9 point something. Mababa lang sya sa ss at eg kaya di kinaya hilain.
Si Gazini, ay malamang sumemplang sa closed door interview.
*graciously declined. Said she will just help out in training the new MU representative.
Sayang din.
But 1998 is a strong year. It is a battle of two 6 foot stunners. Wendy was the frontrunner and Verushka had the highest televised swimsuit score until 2002.
Ano ba itong pinagsasasabi ko. Bored kasi.
If you watch the pageant you can see Dindi is ahead by a hair. She won a lot of sponsor awards and even the major awards. I also read that the coronation was just a formality since the girls were previously judged and dindi did well in the closed door interview.
Though I believe they should have switched crown. Ruffa had a fighting chance against the Latinas of 1993. (My preferred top 3 would have been Ruffa, Paola and Milka)
Ruffa did had a chance to compete in MU in 1998. When Tisha Silang was dethroned due to citizenship issues. Madam offered the title to Ruffa on a silver platter, but she denied. And Jewel May Lobaton was sent to MU.
And I thank you.
true?
Melinda Joanna Tanseco Gallardo or simply Dindi won the Universe crown because of the strategic placement thingy. It was believed then that Ruffa would give Miss World the acceptance among Pinoy fans. It backfired though. While Pinoys glued themselves to the MW finals night, a howl of disbelief and protest reverberated across the archipelago when she was denied her victory by Jamaica and South Africa. Dindi redeemed herself from her Bb Q & A fiasco when she got a 9 something score during her preliminary interviews. Her EG & Swimwear scores couldn’t save her though. She made headlines I think a year ago when she won a multi million settlement case against her high profile employers in the US. Anyway, these are blurry reminiscences from the past that I’m sharing for trivia fans
I meant a decade or so not a year ago
For me, posture, walk, charm, bearing, and body proportion, Dindi is the best in the batch. Nerve got the better of her during the coronation night’s Q and A where many people are watching onsite and on TV. I think she did well during the closed-door interview.
The CASE of DINDI GALLARDO is SIMILAR to THAT of Maxene Medina and Gazini Ganados. EVEN IF THEY DID VERY POORLY in the Q&A, STILL THEY WERE CROWNED as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe/ Miss Universe Philippines titleholders. So TALO LAHAT SILANG TATLO sa MU. Thus we need to SEND (ALWAYS) the GIRL who HAS the BEST COMMUNICATION SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE LEVEL to MU every year (especially in this IMG era).
SO sino sa limang ito – Alaiza, April, Michelle, Ysabella &Pauline, ang dapat nating ipadala sa Miss Universe this year?
@ Pierro Rocco Dude, matutuwa ang Camp (at si Mr. Tinio) sa ‘yo. 🙂
Kim Docekalova – Pauline (both are halfie)
Patraporn Wang – Ysabella (both have nice wardrobe)
Tanachapohn Boonsang – Alaiza (both are sexy)
Miriam Somnprommas – Apriel (both are tall models)
Paweensuda Saetan-Drouin – Michelle (both somehow connected to Cat at one point or another)
This will be a talkative court! I can hardly wait for the CNN Philippines interview!
Hopefully, this “Metal Rat” will dissipate very soon so that the 2020 pageant season will proceed unscathed, masking accrual to 2021 unnecessary and so paving the way for Atty. Patitay’s VICTORY.
I remember what Jose “Pitoy” Moreno said. Dindi “had no business losing” (at MU).
Typo. making, not masking.
Ano’ng tawag du’n sa speech disorder na “b” is pronounced “m”?
So, “baking” and “basking” in reverse,…. (hihihih…).
Michele Therese Imperial Gumabao, 28 PHILIPPINES!!!!
Di maman din magaling ang mga sagot ni Desiree… nanalo naman.
Pauleen. Facial beauty, very witty level pusa and 5’7. I ask around she is really 5’7
Cons even though she is 5’7 she looks shorter bec of her boxer like body but nevertheless madadaan naman Yan sa exercise at maganda NG styling
But please I don’t want to expect. Personal birdie na close sa mga head NG mup it’s bet Bella who is not even 5’5 and mitch gumabao ang tinakda Kaya nga Pina back up si ahtisa naitakda na daw
Michelle would be a good choice for Miss Universe Philippines title. She is almost a total package. She has to trim down a little bit coz she is a little bit bulky and she has improve her pasarella. But I don’t think she has a good chance of winning the MU crown. Semi-finals would be the farthest she could reach.
If Ruffa was crowned MUP that year, she would have gone head to head with Dayanara Torres. That would be interesting to watch. And knowing Pinoy fans, we could have rallied for Ruffa as one nation.
@ cAmiLLa YAASSS!!!!! And Paola Betancur will complete that maybe-Mythic MuyTres! 🙂
My mother would later tell me she was probably Latin American relation to the Betancourt of Europe, who were known through history for fabulous wealth. In Foreign News later, a female Latin American Betancourt journalist was released by hostages ostensibly after her family coughed out ransom money.
In any case, Colombia has given GREAT MU moments. In addition to tall-classy Betancur were friendly-humble Carolina Gomez, BOOMbastic Paulina Vega, SULTRY-yet-smart Laura Gonzales, and PRETTY Taliana Vargas (who started that trend of “throwing the evening dress” drama).
@Flor, you forgot Catalina Acosta who narrowly missed the top five in 2000 due to a tepid and tentative swimsuit presentation.
Shuta! Iba talaga ang amats ng nCov19. Panay typo ako today. Holy cra_!
“… released by hostages….”. LOLZ (natuwa sa sarili).
Should have been “released by hostage-takers”. 🙂
@ Cool Brew ‘Eyow, po…. How are things with you?
Catalina Acosta, got it! Will watch her Full Performance (once I find).
@Flor, scores of local pageants have either been put on hold or cancelled. It wont be a Merry May this summer coz of Tita COVID
Yes flor. Manila diamond hotel is 500 meters away from Aristocrat 😊
It was a shocking result! Beauty and personality wise–I would go for Ruffa…stance and bearing–Ruffa…Q and A–Ruffa…can’t understand why Dindi was crowned MUP that year. Her Q and A blooper was one for the books!! Looked sleepy and bored during the finals night too. Although there were gossips after,that SMA did pick Ruffa to represent us in MW …but Ruffa was robbed again by a rottweiler and a pitbull
@ Sjeffie Cheon I, for one, would like Blogger Boss to one day post on how much the high-society-connected fashion designers of that day influenced the results. Moreno, Farrales, Salud, and perhaps even Alonzo from earlier time?
It was no better in the ateliers of Paris. For example, Alaia said Lagerfeld was “too much caricature”.
Does this still happen with the likes of Almodal, Santiago, Curata, or Leguiab? Or has the “new modesty” made things tamer-genial?
Dindi’s performance that night is worse pala compared sa mga bina bash the winners in the last 20 years. Mas magaling pa pala ang pergormance ni Gazini.
“Look of the Year” was the Elite franchise, no? And Joey Espino held the Ford franchise for Filipinas through Cal-Carrie’s (Singapore, Ford’s sub-agent in ASEAN at the time), no?
Sharon Sangalang, #8, was the Nelda Ibe pre-cursor. Practices martial arts and dreams of piloting.
Manila Diamond Hotel is along Roxas Boulevard, right? Is it far from Aristocrat Restaurant? (YUMMY)
JoJo Kierulf Zabarte of silverstar poductions held the local franchise for Ford Supermodel then. She was alta kaya the candidates in the inaugural edition in 1987 were anak ng DBF or de buena familias…. Patricia Panlilio was a top seven finalist
What was the relationship between Dindi and Ruffa, then (especially during the pageant) and now? Cordial, friendly ba sila?
Civil is more like it
YEAH…BUT RUFFA WAS CROWNED 2ND PRINCESS…Dindi was crownless…UNPLACED…
Dindi’s performance that night is worse pala compared sa mga bina bash the winners in the last 20 years. Mas magaling pa pala ang pergormance ni Gazini.
This was the year of not so impressive batch of candidates. Only a handful were considered beautiful is todays standards.
Coz many of the qualified girls walked out after the late screening of Ruffa.