Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific International 2015 Leren Mae Bautista leaves for Kuala Lumpur
Earlier in the day, Mutya ng Pilipinas Asia-Pacific International 2015 Leren Mae Bautista departed for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia via Air Asia to represent the Philippines in the Miss Tourism Queen of the Year 2015 which will have its World Finals on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2015.
Semoga berjaya is good luck in Bahasa Malaysia. And with Leren is our wish that she continues the top placement of the Philippines in the Tourism competition. While the title has changed (owing to the transfer of Miss Tourism International contest to Vietnam where Janela Joy Cuaton will compete early 2016), this should serve to encourage our Mutya even more because it should be a relatively new title to our ears should she claim victory just minutes before 2016 comes.
Pic's sexiness is glowing in this Raymond SaldaƱa image once more
Above is another Raymond Saldana photo of Miss Universe Philippines 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach in all her shapely glory. Truth be told, the image was taken at the height of Bb. Pilipinas 2015. But since our Queen has gone full blast with her gym training under John Cuay, expect a leaner, meaner and sexier version of our Miss Universe 2015 bet in just a few months from now. She is taking the discipline more seriously than ever.
By then, her new shots will definitely make you believe in her hard work and determination even more. š
One more time with Ines Ligron, our Pia. (Photo credit: Ines Ligron)
Janine Tugonon, the surprise placer of Bb. Pilipinas 2011, smiles after being adjudged 1st Runner-Up (Photo credit: Mabuhay Beauties)
Mary Jean Lastimosa being awarded 2nd Runner-Up by last year's counterpart, Nicolette Henson (Photo credit: Mabuhay Beauties)
Runners-Up can be cruel placements in a national beauty pageant. Not that it absolutely lacks luster, but it honors your performance without the big prize package and with no promise of international representation whatsoever. But in Bb. Pilipinas 2011 where the bar of competition was raised so high, making it to the Top 5 is nothing short of an achievement. This is the fate of Janine Tugonon and Mary Jean “MJ” Lastimosa this year.
First Runner-Up Janine Tugonon is considered the surprise performer of this batch. From practically out of nowhere, she made it to the Top 15 and then wowed everyone at the Araneta Coliseum with her fluid (albeit sounding a bit rehearsed) answer to the Q&A. One of the prides of the University of Santo Tomas, this Bataan native gained so much momentum going into the announcement of winners that she surpassed such perceived heavyweights like Patricia Tumulak, Diana Arevalo and Sabrinne Al-Tawil to gain the judges’ nod for a runner-up finish, one tier from a crown if you will. Not bad for a candidate earlier dismissed by some quarters as one of this year’s ‘Thank You Girls’.
On the other hand, MJ Lastimosa has been considered by many as a real threat to one of the crowns, not to mention being a permanent fixture in almost everyone’s list of favorites. During the coronation night, this Davaoena was in her best elements all throughout. But as it turned out to be, she was just good enough for a 2nd Runner-Up position (which I correctly predicted). Why, oh why? Well, she might have sounded all too sure and over-confident during her Q&A and that must have counted a lot during the deliberations made afterwards. Personally, her quip that went like “I am one of the stars in the universe and I am the brightest” is uncalled for because confidence can be projected in not so many words and still be effective. Just the same, the contest is over and all she can do is move on and make the most out of her placement.
I don’t know if these two ladies are qualified to join Miss World Philippines 2011 because there is an alleged ruling that no candidate from other national competitions can participate. But they should be shoo-ins for that one if ever. On second thought, they are tied down by their Bb. Pilipinas contracts for the next 12 months so they’re stuck with Madame.
That’s it! I have completed my dedicated blogs to all of Bb. Pilipinas 2011 winners and runners-up. Let’s wait and see for the next developments that await all 5 girls and continue to show our support for them.
Isabella will make a beautiful and refreshing endorser of the Department of Tourism indeed!
When Isabella Catipunan Manjon was crowned Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism 2011 last April 10, the country’s Departmen of Tourism (DOT) finally found itself a new face to promote Philippine tourism. And what a beautiful face indeed!
This is not the first time that a Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism crown was handed out by BPCI. It was revived this year to make up for the absence of the previous Bb. Pilipinas-World title that has already changed franchise-holders. And I sincerely hope that the organizers cooperate with DOT to the fullest so as they can maximize Isabella’s one year reign as the latter’s Ambassadress. I’m pretty confident she can parlay her beauty and winsome personality to attract more visitors to the country by way of attending international tourism and trade fairs locally and abroad. She will also make a very refreshing endorser should a new DOT print ad or TVC be released in the following months. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that!
Now, should BPCI decide to appoint her as Philippine representative to one of the smaller beauty pageants in the region, then I can confidently state that Isabella will make waves and bring honor to the country. I’m keeping my fingers crossed again for such possibility!
Regardless, I am hoping that Isabella does not end being just a nominal beauty queen cutting ribbons here and there or making lame personal appearances in basketball games or (worse) cockfighting championships hosted by the Aranetas. Since there is no guaranteed international competition earmarked for her title, there has to be more interesting projects to make her reign more useful and memorable. š
Bb. Pilipinas International 2010 Krista Kleiner getting ready to crown Bb. Pilipinas International 2011 Dianne Necio (Photo credit: Mabuhay Beauties)
Beaming with pride after clinching the Bb. Pilipinas-International 2011 win. (Photo credit: Mabuhay Beauties)
Actually, Dianne Elaine Samar Necio was already lucky when she joined Bb. Pilipinas 2010. It’s just that she wasn’t lucky enough to nail one of the crowns and another Bicolana (Venus Raj) was blessed with one. She did land 1st Runner-Up honors, but the ranking barely satisfied this 19 year-old’s desire to represent the country in an international beauty competition abroad. Her wish was granted this year, but not before taking the big risk of giving up on her 2010 placement (and the remaining prizes that came with it) in order to return as Official Candidate for 2011.
Dianne was full of confidence when she participated in the preliminary screening of candidates. She milked dry her being 1st Runner-Up last year in order to add some plus points that should make her stand out among the ladies. But when the dust settled and the 39 other contenders started their respective conquests for victory, she found herself pressured to do even more. The mere sight of her batchmates is enough to put her head on a spin.
Undaunted by the increasing probability of not eclipsing her runner-up performance, she upped her ante and went full steam ahead in surviving the onslaught of several press and social networking sites’ favorites. She dutifully went on with her gameplan. Before the coronation night, some ends started wagging comments that Dianne will only win should Madame Stella Marquez de Araneta start pulling strings in her favor or that she should have joined in 2012 instead to get a better chance of winning. She ignored the same and kept her composure.
Dianne during the Bb. Pilipinas 2011 swimsuit competition (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)
Finals night came and she failed to get a single Special Award. Not a good sign for the weak-willed. But when the Top 15 Finalists were announced, she was only too happy to join the cut because she knew that she prepared well for the Q&A. And when her time came to be asked a question, judge Silvana Fornari queried on her best achievement and what she plans to do in the next 12 months of her life. I reckon that this must have been a convenient topic for Dianne to shed light on because she proudly replied about her being Bb. Pilipinas 2010 1st Runner-Up as her proudest feat so far and that finally winning a 2011 Bb. Pilipinas crown will fill in the succeeding months preparing for and hopefully ending up victorious in the international pageant arena.
The confidence in her delivery did not go unnoticed in the judges’ score cards. Binibini 33 was called winner of Bb. Pilipinas-International and she went to centerstage tearful but filled with happiness.
I’m pretty sure Dianne will devote her time training hard for the 2011 Miss International as she aims to become the 5th Filipina to win the prestigious title in China. She has the pretty demanding work cut out for her. And all we can do is show our support. Can she count on that from all of us? š
Shamcey Supsup (center) with fellow winners (L-R) MJ Lastimosa, Isabella Manjon, Dianne Necio and Janine Tugonon. (Photo credit: Mabuhay Beauties)
courtesy of OPMBvids
Shamcey during the Bb. Pilipinas 2011 swimsuit competition (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide)
Some people think that Shamcey Gurrea Supsup had it easy during Bb. Pilipinas 2011 and that the right to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2011 Pageant was handed to her on a silver platter. In reality, this 24 year-old lass from General Santos City probably went through one of the toughest national competitions ever, given the ferocious batch of ladies who have their eyes fixed on the top prize.
Consider this, she was fielded by Jonas Gaffud’s beauty camp along with tough as nails co-finalists Mary Jean Lastimosa, Diana Arevalo, Queenierich Rehman and Kristina Marasigan. And to add more pressure, Rodgil Flores’ group entered four more strong bets – Dianne Necio, Isabella Manjon, Patricia Tumulak and Kathleen Subijano (all in the Top 15 as well). It doesn’t stop there because a 3rd trainer – John dela Vega – had Sabrinne Al-Tawil, Janine Tugonon, Luzelle Felipe, Wendy Lucas and Jenn-Roe Gubat zooming to the all-important cut. And not to diminish the quality of the remaining candidates, she also had to keep an eye on those who have the backing of ABS-CBN such as Arabella Hanesh, Chloe McCully, Zephora Mayon and even the Clenci sisters.
So you see, Shamcey’s road to the Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2011 crown was anything but smooth. And throughout it all, she never displayed any signs of cockiness after discovering that she was indeed a heavy favorite to win. She did not even play up her academic pedigree – a Magna cum Laude graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Architecture who topped the June 2010 Licensure Examinations with a grade of 86.60% – to emphazise on her intellectual superiority. People lapped up and hyped on her credentials, but she wasn’t one to shout out to the whole world of the same.
Right before the April 10 finals, all sorts of predictions were posted in blogs (including this one) and social networking sites. Shamcey’s name was not a consistent placer in everyone’s Top 3 or Top 5 because the supporters alone of Patricia Tumulak, Dianne Necio, Sabrinne Al-Tawil, Isabella Manjon and Diana Arevalo were just as rabid in pushing for their own bets. But this never dampened her spirits and she went on with her personal cause of winning a crown.
Shamcey half-believing that she actually won the top plum last Sunday night, with Venus fixing the crown. (Photo credit: Mabuhay Beauties)
On the night that it mattered most, this girl played her cards right. She had one of the best stylings and kept to mind all the trainings she underwent to insure that she effortlessly stands out among the 40 wannabes. Right from the introduction videos where she made a double swirl while introducing herself to the swimsuit round where she glided and sashayed onstage with the ease of a gazelle to the evening gown portion where she fashionably maximized her Cumbia creation’s potential to the fullest, she scooped a lion’s share of the Special Awards (Miss Philippine Airlines, Miss Creamsilk and Best in Talent) on her way to joining 14 others in the one and only cut of the evening.
From that point, half the battle was won because Q&A is known to be one of Shamcey’s strongest suits. But something relatively unexpected happened. Majority of the Top 15 handled their interviews in a decidedly articulate way that left the judges (as clearly echoed by one of them, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda) more confused on who to select as winners. Fortunately, she did not let her guards down. As expected, she aced her answer to Ambassador Hugh Wilson’s question which sealed her victory.
When Shamcey’s name was announced as winner of Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2011, her reaction was an incessant mix of joy and surprise. Her constant muttering of “Oh my God!” indicated a sincerity that can be easily felt. If you just watch the crowning moment again, you will see her tight hug with Venus Raj (who also comes from Jonas Gaffud’s camp) with the latter whispering her parting shots of wisdom. Also, you can’t help but be touched when Diana Arevalo congratulated her and they were briefly shown in a loving eye-to-eye exchange of words.
So what’s next for her? B-R-A-Z-I-L, baby! Between now and August, she will undergo intensive training and development from BPCI. I’m dead sure that Venus Raj will make herself available to help in polishing our girl, what with the valuable tips that she can impart to guarantee a stand-out participation in Sao Paolo come September. Of course, her trips to the gym with the organizers’ officlal trainer are already booked, just as her further courses with Carnegie to enhance what she already has.
At this point, what we can do is show our love and support for Shamcey. Haters, steer clear, at least until the second half of September. If you have nothing constructive to share, then keep your silence. There’s just no room for bashing when all she needs are words of encouragement. The national competition is over. Let’s move on, and walk with her on the road to the Miss Universe crown! š
After many, many weeks of waiting and anticipating, the winners of Bb. Pilipinas 2011 were finally crowned last night in a dazzling pageant production at Araneta Coliseum that saw the country’s premiere beauty competition evolve into an uber-modern concept (fantastic stage and over-all production!) courtesy of ABS-CBN.
WINNERS ALL (L-R): Mary Jean Lastimosa, 2nd Runner-Up; Isabella Manjon, Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism; Shamcey Supsup, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe; Dianne Necio, Bb. Pilipinas-International and Janine Tugonon, 1st Runner-Up (Photo credit: Jory Rivera of OPMB Worldwide)
The Queens of 2011:
Shamcey Supsup (R) being crowned Bb. Pilipinas-Universe by last year's winner and Miss Universe 2010 4th Runner-Up Venus Raj (Photo credit: Jory Rivera of OPMB Worldwide)
Bb. Pilipinas 2011 2nd Runner-Up Mary Jean Lastimosa
2nd Runner-Up:
MARY JEAN LASTIMOSA #34
The rest of the Top 15 finalists:
Patricia Tumulak #6
Kristina Marasigan #8
Diana Arevalo #11
Queenie Rehman #13
Sabrinne Al-Tawil #16
Wendy Lucas #19
Luzelle Felipe #23
Kathleen Subijano #30
Jenn-Roe Gubat #32
Sarah Clenci #37
The Special Awardees:
Best in Swimsuit – #13 Queenie Rehman
Best in Long Gown – #23 Luzelle Felipe
Face of Bb. Pilipinas – #7 Angelia Ong
Miss Friendship – #31 Samantha Purvor
Miss Creamsilk – #26 Shamcey Supsup
Miss Philippine Airlines – #26 Shamcey Supsup
Manila Bulletin Readers’ Choice – #23 Luzelle Felipe
Best in Talent – #26 Shamcey Supsup
Are you happy or surprised with the outcome? Share your thoughts.
Anyways, the grand event was hosted by hunk actor (and a one-time Bb. Pilipinas host in the early 90s) Derek Ramsay, actress KC Concepcion, plus previous winners Miriam Quiambao (Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1999 and Miss Universe 1999 1st Runner-Up) and Precious Lara Quigaman (Miss International 2005).
Congratulations, ladies!!! š
All individual photos of the ladies are courtesy of Bruce Casanova of OPMB Worldwide.
The Reigning Queens (L-R) Bb. Pilipinas-International 2010 Krista Kleiner, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2010 Venus Raj and Bb. Pilipinas-World 2010 Czarina Gatbonton (Photo credit: Bong Tan of Missosology.org)
Tonight, these three ladies will end their reign. For two of them – Krista and Venus – the past year has been both memorable and a wee bit heartbreaking. First off, Venus snapped more than a decade’s worth of Miss Universe participation by placing in the semifinals and eventually inching her way to the Top 5 with a 4th Runner-Up placement. Many fans and supporters believe that she could have captured a higher ranking if not for that “major, major” reply during the final Q&A. But everything’s water under the bridge and she has already moved on, complete with a blossoming TV career as one of the morning show hosts of ABS-CBN’s “Umagang Kay Ganda.
courtesy of OPMBvids
On the other hand, Krista had unbridled self-confidence going to the Miss International 2010 competition in China. She was dead-sure of placing in the Top 3, if not winning the pearl-encrusted crown itself. Right at the onset, she fiercely represented the country and stood out in almost every pre-pageant activity, including topping the talent competition where she performed a wildly-applauded song-and-dance number. Finals night saw her winning two special awards (Miss Expression and Miss Talent) on the way to being called in the semifinals. Sadly, the journey ended there but she still took everything in stride, with the help of boyfriend-singer Jay-R who consoled her with unconditional love and support.
As for Czarina, she may not have made a clear dent during the Miss World proceedings in China and ended up being one of the proverbial ‘Thank-You-Girls’ but her reign ought to be more historic as she will be remembered as the very last Bb. Pilipinas-World ever. After BPCI lost the Miss World franchise to Cory Quirino, the country’s premier national pageant is left with two major titles at stake. The dusky beauty from Malolos won’t be relinquishing her crown tonight, but she will surely be around for her farewell walk.
All in all, I would say that it was an above average performing year for Bb. Pilipinas. And for that, my heartfelt thanks to Krista, Venus and Czarina for continuing the lifelong tradition of showing the real essence of Filipina beauty around the world.
I say ‘fearfully fearless’ because I can’t remember the last time I had this much difficulty deciding on who to forecast as winners of Bb. Pilipinas 2011 tomorrow night. Almost every year for the past decade alone, predicting the Bb. Pilipinas-Universe titleholder was accurately targetted going into the homestretch. There were surprises, but not for the top plum.
Before anything else, here is a short video of my favorites for the pageant before I made my final analysis…
This year, losing a 3rd major title to predict a winner for makes it even more challenging. You see, pageant experts will agree with me when I say that there is already a traditional mold for each of the three competitions abroad – Goddess/Catwalk Diva mode for Miss Universe, Doll-like but Sensuous Beauty for Miss International and Beauty-Brains-Talent combo for Miss World. Losing one of the three leaves us with two templates to fit possible beauty queens in. And given the highly competitive batch of 2011 delegates, there is a very good probability of missing the mark in terms of predicting the eventual victors. Thus, I am not absolutely putting my name on the line here. Several factors can affect the results – foremost of which is the Q&A that can quickly topple frontrunner/s to runner-up positions.
With that in mind, here are my calculated guesses divided into four categories:
Gut-feel tells me that Isabella Manjon and Diana Arevalo will get themselves crowned as Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and Bb. Pilipinas-International. I did not say ‘respectively’ because they are interchangeable. Isabella, inarguably the girl with the prettiest face among the 40, can qualify for either the Miss Universe or Miss International competitions. She is highly trainable and with a charming personality to boot. The global contests are still many months away so whatever shortcomings can still be improved. Her fluency in Spanish – on top of being rumored as Madame Stella Marquez de Araneta’s personal favorite – is icing on the cake.
On the other hand, Diana – the lady who learned her lessons well from a failed first bid two years ago – can make wonders in either of the two aforementioned pageants as well, given more sharp training and polishing. I know that she can improve on whatever her limitations are and maximize her strengths to the fullest. Hence, she should be able to stand tall in the midst of international delegates. She knows how to hype herself up in a subtle but effective way and that is something hard to implant in a person with just plain training.
Owing to the loss of the Miss World franchise, Binibining Pilipinas will most likely hand out a third title but a minor one – perhaps Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism – which equals the level of the old Miss Maja Pilipinas complete with crown and sash but sans big cash prize. This could be where Dianne Necio enters the picture. Having finished 1st Runner-Up last year, she ran the big risk of either wiining or losing for 2011. On a leaner year, she could have easily zoomed to the top. Sadly, this batch is not. Nonetheless, in the event that she gets to represent the Philippines in one of the minor beauty tilts abroad – like Miss Globe – then her efforts did not go to waste.
When someone pulls the rug from right under your nose, it means that you’ve been had or defeated. ‘In the Courts’ are the runners-up who came close to winning the crown and yet, fell short during the final deliberation of the judges. These are ladies who are also capable of getting a title. But due to the fact that there are only two being offered, they have to make do with being part of the court. If good fortune does not hold in favor of Isabella or Diana or both, then one (or two) of these three beauties can end up hugging the limelight even brighter.
Shamcey is the perennial favorite to win the Bb. Pilipinas-Universe crown. But as the weeks have passed since the Press Presentation, her star has started to fade, not necessarily losing steam but getting eclipsed by other competitors whose drive to win has been anything but complacent. Her main edge is intelligence. She scores high on beauty of face as well. But these qualities could be put to waste if she does not show the extra oomph in the battlefield of fierceness. There remains an unmistakable old-fashion appeal from time to time and this won’t augur well for the Miss Universe Pageant which evolves and updates itself just like the latest apps on Apple and Android. I can still see her going to Brazil, but right now, the e-ticket has slipped her grasp.
How about Mary Jean or MJ? The lady with the killer body and ultra-exotic skin color (due to her half-Middle Eastern descent) is everyone’s idea of a deadly Miss Universe bet if only she is blessed with a few more inches in height. Her catwalk skills are a joy to watch as each glide and turn is punctuated by eye-popping body movements built with cuts in the right places. Add to that her abs and you get a crowd-drawing albeit petite contender. Her communication skills tend to be middling but she won’t be a letdown in this part. Unfortunately, I don’t see a crown on her head tonight. She will fight tooth and nail, but a runner-up position should not demoralize her. If she springs a surprise, then I say….good for her!
And that leaves me with Patricia whose aim is to make fierce waves in her first attempt at a BB. Pilipinas win. I want her on top, actually. But I have a nagging feeling that she might not be able to lift herself up to the big time. I couldn’t put a finger on that one factor that I find amiss but off-guard, there are still inconsistencies in her personal style. Just like MJ, I won’t fall off my seat if she ends up victorious. For her supporters, just hope her lucky stars align between now and tomorrow night.
These are the candidates who could make it to the semifinals. One or two of them may pull off a surprise by placing higher, but I’m not counting on it 100%. At any rate, excellent Q&A can catapult anyone to the Top 5 so fast that all we can do is be impressed and charge it all to random serendipity. For the record, I can set aside Sabrinne Al-Tawil, Jenette Noguchi and Kathleen Subijano as the ones with the brightest prospects of doing so.
Sabrinne
Jenette
Luzelle
Arabella
Chloe
Krystle Ann
Queenie
Paula
Kathleen
Jenn-Roe
Samantha
Janine
Sarah
Jennielyn
In summary, there are all sorts of combinations that can be made for the set of winners for 2011. Guessing (or second-guessing) the right combination is open to less hits and more misses. All things being equal, we should be happy that the group of wannabes this year is an outstanding one, definitely no slim pickings here. And to whoever the surprise semifinalist or runner-up or (heaven forbid) winner will be, my hope is that it won’t be pure luck working in her favor but qualities we all have never been aware of as armchair judges or personal appearance spectators.
Truth be told, it is hard to trim down the girls to just the Top 15 so I opted to add a few more to make it a Top 20. Let’s compare notes tomorrow night as Bb. Pilipinas 2011 The Pageant culminates at the Araneta Coliseum with a slight delayed airing on ABS-CBN after Pilipinas Got Talent.
Hi! Norman here. When I'm not working, I spend most of my free time planning on daily blogs. If you will notice, I always make sure that a fresh topic comes out everyday - not an easy thing to do but it's all good. Thanks for dropping by and enjoy the visit!
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