Janine Tugonon in her latest pic taken during the Dress Me Up event at the Gateway Mall last Saturday, November 10. (Photo credit: Bruce Casanova/OPMB Worldwide)

In less than a month from now, Las Vegas will open its’ doors to the most beautiful women of the Universe. Temperatures will surely be rising, the cool climate of December notwithstanding.

The Philippine bet – Janine Mari Tugonon – is not leaving precious stones unturned to insure that she starts making a mark in Planet Hollywood the minute she lands on the strip. And for 2012, there will be no pre-arrival Colombia trip for Miss Philippines. You can either blame or thank Hurricane Sandy for the cancelled practice. BPCI Head Stella Marquez de Araneta was one of those stuck in the US during the said natural calamity. As a result, the Madame wasn’t able to fix everything according to original plans.

The question is…will skipping Bogota augur positively for our Janine? We know fully well that she could be on the verge of triplicating – if not surpassing – the back-to-back placements of Venus Raj and Shamcey Supsup in 2010 and last year. And it was in Colombia where the popular ‘tsunami’ walk was born. Where will this new development leave our rep? My answer is…it could very well be a blessing-in-disguise.

Top photo and left bottom were taken during the Christmas Tree Lighting at the Araneta Center. Bottom right pic was from the DOT Launch of 'It's More Fun in the Philippines' Coffee Table Book.

You see, BPCI’s training team has never been amiss the past six months in polishing and shaping her up. On one hand, Mercator’s Jonas Gaffud was personally tasked by Mrs. Araneta to assist in building the wardrobe, while perfecting the look and innovating on Janine’s walk and make-up. There was even talk that last year’s ‘tsunami’ is now replaced by what people-in-the-know playfully call ‘habagat‘ (a Tagalog word referring to the southwest monsoon that wreaked havoc in the Philippines last August) – a kind of glide that is both vampish and stormily eye-catching.

Body-wise, Janine is currently at her slimmest. She is reaping the rewards of diligent trips to the gym under the watchful eye of trainor John Cuay. Her figure is toned to the core – tight and shapely. I just wish that she doesn’t lose weight any further so as to maintain a profile that won’t border on the skinny.

In all honesty, our queen doesn’t need any last-minute changes anymore. She is right on the money at this very minute, and disciplined maintenance is the key.

Janine Tugonon is ready for the Universe.

Now, if you want to see the new Janine Tugonon in motion without leaving the house, then tune in to ABS-CBN and ANC. Starting this week and right before leaving for the US on December 2, she will be guesting in a string of shows to prep her even more in facing the camera. This element should help her become more at ease (glib short of being too shallow and appropriately chatty, if you will) in the company of celebrities and interviewers (like Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino). Expect her on ASAP, Bottomline, KrisTV, Umagang Kay Ganda, Mornings @ANC and the like.

So is there something to get excited about Janine’s upcoming date with Miss Universe next month? A lot, I’d say. 😉

P.S. Janine will be on Showtime this morning.