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)

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)

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! 😉