Gabriela Ortega

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Miss World Philippines 2017: A Five-Way Battle for the Crown

Posted by Norman on September 1, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

My Top 15 for Miss World Philippines 2017

It will be a 5-way battle for the Miss World Philippines 2017. This is so unlike all previous editions of the national pageant when either one or two would end up as the clear last two women standing (or one locked-in winner) during finals night.

Consider these past trends:

2011: Gwen Ruais and Nicolette Henson
2012: Queenie Rehman and Mary Ann Misa
2013: Megan Young and Janicel Lubina
2014: Valerie Weigmann and Lorraine Kendrickson
2015: Hillarie Parungao and Cassandra Naidas
2016: Catriona Gray all the way!

This year, it will be tough zeroing in on just one – let alone two – solid candidates for the top crown because there are five (5) potential winners this time around.

Five for Miss World Philippines 2017


I will try to qualify their respective strengths more objectively now.

Jona Sweett has the relaxed beauty that is underscored by a passionate advocacy for the Ati people of Aklan. She speaks respectably well and has the full determination to wrest the title from the other four;

Cynthia Thomalla has the undeniable beauty that could easily land her the lead role in a remake of “The Princess Diaries” with Anne Hathaway playing her mom. Her ability to communicate, though, remains suspect in terms of fluidity of ideas and the like. But if charm is jacked up 10x more, then she could fish all the judges’ nods – hook, line and sinker;

Janela Joy Cuaton has the effervescent beauty that can captivate in a flash. While she may be the youngest among the five, her source of a meaningful (beauty with a) purpose is just as hard as the rock of Gibraltar. She may stumble a bit here and there, but the focus remains in place;

Teresita Ssen Marquez is the all-around Pinay charmer who has practically every ingredient in her possession – beautiful face, zero-fat shapely body, precision-built dancing talent and an inspired speaking ability that leads to a refined self-expression – but the less than middling height;

Laura Lehmann lacks that teeny weeny charge of flirtatiousness to amp up her bid. But hey, nobody’s perfect. From my vantage point, that is my only qualm about her. When she failed to make Top 7 in Beach Beauty, I knew that the one quality missing is her inability to fully work out her physical style in public. But then again, swimsuits are out in Miss World so that will leave her elegance and sophistication to benefit from a dash of tempered playfulness. Oh, she can communicate well, by the way. And her PREP (Promoting Rural Education in the Philippines) BWAP appears more doable than dreamy – not earthshaking but definitely warm-hearted in approach and sustainability.

It’s quite obvious now that Laura is my pick for Miss World Philippines.

Now how about the three other titles?

The ten remaining ladies in my Top 15


I would – without much of an analysis – select Gabriela Ortega for Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas because of her beautiful face and fluency in Spanish. Being an Architect could also add up to a pretty nice back story. Her figure, though, is a constant reminder that there will always be default parameters on how we want our representatives to look like in swimsuits. If that will get in the way, then I would agree to sending Teresita Ssen Marquez to Bolivia because she will definitely do everything that it takes to learn speaking Spanish, even in basic conversations at the very least. Heck, she might even get into it religiously just like memorizing long lines from a script!

For Miss Multinational Philippines, Janela Joy Cuaton or Cynthia Thomalla would be preferable choices. Their attractive qualities – both inside and out – will shine in New Delhi regardless of the competition.

And lastly, Miss Eco Philippines is one title I have now earmarked for either Jona Sweett or Zara Carbonell. Either the laid-back sensuality of the former or the engaging presence of the latter will get plus points in Egypt.

So in reverse order, my Top 15 would be ranked this way:

15- Chelsea Manalo, 14- Jeanyfer Ozbot, 13- Cristina Coloma, 12- Nikki Deveza, 11- Sheila Marie Reyes, 10- Ella Eiveren Lubag, 9- Ethel Abellanosa, 8- Glyssa Perez, 7- Zara Carbonell, 6- Gabriela Ortega, 5- Jona Sweett, 4- Cynthia Thomalla, 3- Janela Joy Cuaton, 2- Teresita Ssen Marquez and 1- Laura Lehmann.

normannorman.com’s Early MWP2017 Picks | On a per Crown basis

Posted by Norman on August 25, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Having personally met and talked to the 35 Official Candidates of Miss World Philippines 2017, I am sharing my early choices but tweaking the presentation just a little bit. There are four (4) titles at stake, so I decided to come up with four (4) potential winners for each one of them. Of course, it would be possible for four choices for the highest title to grab all crowns in the end. But that would be spoiling the chances of the rest who will definitely make the all-important first cut of the pageant. But in essence, these are the sixteen (16) contenders I am shortlising for now.

For Miss Eco Philippines where the winner will travel to Egypt for her competition, I have placed (from top photo clockwise) Ella Eiveren Lubag, Chelsea Manalo, Rose Flores and Nikki Deveza. This is such a diverse quartet with a Chinese-looking, a half-American, a half-Indian and a full Filipina in the mix. The competition and varied preference in the host country could favor one of them.

For Miss Multinational Philippines who will fly to New Delhi, India in December, I have set aside (from top clockwise) Sheila Marie Reyes, Trizha Ocampo, Jeanyfer Ozbot and Jona Sweett. Methinks that the host country would love to see either a sweet-looking lady (Sheila or Jeanyfer) or a fiery Pinay with Latina-ish vibe (Trizha or Jona) representing the Philippines.

Now it gets more interesting for Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas who will visit Bolivia in South America for the first time. Do we favor a Spanish-speaking Barcelona-raised Gabriela Ortega as shoo-in? Or do we go for the exotic and statuesque Ethel Abellanosa? How about world traveler Zara Carbonell? Or maybe the Australia-raised Boholana Glyssa Perez? It’s supposed to be free for all, but this is one title that Gabriela should have in the bag at the onset. Unless she allows the other comers to nose her out.

And the biggest title of them all? There are four in the hunt for Miss World Philippines who will fly to Sanya, China for Miss World 2017. And they are – without a doubt – the solid front-runners this year. Heck, they might even be the four eventual titlists! Consider Cynthia Thomalla, Janela Joy Cuaton, Teresita Ssen Marquez and Laura Lehmann. One of them is very likely to succeed Catriona Gray, in my opinion.

Your thoughts, dear readers? 🙂

Miss World Philippines 2017 Press Presentation 

Posted by Norman on August 7, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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At the poolside of New World Makati Hotel

Earlier in the day, the thirty-five (35) Official Candidates of Miss World Philippines 2017 were presented to the media at both the Ballroom 2 and poolside of New World Hotel in Makati City. The beautiful comers jockeyed up for positions in the eyes of the press to get the important attention to ve interviewed and featured in their respective PRs.

Miss World Philippines 2016 Catriona Gray added the extra glitter to the event, along with National Director Arnold Vegafria and GM Bessie Besana.

The 35 Official Candidates (with their official numbers) are:
1) Shawntel Cruz
2) Veronica Villones
3) Glyssa Perez
4) Rose Flores
5) Kaycie Lyn Fajardo
6) Jona Sweett
7) Jane Darren Genobisa
8) Nikki Deveza
9) Teresita Ssen Marquez
10) Leidda Paulette Babasanta
11) Gabriela Ortega
12) Henna Kaizelle Cajandig
13) Kathryn Jade Cudiamat
14) Cristina Marie Coloma
15) Laura Lehmann
16) Ethel Abellanosa
17) Jellie Alliana Escandon
18) Angel Alvaira
19) Joanna Rabe
20) Trizha Ocampo
21) Netania Deveza
22) Chelsea Anne Manalo
23) Princess Laureano
24) Zara Carbonell
25) Karren Dela
26) Janela Joy Cuaton
27) Ella Eiveren Lubag
28) Sheila Marie Reyes
29) Krystle Anne Ongjanco
30) Kathkeen Gomez
31) Jeanyfer Ozbot
32) Cynthia Thomalla
33) Noelle Uy-Tuazon
34) Andrea Poliquit
35) Sophia Senoron

The instant favorites from this roster are the familiar names and faces like Teresita Ssen Marquez, Cynthia Thomalla, Laura Lehmann, Janela Joy Cuaton, Gabriela Ortega and Jona Sweett. But a few more of the ladies also drew a lot of supporters from the audience such as Zara Carbonell (daughter of actor Cris Villanueva), Glyssa Perez (Miss Bohol 2016) and Noelle Uy-Tuazon (the Forensic Anthropologist from the US who is now representing Davao).

Aside from Miss World Philippines who will represent the country in Miss World 2017, three (3) other titles will be given away: Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas, Miss Multinational Philippines and Miss Eco Philippines.

Finals will be on September 3 at the MOA Arena with a slightly delayed telecast over GMA-7.

Your Binibini 34 Gabriela Ortega

Posted by Norman on March 11, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , .

Your Binibini 34 may sound like a native of Barcelona, but she is very Filipina.


During the Bb. Pilipinas 2017 Pre-Final Screening at Novotel Manila Araneta Center late last month, I remember (now) Binibini 34 Gabriela “Abby” Ortega and how she captured the interest of Madame Stella Marquez de Araneta when – during the small talk between judges and candidates – they conversed in fluent Spanish. That could have been a plus point, I reckon. But setting aside the small detail, this Aces & Queens bet is a total charmer on her own merits. She is very vibrant and engaging in person.

courtesy of Beauty Pageant Updates

Allow me now to give Abby the floor:

“My full name is Gabriela Patricia Madarieta Ortega. It is so long that in the attendance list of school my name got cut and they kept asking for Gabri, looking for a boy in class with that name.

You can call me Abby or Gabriela. My parents wanted a name with G like my dad, Gerardo Ortega. They wanted my initials to be G O so it was Go!; and perhaps so I could reuse some objects (haha) my dad had his initials on (like his analogic camera which I sometimes use). My parents were watching a tennis match one day, they saw Gabriella Sabattini, an Italian tennis player and loved the name.

I was born in Madrid where my mom (Ma. Victoria Madarieta) and dad met and when my paternal grandfather, Manuel Ortega, was still the Philippine Tourism attaché there. We moved to Barcelona when I was very young. In that city alone, there is a big community of Filipinos and we would participate in some activities. I always prticipated during some weekends because I lived in a town next to Barcelona City.

I am the oldest of 3 sisters. My dad, Gerry, tried to get us all to like basketball and play with him, but he wasn’t lucky. I am clumsy with ball sports, but I love skiing, roller skating, and adventure water sports. I listen to all music styles. It just depends on how I feel. Guitar solos touch me to the chore and when I am in a rock concert, my eyes close out of joy. I recall several times the security guards of a techno club asking me to leave because they were closing and I was dancing alone with my eyes shut! Hahahaha”

“Now that I am part of Binibining Pilipinas, I still can’t believe I am in the most prestigious pageant of the country. I am honored and so happy. I have learned so much already. Before my training, my knowledge of make-up was none and they have taught me how to enhance myself and be more beautiful. These tips will always be useful.


I do believe in community work, cooperation, communication, respect and general understanding. I wanted to do something more in order to help, and being a Binibini is a great platform for women empowerment and for our advocacies.”

Your Binibini 34 Gabriela Ortega wants to make her presence felt in Bb. Pilipinas 2017


There is a special quality in Abby that you will only get to see face-to-face, and that is her catchy joy in life. She is such a enjoyable speaker because there is pride and happiness in everything she talks about.

Will your Binibini 34 become a certified Bb. Pilipinas soon? 😉

Gabriela Ortega 1.0

Posted by Norman on February 16, 2017
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , .

Gabriela Patricia Madarieta Ortega for Bb. Pilipinas 2017


Who do we have here? A Filipina-Mestiza you can call by her nickname “Abby”. Or if you want it in full, she is Gabriela Patricia Madarieta Ortega. She does have Spanish blood infused along with Filipino lineage in her looks. But make no mistake. Her parents are very Pinoy in ways and means.

Gabriela finished her masteral studies in Barcelona and her profession (I will tell that later) will remind you of the same specialization that a former Miss Universe Philippines titleholder finished in the university level. A very engaging conversationalist, she expresses her views very fluidly. While a Catalan accent can be heard by the keen listener, one can easily sense the Filipino pride that encouraged her to give Bb. Pilipinas a try. And oh, I couldn’t as of yet locate a good photo showing off her bedimpled smile. She really turns on the charm the minute she lets out a happy face.

Watch out for this beautiful lass as she joins the beeline for the nationals.

P.S. She is an architect.