(L-R) MP Eco Tourism Candice Ramos of Vigan, MP Water Samantha Purvor of San Juan City, MP Earth Stephany Stefanowitz of QC, MP Air Glennifer Perido of Tabuk City, and MP Fire Thoreen Halvorsen of Puerto Princesa (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)
Stephany reacts after being announced winner of Miss Philippines Earth 2012 (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)
Stephany Stefanowitz of Quezon City is the new Miss Philippines Earth. She bested 46 other lovelies on the way to earning the right to represent the country in Miss Earth 2012 to be held in Indonesia. The 5’8″ beauty broke the pattern of petite winners for the pageant after Psyche Resus and Athena Imperial in 2010 and 2011. The finals, held at the SM Mall of Asia Center Stage, was quite a successful event.
Together with her court of elements, Stephany has always been a favorite to win, alongside Miss Air Glennifer Perido of Tabuk City, Miss Water Samantha Purvor of San Juan City and Miss Eco-Tourism Candice Ramos of Vigan. The one surprise Top 5 placer was Thoreen Halvorsen of Puerto Princess who copped Miss Fire.
The other ladies who made it to the Top 10 are Glenna Christina Duch of Negros Oriental, Princess Manzon of SFO Cebu, Jaydielou Dilidili of Indang, Kathleen Subijano of Muntinlupa City and Roxanne Corluy of Fil-Belgium.
As is usual with Miss Philippines Earth 2012, I shall now present my Top 16 Favorites for the Finals scheduled this coming Sunday night (May 27) at the SM Mall of Asia Center Stage. In alphabetical order, they are:
Miss Mun. of Alaminos, Ariella Arida
Miss Bacolod City, Dianne Dreyfus
Miss Fil-Belgium, Roxanne Corluy
Miss Mun. of Cabugao, Dorothy Joy Pagurayan
Miss Mun. of Daraga, Ina Dominica Guerrero
Miss Mun. of Indang, Jaydielou Dilidili
Miss Makati City, Abbygale Rey
Miss Mun. of Marilao, Aufelyn Zabala
Miss Muntinlupa City, Kathleen Subijano
Miss Negros Oriental, Glenna Christina Duch
Miss Quezon City, Stephany Dianne Stefanowitz
Miss Mun. of San Fernando, Romblon Margaret May Llavor
Miss Mun. of San Francisco, Cebu Princess Manzon
Miss San Juan City, Samantha Purvor
Miss Tabuk City, Glennifer Perido
Miss Vigan City, Candice Ramos
From this group of 16, it becomes fairly easy to come up with my Top 8 ladies, in random order:
Miss Vigan City, Candice Ramos
Miss Bacolod City, Dianne Dreyfus
Miss Negros Oriental, Glenna Christina Duch
Miss Tabuk City, Glennifer Perido
Miss Muntinlupa City, Kathleen Subijano
Miss Fil-Belgium, Roxanne Corluy
Miss San Juan City, Samantha Purvor
Miss Quezon City, Stephany Dianne Stefanowitz
Now here is where it gets tougher. Assigning Elements plus the Eco-Tourism title can be tricky because the final Q&A will most likely define the order by which the Five (5) winners will be ranked. But just to put in my prediction for the finals, my Top 5 would look like this:
My Predicted Winners:
Miss Philippines Earth 2012: SAMANTHA PURVOR
Miss Philippines Air 2012: GLENNIFER PERIDO
Miss Philippines Water 2012: STEPHANY DIANNE STEFANOWITZ
Miss Philippines Fire 2012: DIANNE DREYFUS
Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism 2012: GLENNA CHRISTINA DUCH
The circle of Top 5 can go different ways, so anybody among my personal 5 picks would make a deserving winner.
At this point, I can only wish the ladies the best of luck, and may the best environmentally-attuned beauty represent us in Miss Earth 2012 in Indonesia! 😉
The title of today’s post is more literal than anything else.
I can understand the variety of pre-pageant activities for Miss Philippines Earth 2012. And if it has anything to do with the environment (or close to it), I don’t mind. An environment challenge is imperative so that’s a green light. A cooking challenge veers away a bit, but since food and the environment have correlation, I would green light as well. But a singing and dancing challenge? What’s the connection? Practicing for rain dance perhaps? And the Pinoy Games challenge. What’s it for again? Hope it was just for fun and not part of the judging for Miss Talent or Miss Camaraderie or something.
Am I being mean here? I think the organizers should have expanded the environmental challenges instead because it is a goldmine of tasks to perform. At the same time, it will further educate the candidates on the more important causes of the competition. A Mother Earth Quiz Bee would be proper, just as a skills test on how to recycle some materials into better use. It should not be something that would align with a particular sponsor-company, but the other way around. Okay, ’nuff said. 😉
(Photos above are courtesy of OPMB Worldwide and Miss Philippines Earth website)
She doesn’t have the glamazonic height of Miss World Philippines 2011 Gwen Ruais, but 22 year-old Stephany Stefanowitz carries a striking semblance to our Miss World 2011 First Princess. Aside from that, both ladies are of mixed (the former is Fil-German, while the latter is Fil-French) race.
Representing Quezon City in the ongoing Miss Philippines Earth 2012, the fashion model-cum-singer-cum-designer Stephany is slowly gaining ground as one of the top favorites in the competition. Will she win the crown on May 27? I won’t give her that just yet, at least not with the presence of equally strong contenders Samantha Purvor, Kathleen Subijano, Glenna Duch and Glennifer Perido. I can concur, though, that she will figure out well in the preliminaries en route to landing a Top 16 spot in a breeze. If she delivers on the crucial environmental Q&A, then we’ll see if her eventual element spews fire, splashes water, breathes air or encapsulates Mother Earth.
Fresh from the victory of his ward Nicole Schmitz in Bb. Pilipinas 2012, beauty queen-maker Rodgil Flores is now re-channeling his energy to the 12 ladies he has fielded for Miss Philippines Earth 2012. Collectively called “Kagandahang Flores, six of these ladies are – in my opinion – strong candidates in the environment-focused pageant. Check out the photos below courtesy of Gelbert Aplal of Rouge Studio +:
Maricel Manson of Candon, Ilocos Sur
Samantha Purvor of San Juan City
Jaydielou Dilidili of Indang, Cavite
Princess Manzon of San Francisco, Cebu (remember her as one the PBB Housemates?)
Roxanne Corluy of the Filipino Community in Belgium
Kathleen Subijano of Muntinlupa City
Knowing the unpredictability of MPE’s results, I could not yet forecast if one of the ladies above will walk away with the crown. Suffice it to say, all six are stand-outs and it would be a shame if not one of them gets to dominate Miss Philippines Earth 2012 on May 27.
Let’s now focus on the Miss Philippines Earth 2012 candidates who crossed over from BBP or MWP.
All crossovers from Bb. Pilipinas 2011 (L-R) Samantha Purvor of San Juan City, Kathleen Subijano of Muntinlupa City and Glennifer Perido of Tabuk City (Photo credit: Melvin Sia/OPMB Worldwide)
Samantha Purvor
I’m pretty sure you’re all familiar with the three ladies above. They participated (and lost) in Bb. Pilipinas 2011. One of them, Samantha Purvor, even took full advantage of her youth last year by taking part in Miss World Philippines 2011 as well. No victories to speak of, but still with the potentials to win one. As part of this year’s roster of Miss Philippines Earth, they are capitalizing on their good communication skills (aside from physical beauty) to finally make a dent in the national pageant scene. Will they be more successful this time around?
Kathleen Subjano
Kathleen Subijano, the younger sister of Bb. Pilipinas World 1994 Cara Subijano, is giving the environmentally-focused competition a try, aiming to exceed her semifinal placement in Bb. Pilipinas 2011. The more articulate Samantha Purvor, on the other hand, is dead set in fulfilling a life-long dream of becoming a beauty queen. And Glennifer Perido? She wasn’t able to create ripples in BBP, so she enlisted right after in Miss Casino Filipino 2011 where she snagged 1st Runner-Up honors to eventual winner Catrine Rosary Ocampo (an alumna of Miss Philippines Earth 2011).
Glennifer Perido
Who will be most successful among the three? I’m betting on Samantha Purvor in this one. She’s the one who fits what the organizers would love to have as their winner – smart, pretty and well-spoken. But who knows what magic Kathleen and Glennifer will weave in the contest? And lest we forget, there are several other contenders who will give them a run for their money.
Anyways, best of luck to all three in MPE 2012! May you serve as true role models for the preservation of Mother Earth! 😉
So we’re over and done with Bb. Pilipinas 2012. Let’s move now to Miss Philippines Earth 2012. After Carousel Productions held their Press Presentation right in the middle of all the BBP frenzy, I was never able to blog about that event anymore. Anyways, check out the following contenders…
Photographic proofs tell us that the Philippines does not run out of gorgeous Filipinas joining beauty pageants. Just consider the 50 Official Candidates (only 48 are shown updated above) of Miss Philippines Earth 2012. I’m actually near-impressed with the roster this year. In fact, if not for the middling heights of most and still-unpolished qualities of some, I would say that this batch can go head-to-head with either Bb. Pilipinas or Miss World Philippines on any given day. But then again, I might be going too far singing with my praises. Let’s just follow the ladies up until the coronation night on May 27 at the SM Mall of Asia Center Stage, to be aired on a slightly delayed telecast over at ABS-CBN.
At this point, I am liking Dianne Dreyfus of Bacolod City, Maricel Manson of Candon City, Glenna Christina Duch of Negros Oriental, Ina Dominica Guerrero of Daraga and Samantha Purvor of San Juan City.
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.
The pressure is on Kathleen ‘Cai’ Subijano. Being the younger sister of Bb. Pilipinas-World 1994 Cara Subijano, she is expected to figure out well during the finals of Bb. Pilipinas 2011 on April 10, Sunday night. If she won’t pass muster as one of the titleholders, will she at least make the semifinal cut and show to everyone her gift of gab during the Q&A? I think she will.
Kathleen Subijano during the Bb. Pilipinas 2011 Primer in a serpentina Filipiniana creation.
Actually, I have this pretty chinita on my shortlist. And if she surpasses my ‘stricter-than-usual’ expectations, then I would warmly congratulate her. My friend, former radio DJ Issa Perez de Tagle – who happens to be a close pal of Cai – should jump for joy if a victory lands on the lap of Candidate #30.
Right now, all we can do is wait with bated breath and keep our fingers crossed.
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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