By Jetset Alejandro
Now that the Miss World
Philippines has crowned its winner, the quartet has been formed and that we
will now await the results of their participation to their international
pageants. Let us therefore try to dissect the chances of our candidates.
Even after the
Binibining Pilipinas Beauty pageant has been done three months thereafter,
pageant fans are still so rabid in throwing their brickbats against the
Philippine representative to the Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. Year after year,
pageant fans lament about the unsuitability of the choices that were sent to
Miss Universe. They would have a litany of reasons why a certain candidate is
not appropriate to represent us to the pageant. At deep thought, the fans have
every reason to bewail. Most of our representatives are not the best among the
lot and thus, we failed miserably in our quest for the title. Only recently in
the last two years that our candidates fared well and that they snatched at
least a position in the Top 5.
It is also interesting
to note that the winners of the recent pageants are veterans in the ramp one
way or another. They are either repeaters or cross-over candidates. Take the
example of the Philippine candidate to the Miss Universe, she joined last year
and ended-up as first runner-up and then rejoined this year. On the other hand,
the Philippine candidate to the Miss International Beauty Pageant is also a
repeated. She joined the pageant in 2007 where she is semi-finalist and this
year she copped the second plum. As for Miss Earth, she is also a repeater. She
represented Butuan City in 2010 and ended up as a semi-finalist and for this
year, she won the title. And lastly the winner in the Miss World Philippines is
called a cross-over candidate. She was seen shashaying in the ramp for the
Binibining Pilipinas 2010 title but ended only as a semifinalist. As everybody
knows she is now the recently crowned representative to the Miss World.
Janine Mari Tugonon
Now what about Janine
Mari Tugonon’s chances? In 2011, only a few pageant fans took a close look at
her. I posted my comments in a very popular pageant forum that the girl is
pretty, fresh and had a classic Filipina vibe but I got oft remarks and I never
ventured to further my discussion about this girl. And when she made it to a
first runner-up position, I told myself, the judges saw what I saw. And what is
this that I saw? The Janine that I saw in last year’s competition has the
natural charms and exotic Filipina appeal. She may not be totally dusky but her
charisma was overwhelming and that she attracts others to her because of this.
Added to this, she has an inherent intelligence that would make her recite
lines to a question even with her eyes closed. However, I lamented that she was
packaged so differently for this years’ pageant. She underwent tanning. She was
styled and made up like Morticia. They used those darkened eye shadow
techniques that does not flatter her face. She was dressed with the
unconventional dresses that do not suit her. With that kind of packaging,
expect the rabid fan to say his/her thoughts and they are also not flattering.
There were those that defend her and such defense got lost with the cacophony
of voices against her. What is my say about her chances then?
The first question to
answer that question is that, does Janine has what it takes to be noticed? If Gloria
was noticed because of her unconventional beauty with wit, intelligence and
demeanor and on the other hand, Margie was noticed again for her unconventional
beauty and regal deportment, what could easily be noticed with this girl? Ok,
let me go back to the initial question, did she possess something to get
noticed easily? My answer is NO and YES.
NO if she persists to use the present packaging that she has now. YES if
she goes back previous character. If you would notice the last two years’
choices, they were natural, fresh looking and exotic. Janine has the height.
She can improve her body in the next 6 months and she can improve her ability
to give direct, meaningful and sincere answers. I know Janine can dish out good
answers to a question but they come out rather memorized or scripted. But
knowing her academic credentials, she does give superior answers to a question.
Again, however, she should tone down her answers and avoid giving a religious
flavor to them and instead learn to give universal appeal to questions thrown
at her.
Janine may not be every
pageant fans’ choice for Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 2012 to represent the country.
She maybe predicted to be a long shot to the Miss Universe title but long shots
can also hit the dots and it is the long shot that are remembered most often.
Given my preconditions, I believe Janine has a 60-70% of making it to the Miss
Universe crown.
Nicole
Schmitz
Nicole because of her fair-mestiza
looks is very much favored to win at the Binibining Pilipinas. We cannot deny
the fact that most pageant fans still prefer the fair-skinned mestiza and she
is a hit amongst them. She personifies confidence and is a very good
conversationalist. The Miss International Beauty Pageant favors doll-like
candidates and she fits this prototype. In my previous write-ups, I have always
criticized the way they doll-up Nicole. She is not her when she is given too
heavy make-up. She is more natural and attractive when she has less make-up.
For this girl, less is beautiful. I am happy to see her latest pictures and she
has an uncanny resemblance with Miss Margarita Moran, former Miss Universe 1973
at some angles. Pageant fans put too much pressure in her because for them she
has all what it takes to be the Philippines’ 5th Miss International
beauty titlist. If we try to dissect the capability of Nicole barring any
unforeseen circumstances she is a 95%
shoo-in to the Top 12 and it would not be surprise to see her being crowned as
the title holder.
Stephany
Stefanowitz
Stephany was not a
personal favorite. But I predicted that she will win. She has the height; she
has the runway skills and the ability to push forward her thoughts. The one
thing that gets in the way for her is that she seems to be a clone of the Miss
World First Princess 2011. I don’t have anything against being a look alike but
her facial features seems to come out to strong and that she should need to use
facial makeovers that soften those features. Added to that, she speaks in a
heavy tone and thus makes everyone have a difficulty of liking her.
In the 11 years of Miss
Earth Beauty Pageant we do not see a certain prototype among their winners.
Their second winner is a diva who was later on dethroned because of her
divanesque attitude. She was replaced by a sweet and dedicated candidate from
Kenya. In the way I see things for this years’ pageant, Stephany would be able
to enter the semifinalists and we will see from there if she got what it takes.
Queenierich
Rehman
Queenierich is my
favorite to take the plum for this years’ MWP. She has the facial beauty that
is coupled with good body symmetry. She is exuberant and engaging in the runway
and thus there is no question why she won the crown handily. She is a perfect candidate for any
international pageant for the country.
Although she is my
choice for the crown, one pageant observer says that Miss World does not only
fulfill the criterion for physical beauty but also must possess a beautiful
mind, beautiful thoughts and deeds. She must be a substantial woman with an
identity to stand out and tall. True, I saw most of these qualities in
Queenierich. But does she possess the beautiful deeds that Miss World is
looking for? When we talk of beautiful deeds, we talk about the woman that
possesses with a beauty for a purpose? Has Queenierich embarked on a program to
highlight this criterion that the Miss World Organization is looking for? By
this time, Queenierich might be cramming as she is to fly to Ordos, Inner
Mongolia to compete for the Miss World Beauty Pageant by mid-July. Her
preparation is so short that she might not be able to psyche herself competing
among more than 100 candidates.
Well, we will see in
her the mark of readiness when she performs competitively against all other
beautiful women around the world and make herself the best beauty with a
purpose. I have high hopes for her.
After carefully
assessing them, I am again reminded by what the first Miss Universe of our
country, Miss Gloria Diaz has said. Competing in an international beauty
pageant is 99% luck and thus, it would still be lady luck that would determine
our candidates’ chances. You may be most prepared and most beautiful candidate
to grace the pageant and yet luck is not on your side. So basing from this, why
do I get this feeling that only one will come out triumphant among these 4
beauties, and she is not even amongst my favorites to win her national crown. Such gut
feel.
Photo Credits: philstar.com, crunchyroll.com, mwp.com, quotednews.com
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