2012 RECORD IN PHILIPPINE PAGEANTRY

by Raphael Porciuncula

The Philippines is making a record of sorts in different international pageants. Two titles, 5 semifinal placements and 5 runner-up placements were made for the record. People are waiting in line for the placement of Janine Tugonon in the Miss Universe and our representative to the Miss Tourism Queen International, Katrina Jayne Dimaranan.

Last May, an unheralded candidate named Clarisse Marie Obia participated in the Miss Teen Universe contest in Managua, Nicaragua wounded up First Runner-up, a cause of joy for every participating pageant denizen. In this pageant Panama ruled the contest.

At the much maligned Miss Asia-Pacific World 2012, Grendell Alvarado became a semi-finalist. She garnered a special award which is the best in evening gown.

All hopes were placed on Queenrich Rehman to win the title of Miss World in Inner Mongolia. However, she was only able to register a semifinalist slot. People’s feelings were enlivened when Elaine Kay Moll ended up as Third Runner-up in the Miss Supranational Beauty Pageant in the second year of Philippine Participation. Added to this, appointed candidate to the Miss Humanity International held in Bahamas Ayalee Dasalla registered another second runner-up position which surprised everyone as Ayalee did not even enter a semifinal slot in her Binibining Pilipinas sojourn.

Supermodel International Candidate Angelee Claudette Delos Reyes underscored the saying, the show must go on. A dear person in her heart died and yet she tried to catch up with the activities of the pageant in Bangkok and she snatched the Best in National Costume award and continued the Philippines semifinalist streak.

All eyes were glued to Nicole Schmitz when she participated in the Miss International Beauty Pageant in Japan. Everyone thought she will bring home the 5^th Miss International Crown for country. Despite a very well elucidated speech to convince the judges that she should be crowned the next Miss International, she was only able to make it to the Top 15.

The first runner-up placements of Andrew Wolfe and Stephany Stefanowitz were thankful moments for pageant observers although rabid fans question the first runner-up position of Stephany. However, these are good signs for the fledging pageant industry in the country.

And of course, people exulted with the victory of Kevin Balot a transgender candidate who won the title for Miss International Queen in Bangkok. Kevin Balot hoped that with her conquest, her father would recognize her as a daughter not as a son. And it seemed that Bangkok is a lucky city for the Philippines’ conquest in pageantry. June Macasaet represented the Philippines in the Manhunt International Contest and ended up triumphant in his participation.

The loss of Camille Guevarra in the Miss Intercontinental Beauty Pageant was practically eclipsed by the Miss Air finish of Stephany Stefanowitz in the Miss Earth 2012 Pageant. This would be the topic of pageant netizens for a while until the advent of the Miss Universe season. From the grapevines, our representative to the pageant, Janine Tugonon will be leaving this December 2^nd and it would be fun to know the results of the pageant. Everyone is looking forward to it. 

MISS SUPRANATIONAL IN FOCUS

by Raphael Porciuncula

The franchise for the Miss Supranational Philippines has been in the news since last April. It has been a buzz in the grapevines that the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. got the franchise for Miss Supranational and the winner for the Philippines will be crowned as one of the title holders on April 15, 2012, all eyes and interest are focused with the Pageant. But alas, no such thing happened. And it seems the news was archived and it died a natural death.

Miss Supranational is a relatively new pageant and is on its 4^th year of existence. Three previous winners were crowned. It was only last year that the Philippines sent a representative courtesy of a Cebu-based organization in the person of Lourenz Grace Remetillo. The Philippine representative was not successful though amidst the euphoria of pageant fans in the performances of other Philippine representatives in other pageants. The idea of a beauty pageant organization in the Philippines sending a representative to this new pageant excites a lot of fans and thus putting our focus in this article.

Oksana Moira of Ukraine, the First Miss Supranational 2009

Very few pageant fans know the meaning of supra. Supra means above. So when taken in to the word Supranational, it means literally above national. So when we take it into context, it means international. If Miss Universe is of American Origin, Miss World is to the British, Miss International is to the Japanese, Miss Tourism is to the Chinese, Miss Earth is to the Philippines, Queen of the World is to the Germans, then Poland has its own pageant version, the Miss Supranational.

Karina Pinilla Corro of Panama, Miss Supranational 2010

The Miss Supranational is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the World Beauty Association and was founded in 2009 in Plock, Poland. During the inception year, 36 candidates participated in the contest. The following year saw 66 countries participating and last year 70 delegates competed and Monica Lewchuzk of the host country won. The organization has a slogan of “Unite our World with Beauty.” Previous winners were Oksana Moria of Ukraine (2009) and Karina Pinilla Corro of Panama (2010).

Monika Lewchuzk of Poland- Miss Supranational 2011

This year, an organization, Beyond Filipinas Inc. (http://beyond-beauty.org/) holds the franchise of Miss Supranational Philippines. And based on their website on September they will be staging a beauty pageant that will not only search for the winner of Miss Supranational but also Miss Globe, Miss Globe International, Miss Global International and Miss Intercontinental. Thus, five titles will be awarded in a night conceptualized through a fashion-inspired theme extravaganza. The pageant will be televised by GMA7. It would worth watching how this organization will create and titillate the interest of the pageant fans who are more biased in their interest towards the selection of the Philippine representative to the Miss Universe beauty pageant. Will they be able to sustain an interest?