The Philippine Online Chronicles

All roads led to the Big Dome for this year’s crowning of our country’s most beautiful.  Twenty-four of the nation’s loveliest women finally made it onstage for the the final leg of competition for the most coveted titles of Binibining Pilipinas International, Binibining Pilipinas Universe, and Binibining Pilipinas World.

The Philippines, although not lacking in the beauty department, has seen a dearth of international beauty titles in the last few years.  The last time we got an international beauty title was when Precious Lara Quigaman won the Miss International title in 2005.  Since then none of our beauty queens have had such luck.  Except, of course, for the much-coveted Ms. Photogenic award at the Miss Universe pageant which, by the way, is based on text and online votes.  With the Philippines being the texting capital of the world, this is almost always a sure win for us.

This year’s pageant was hosted by matinee idol Dingdong Dantes and soap star Carla Abellana.  The contestants were trained by local supermodel and T.V host Wilma Doesnt.

Representing Binibining Pilipinas Charities was its founder and President, Stella Marquez Araneta, accompanied by its Vice President, National Artist for fashion design Pitoy Moreno.

After the pre-pageant competition, there were heavily favored contestants.  In an online poll, early favorites were Gwendolyn Ruais, Dianne Necio, and Helen Nicolette Henson.  Other favorites were Krista Arrieta Kliener and Maria Venus Raj.

If beauty and beauty alone were to be the basis of judging, these top favorites were sure to hit the jackpot.  But these ladies had something more between their eyes other than foundation and blush-on.

The pageant opened with a spectacular Lady Gaga-inspired opening number.  The number segued into the swimsuit competition where the contestants showed off their fine form and figure in two-piece animal print bikinis.

There were also special awards given by the public.  First was the Texter’s Choice Award which went to Lauresse Anne Caparas.  Next was the Manila Bulletin’s Reader’s Choice Award which went to Ma. Venus Raj.  The Araneta Center’s Shopper’s Choice Award went to Selena Antonio, and finally, Ms. Photogenic was bestowed upon Helen Nicolette Henson.

During the question-and-answer (Q&A) portion, the candidates were asked to pick the name of a judge from a bowl and the chosen judge then asked the candidate a question.  To be fair to the candidates, there were no boo-boos this year.  All the candidates gave short and concise responses to the questions thrown at them.  There was none of the flowery expounding that seemed prevalent in previous competitions.  In fact, all the candidates received hearty applause from the audience which made it difficult to predict the outcome of the competition.  With the Q&A portion being the grand equalizer, it became apparent that all bets were off after the Q&A portion of this year's competition.

The questions given to the candidates were not easy.  They required the ladies to think fast on their feet to come up with not only a witty response but a meaty one as well.

One of the applauded answers came from Helen Nicolette Henson, who was asked what she was looking for in a president.  She said that she was looking for a president who was dedicated, had a good heart, and was goal-oriented.  She emphasized that a leader with a good heart was bound to have followers.

Also applauded was the answer of Kate Alimurong who was asked about her idea of a good life.  Ms. Alimurong said that for her, having a good life meant being contented and being happy with what one had.

Another notable response came from Czarina Catherine Gatbonton, the lone candidate who answered in Filipino.  Asked what she wanted to become if she was given a second life, she answered that she wanted to become a tree who gave life and fresh air.

In the end, it was a combination of beauty, brains and chutzpah that cemented the results.  Some of the early favorites found their way into the winners circle while there were some who unexpectedly made their way in.

The runners-up were Helen Nicolette Henson and Dianne Necio.

Binibining Pilipinas International went to  Krista Arrieta Kliener.
Binibining Pilipinas World went to Czarina Catherine Gatbonton.
Binibining Pilipinas Universe went to Ma. Venus Raj.

Hopefully our winners can bring home the proverbial bacon from their respective international pageants this year, or at the very least, make it to the list of finalists.  Let us keep our fingers crossed and hope that our ladies can bring the beauty of the Filipina back on the world stage where it has always belonged.

Photo screencap taken from DCRJPhilippines.