Miss World Philippines vows to befriend Chinese people

Armin Adina Philippine Daily Inquirer

MISS WORLD 2012 winners: (L-R) April Love Jordan, 3rd Princess; Mary Anne Ross Misa, 1st Princess, Queenierich Rehman, Miss World Philippines 2012; Vanessa Claudine Ammann, 2nd Princess; Brenna Cassandra Gamboa, 4th Princess during the coronation night at Manila Hotel in Manila.PHOTO BY RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines–The newly crowned Miss World Philippines vows to make friends with as many Chinese as possible when she competes in the Miss World pageant in China in August.

Queeneerich Rehman, a 23-year-old Pakistani-Filipino beauty, said she will try to do this as part of efforts to ease tensions between the Philippines and China over a territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

“I will try to be friends with them even if they are not nice to me. I will tell them it’s more fun in the Philippines because we have really nice, warm, hospitable people,” said Rehman after her proclamation as 2012 Miss World Philippines in ceremonies held at the Manila Hotel Tent last Sunday night.

Rehman, a former varsity basketball player of the Assumption College, edged out 24 other aspirants to bag the P1-million cash prize and a brand new car from Hyundai.

She also took the lion’s share of special awards during the coronation night: Miss Zenea Body Beautiful, Miss Pantene and Miss AMA-zing Beauty and Brains awarded by AMA University.

During the preliminary events held earlier, she was also proclaimed Miss Philippine Prudential, Miss World Traveler and Miss Talent.

But Rehman said she did not find these early recognitions as indication that she will eventually win the coveted crown.

“First of all I did not want to expect. I just hope for the best and expect the worst,” she confessed.

In the final stage of the competition, Rehman was asked what best features of the country she can project to the world.

She replied: “Wherever you go here in the Philippines, it’s not the islands that make it special but the Filipinos who have warm hospitality, who have smiles on their faces, and give the foreigners the love and respect and hospitality that they can give them. I believe the Philippines is a country we can truly be proud of.”

Netizens field questions

This year’s national competition invited netizens to field questions via the microblogging site Twitter. Posters whose questions were used for the final round received free hotel accommodations from Agoda.com.

Rehman is not new to beauty pageants. She joined the 2011 Binibining Pilipinas pageant where she cracked the Top 12 and was also proclaimed Best in Swimsuit.

When asked by the Inquirer why she thought she has been bagging the Best in Swimsuit awards, Rehman surmised, “I think I’ve just been eating healthy and going to the gym. I love working out.”

Rehman said she plans to use part of her prize money to throw a party for her friends and family to celebrate her victory. She also hopes to invest part of the amount in a business venture.

Multi-cultural family

In an interview right after her coronation as the country’s bet to Miss World, Rehman revealed how multi-cultural her family background is. She said she has yet to meet her Pakistani father, Hanif Rehman. She now lives with her Filipino mother, Amalia, and Japanese stepfather Katsuji Yukawa.

This somehow mirrors the situation of 2010 Miss Universe fourth runner up Venus Raj of the Philippines. The Qatari-born Raj also has not met her Indian father. She lives with her Filipino family in Bato, Camarines Sur.

Last year’s Miss World Philippines winner and eventual 2011 Miss World first runner up Gwendoline Ruais is French-Filipino.

But Rehman did not cite her cross-cultural background as a reason for her victory. Instead, she noted her “passion, perseverance and determination to do my best.”

She only has three weeks to prepare for the international competition before flying to Inner Mongolia in China. Rehman is set to compete with over 120 other international beauties in the Miss World pageant in Ordos on Aug. 18.

“To all the Filipinos, to my supporters and fans out there, please support me and watch the Miss World and continue praying for me,” she appealed.

Assumption College alumnae were the last two ladies standing during the national pageant. Rehman edged out her college batch mate Mary Anne Ross Misa for the title. Misa, who was proclaimed “First Princess,” was also a former Binibining Pilipinas semifinalist like Rehman.

Joining Rehman and Misa in the winners’ circle were “Second Princess” Vanessa Ammann who was also proclaimed Miss Friendship, Miss MyPhone, Miss Olay and Miss Laguna World; “Third Princess” April Love Jordan who was hailed Best in Long Gown, Miss Oracare and Miss Manila Hotel; and “Fourth Princess” Brenna Gamboa who was declared Miss Coco Cabaña.

Jordan, who was the 2009 Miss International Beauty and Modeling Festival Winner in China, has also participated in the Binibining Pilipinas, Mutya ng Pilipinas and Miss Philippines-Earth pageants. Gamboa, who also joined the Miss Philippines-Earth pageant before, was crowned 2011 Bb. Unibersidad and went on to place second in the 2011 World Supermodel contest in Fiji.

The 2012 Miss World Philippines candidates were judged based on the following criteria: Beauty (40 percent), intelligence (30 percent), and projection and x-factor (30 percent).

The pageant’s judges included actress Lorna Tolentino, football star James Younghusband, Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara, Laguna Gov. Jorge Estregan Ejercito Jr., and former Sen. Joey Lina who is now the president of the Manila Hotel.

Actress Ruffa Gutierrez shared hosting chores with Edu Manzano, with models John James Uy and Victor Basa as anchors. Radio and TV host Mr. Fu joined 2008 Miss International semifinalist Pat Fernandez in giving backstage commentaries.

MISS WORLD PHILIPPINES 2012 IS QUEENIE REHMAN!

Queennie Rehman during Bb. Pilipinas 2011 Talent Competition:

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ABQ’s Review of Miss World Philippines 2012: 7 out of 10 Tiaras!

ABQ congratulates Miss World Philippines2012 winner Queenierich Rehman!

Expectations were high for the Miss World Philippines 2012 for several reasons, but here are the three top ones for me:

-The move of the MWP Franchise to TV5 from GMA7. We know just how competitive TV5 is.

-The contestants were truly beautiful. This was one of the hardest batches to choose a winner from.

-Gwendoline Ruais represented the Philippines so well last year in Miss World, bringing home the 1st Princess title (1st Runner-up). The victory added much value to the MWP Franchise and increased everyone’s expectations for 2012.

Did this year’s pageant meet our expectations? Let’s see…

The VENUE: 8 out of 10 Tiaras.

At the Manila Hotel Tent watching Miss World Philipppines 2012 with Zenaida Seifert, Mom of Miss Earth beauty queen Sandra Seifert

The Manila Hotel is the most prestigious hotel in the country for it’s rich history – it is the royalty among hotels in the Philippines so it is a fitting venue to crown Miss World Philippines. But holding it at the TENT of Manila Hotel got me a bit worried. I was thinking that maybe I should show up in my girlscout uniform… but seriously, when I arrived at the venue, my worries dissipated – MWP and TV5 dressed up the Tent interior so well that it didn’t feel like at tent. There was a walkway lined with black and white close-ups of each contestant and there was a corner with a throne and a crown for photo ops!

Only one drawback to the place - it’s small. But then again, maybe an intimate venue is better than a cavernous hall for a classy beauty pageant.

The STAGE: 6 out of 10 Tiaras

Miss World Philippines 2012 stage behind me and Lex Librea. Circles and curves seem to be the in-thing in pageants these days…

Don’t get me wrong – 6 is NOT a low rating. It’s much higher than what I would rate last year’s stage – a 3. I just couldn’t say it last year because I love Cory Q and the MWP Franchise. So 6 is a BIG improvement from last year’s stage.

Good things about the stage: It gave a festive feel and really lifted up my mood, even during the long wait for the pageant to start. It did not take away attention from the contestants either. Loved the video screen set-up too.

Not so good things about the stage: While it was festive, it also exuded the feeling of a noon-time show. Hoping we can veer away from that next time. Also, it was a T-shaped stage and with the TV5 cameramen all over the place, it was hard to take photos from our seats in the VIP guest area behind the judges. An H-shaped stage or a regular big, rectangular stage combined with choreography that keeps the needs of ALL photographers in mind would have been better.

The Hosts: 7 out of 10 Tiaras (would have been 9.25, read below to know why)

Ruffa Gutierrez and Edu Manzano host the Miss World Philippines 2012 beauty pageant at Manila Hotel’s Tent

Edu Manzano – 10 Tiaras! Edu is always very entertaining without being too irreverent. Out of all the pageant hosts we’ve been using in recent years, he is the best for me. Goooood choice TV5 and MWP!

Ruffa Gutierrez – 9 Tiaras! Also an excellent choice! She is far ahead of all beauty queens when it comes to hosting, thanks to her Talk Show experience and excellent English skills. And I love it that she didn’t change her gown three or four times like so many big event hosts do. It simply speaks confidence. PS. She was celebrating her bday!

Mr. Fu and Pat Fernandez – 9 Tiaras! Loving them both! I have always been a fan of Mr. Fu who is so talented and am proud that we are textmates, LOL! Fu and Pat gave a fun vibe and connected well with the Twittering audience. Also, so very happy to see another beauteous and smart Bb. Pilipinas winner in MWP!!!

The two handsome young men that were anchoring weren’t up to par though. They kept looking down at their cue cards and fumbling through them. I believe a teleprompter would have aided the two young men better. Or maybe if they partnered one of the young handsome guys with a seasoned pageant commentator….

The Pageant Proper: 7 out of 10 Tiaras

Miss World Philippines 2012 contestants in the the swimwear competition

This year’s show was far more exciting compared to last year’s! I admit that I wrote a very positive review of last year’s pageant even if it fell short of expectations but I just didn’t have the heart to be so critical because it was Cory Quirino’s first time to stage the Miss World Philippines and all virgins deserve extra patience. Anyway, let me run through the pageant proper:

Theme: Filipiniana – this idea is a WINNER!

Opening Number – Loved the Ati-Atihan dance number with GForce!

Acknowledgement of Last Year’s Winners – a beautiful touch

Videos: The Videos on Laguna were generally entertaining. But I didn’t quite like the swimsuit video where they had the girls doing freestyle posing. Not all the girls kasi are good at it. Even I’m not good at it. Interesting observation: the girls looked heavier on the video than on stage. Really shows that TV is unhealthy for you, LOL!

Me with Senator-Judge (hehehehe) Bong Revilla at Miss WorldPhilippines 2012

Introduction of Judges: Oh, where is Manny Pacquiao? He was a judge last year and I was hoping to see him again! Anyway, I was happy with the roster of judges but stupid me, I totally forgot to have a photo taken with the beautiful Lorna Tolentino whom I am a total fan of. But I did get one with Sen. Bong Revilla. Good idea too to have a top photographer like Raymond Isaac on the panel. Wishing tho that there was one beauty queen helping us choose our winners…

Long Gown Competition: The gowns were gorgeous and I could see so many of the newbie contestants walking more gracefully than ever! The music – instrumental versions of songs by the Eraserheads, Rivermaya and Teeth – touched me to the core. Those songs mean so much to me and I’m sure to many Filipinos who were watching on TV!

Miss World Philipines 2012 contestants in the Long Gown Competition

Announcement of Top 12: The only one thing I am sad about is that there was no pre-pageant for the judges to meet the girls, unlike last year. So the judges had to choose the Top 12 cold. Maybe this is the reason why some of the girls expected to enter the Top 12 did not. I was speaking to one contestant, afterwards, and she told me that she was preparing hard for the pre-pageant meeting with the judges but when she realized there wasn’t going to be one, she felt her chances of entering the Top 5 went down.

So sorry.. this is the best photo I have of the three Pinoy rockstars serenading the Top 12!

Serenading the Top 12: One of my favorite segments – Seeing the Top 12 in colorful Ternos was refreshing! This year, MWP was more careful with color-coordination because last year, half the semi-finalists were in RED! I loved the three OPM Rock singers who serenaded the Top 12 – Ebe Dancel being my MOST FAVORITE. The other one was from Calla Lily. They sang Apo songs. Can anyone tell me who the other guy was? I got so busy blogging on my phone at the time. It was funny because none of them could get too close to the girls who towered over them like trees. LOL!

Announcement of Top 5: Wishing that there was a Q&A for the 12 and then the judges judge. Specially since there was no pre-pageant judging. But MWP did it the other way – chose the Top 5 then did the Q&A. The one benefit is that its a big time saver.

Performing the theme song of Miss World Philippines – Jay Durias (on keyboards) and Joey Generoso singing

MWP Theme Song: Performed by Jay Durias and Side A singer Joey Generoso. Mabuhay ang OPM!

The Q&A Segment: MWP chose the best questions thru Twitter suggestions. Now WHY didn’t I think of that? Also, projecting the question on a screen must have been a reaction to Bb. Pilipinas 2012 where two contestants misheard their questions. It is a good idea for the girls to be able to read their questions so that there is less chance of embarrassing moments. Host Edu Manzano was a big help too, he read the questions twice, slowly and clearly.

Deliberation of Judges: usually the most boring time of any pageant. But very necessary when the competition is tight. However, this is a good time to go to the washroom or make chika. BUT, I wish there was some form of informal entertainment like in Bb. Pilipinas 2012 where the hosts started to sing impromptu and we all discovered that Venus Raj could sing like a bird. THAT was FUN!

Me and my hubby and photographer, Ron B. Titular during the judges deliberation which took about 30 minutes!

Brains and Beauty Award: This award was given right before the announcement of the winners. It went to the girl who gave the best answer. I was SO scared that this award was some form of consolation -to be given to the girl with the best answer so that if another girl wins, at least the one with the best answer gets some form of recognition. The idea is brilliant, I think, AS LONG AS IT IS NOT A FORM OF CONSOLATION. And it wasn’t. Because the girl who won it was the girl who won the crown – Queenierich Rehman!

Look! I’m holding up Queenie Rehman’s Crown… where is the superglue when you need it…

Coronation: I despise that Throne. It was so far back pa on the stage. Hard to take photos. Also, I have mixed feelings about the crowns. The problem naman with the crown of the winner Queenierich Rehman was that it kept falling off her head. What’s up with these falling crowns? It happens in a lot of pageants. We need to perfect the science of attaching crowns to heads!

Queenie Rehman on my least favorite object in the Manila Hotel Tent on coronation night…

One observation: there wasn’t a major, major group huddle after the winner was announced. It suggests that this wasn’t a very friendly pageant. I am more used to pageants where the photographers have to tear the winners away from the other contestants because they are all hugging and crying in a huge huddle. There was very little of this and it kind of makes me sad because of the implications. Sigh…

Miss World Philippines 2012 Winners – L-R – 3rd Princess April Love Jordan, 1st Princess Ross Misa, Winner Queenie Rehman, 2nd Princess Vanessa Amman and 4th Princess Brenna Gamboa

To TV5 Production Staff: Congratulations for the level-up on Miss World Philippines 2012! You all worked SO hard for this and I feel that you all did an excellent job! I’m sorry na nagka-intriga with Miss World 2011 1st Princess Gwen Ruais and her Mom. But Miss Cory is right, we can all rise above our personal differences. Thanks for the sleepless nights just to make this year’s pageant a challenge to other big Philippine pageants! I hope you take my comments well because I really do mean well and just want MWP to get better and better!

To Miss Cory Quirino and the MWP staff: Hoping you take my comments well. I support you 100% and believe that you are raising the bar of beauty pageants in the Philippines. Congratulations on a successful 2nd pageant but the work is not yet over. It’s training time and we don’t have much of it since the Miss World is in August na. God bless Queenine Rehman and her training team!

To my darling ABQ Readers: Sorry for this long and rambling post, I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I would love to hear your comments and reviews. Negative comments and reviews are welcome as long as they:

1) Add value,

2) Are sincere and respectful,

3) Do not attack people or organizations,

4) Contain no kabastusan.

Remember, this blog is like my living room and guests should act accordingly. I reserve the right to determine which comments can be published. I love you all, even the haters but haters have to leave their comments outside or just go to a different blog to dump their trash.

Nevertheless, thanks to all ABQ readers, without you, this blog is nothing…

MWP 2012 Notes – Contestant #1 Kaye Wigand

Kaye Wigand at the MOA Screening… Photo courtesy of OPMB…

KAYE WIGAND’S WINNING ASSET: A Gorgeous Face!

I saw Kaye Wigand first when she attended the screening at Mall of Asia. She was in a bright yellow dress that melded so well with her lightly-tanned body. Thanks to OPMB for the photo.

I later discovered that Kaye Wigand had German blood (and can speak German, French, English and Pilipino fluently) but she looked more to me like an Island Girl or a Miss India. The second time I saw her was at the final screening of Miss World Philippines 2012 after they had announced the Top 25. She was glowing that night, thrilled to have made it into the official list!

IMHO, her winning asset is her gorgeous face which brightens even more when she shines. In fact, I like it better when her hair is pulled back so you can see her face clearly. Kaye Wigand’s beauty really stands out and I think its because she doesn’t look Pinay at all. If I just saw her at the beach I would have never thought that this 19-year-old from Puerto Galera had Pinoy blood. I’m not trying to do a Bayo here okay. I believe that beauty is beauty no matter what the blood!

Next asset: Kaye Wigand is quite fit. She’s a volleyball varsity player, a serious Ju-Jitsu student and has won medals in Track and Field. You go grrrl!

Kaye Wigand at the Miss World Philippines2012 Press Presentation

Kaye Wigand (center) after the Top 25 were announced.

Janine Tugonon - Miss Universe Philippines 2012

Presenting: The 25 Official Candidates for Miss World Philippines 2012!

I almost did not make it to the Press Presentation of Miss World Philippines 2012, thanks to some work that got delayed. But I arrived in time and was welcomed warmly by all my friends in the pageant circuit. What can I say about this year’s batch of beauty contestants? There are many strong candidates and choosing one winner will be a tough decision. And I mean this sincerely – I’m not trying to sound like a cliche Anywhoooo… here is the list of 25 Official Candidates of Miss World Philippines 2012:

1) Kaye Wigand