Three national pageants send Filipinas to some of the most notable pageants (though “notable” may not quite be “relevant”).
Binibining Pilipinas this year crowned five women, removed one, and replaced it with two; Miss World Philippines always chooses a girl in the nick of time; and Miss Earth pools candidates from even the most obscure towns in the country. (We remember Miss Dalaguete, and her nationally televised “passed away” fame.)
Janicel Lubina, Parul Shah and Ann Colis have already shown grace and intellect in their respective pageants, with Janicel and Parul rallying behind them fans who insist, “Siya dapat ang nanalo” (I am guilty).
Just in case you have no idea yet as to how articulate the other ladies are, Inquirer Super compiled their winning answers. We realize now that there were easier ways to find them than going back to YouTube videos of the three pageant nights, but the realization came only when we placed the last period here.
We’re not saying the ladies strung together the best words and came up with perfect answers right at their national pageant—and, they get trained right after getting crowned— but, yeah, ma-issue kami.
Love, love
ROGELIE CATACUTAN
Frederick Go: Will you marry a man who is less successful than you? Why or why not?
“Definitely, I would marry a man who is less successful than me because when you say love, it’s how we interact with people. And when you say love, it is more on feelings and that is more important, loving the person no matter who they are and what they do because love is an unconditional thing. Good evening.”
CHRISTI MCGARRY
Former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima: What would you tell a child who longs for its Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) mother?
“Something that I would tell a child who longs for her OFW mother, is that whatever she is doing overseas, she is doing it for their own good and she loves him very, very much and she sacrificed a lot for him or her and one day she will be in their arms again and everything will be alright.”
PIA WURTZBACH
Representative Leni Robredo: Social media is now a very powerful tool on communication. Can you tell us your thoughts about Internet censorship?
“I think that we should be careful about what we post online, especially our thoughts and our opinions, that we don’t hurt anybody, especially selfies, we have to be careful with what we post especially in our bodies, in our faces. So always think before you click.”
ANGELIA GABRENA ONG
Zsa Zsa Padilla: Do you believe in same sex marriage? Why or why not?
“I think it really depends on the person, if he or she believes in [same] sex marriage but, as for me, if the person feels that he or she needs to be married to show his or her love, then I don’t mind having sex marriage. If you feel that that is love, then so be it. Good night every one.”
HILLARIE PARUNGAO
Cris Albert: What is your life’s philosophy and why?
“My life philosophy always relies into compassion, because I believe compassion can help, can open doors into many challenges in life that we can resolve, that we can progress as a society; and I also believe that in compassion we get to understand other people, and in understanding other people we became a better society. Thank you.”