Venus Raj on her advocacies and singer dreams

CEBU, Philippines - Miss Universe 2010 top five finisher Venus Raj was clearly overwhelmed by the hordes of elementary school students who were loudly chanting her name outside, while she was conducting a press conference at one of Lahug Elementary School’s upper floor classrooms. The chanting intensified when she emerged from the room and peered down below to greet her star-struck swarm of young fans.

"Grabe! Actually, kanina pa lang pagbaba namin ng van on the way to the venue, nagsisigawan talaga sila. It’s a great feeling that at their young age, these children know who I am. I don’t know if maybe they really idolize me or they’re inspired by my story…either way, nakakataba sa puso," Venus told The FREEMAN in what has become her trademark giggly self.

Keys to success

It is her by-now famous story of rising above ridicule and poverty — from rice paddy girl teased for her skin color and towering height, to international beauty queen titlist, endorser and TV host — that brought Venus to Cebu last Friday, October 21, as the newest advocate for a milk brand’s Nutrition Education Advocacy.

This long-running campaign of Bear Brand called Laki sa Gatas (LSG) has been known to involve personalities who overcame obstacles in life and became successful in their respective endeavors by valuing proper nutrition and education.

The Bicolana remarked, "I’m here to inspire children and their mothers since they know I come from a poor family. At hindi ko ikinahihiya. Bilang mga magsasaka ang mga magulang ko, alam ko kung gaano kahirap ang buhay. Pero hindi hadlang yun. Kita niyo nga, nakapagtapos ako at maganda ang kinalalagyan ko ngayon."

Venus recalled how back when she was still living in her hometown of Bato, Camarines Sur, she would sometimes get tired eating the same fare of vegetables and bananas. Now that she’s a grown-up and in show business, she’s come to grasp the importance of nutritious food.

"Nuon, kinasasawaan ko siya sa Bicol. But since I have to maintain my figure, I still have my sister steam bananas as my baon to the set of my morning show," said Venus, referring to her ABS-CBN daily program Umagang kay Ganda (UKG), which she has been hosting since February of this year. A thrice-a-week Pilates session and regular fun runs are Venus’ additional secrets for her model bod.

As for the school bullies who taunted her for being chocolate-skinned, Venus has since learned to embrace the fact that being different doesn’t necessarily make her unattractive.

"I realized that when I was already joining pageants in college. Kasi dati kapag sumasali ako, sinasabi nila, ‘Ay hindi mananalo yan kasi ang itim-itim.’ During college, I already had a make-up artist and there were people who provided nice gowns. Lahat ng kalaban ko talaga ang puputi. Ako lang ang maitim. So sila parang, ‘Wow!’ I came to accept na maganda pala ang kulay ko."

After she won as Miss Philippines-Earth Eco-Tourism in 2008, Venus mentioned that "it sort of became a trend in Bicol that if you’re dark-skinned, you have a great chance of winning and you’re fair-skinned competitors see you as a threat. Miss Universe 2011 from Angola is dark-skinned di ba? So the point is, nothing is impossible and there’s nothing wrong with dreaming big."

Venus gamely shared her humble beginnings during the LSG session, then asked some of the pupils what they wanted to be when they grew up. Later on, she prodded the kids to draw their ambitions on a piece of paper and insert it around the body of a drinking glass. These so-called Ambition Glasses will serve as their constant reminder about the importance of proper nutrition and education to help them fulfill those dreams.

DSWD ambassadress

Venus was also recently named the new Ambassadress for Children's Rights and Welfare of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The government agency, through its secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman, tapped her to promote the rights of Filipino children to education and health care, especially the underprivileged ones.

"It’s an honor that at my age, they chose me to be an advocate for the program. The Pangtawid Pamilya of DSWD is one of their projects that I'm really serious with. My main responsibility is to inspire kids and their mothers and to make them realize that all is not lost. As long as we’re alive, there is still hope. Just let your kids study well so that they’ll have a bright future."

She is referring to DSWD’s anti-poverty conditional cash transfer program, wherein the poorest of the poor families receive monthly cash assistance in exchange for sending their kids to school and for pregnant mothers to have regular check-ups.

The Pangtawid Pamilya program has been met with its fair share of critics for allegedly promoting a culture of mendicancy, but for someone like Venus who experienced first-hand going to school with just one peso in her pocket and living in a nipa hut sans electricity, she appreciates the impact of these cash grants to very poor families.

"We couldn’t afford my school projects back then. The basic needs that a child needs, halos wala kami," said the 23-year-old.

To help her mother earn a living, she joined beauty contests and oratorical competitions. Her college education was made possible because of a scholarship grant from the Francis Padua Papica Foundation. Through sheer grit and perseverance, she graduated cum laude from Bicol University with a degree in Communication Arts major in Journalism.

Her triumphs followed as Miss Bicolandia 2007, Miss Philippine Earth Eco Tourism 2008, Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010, and eventually, Miss Universe 2010 fourth-runner up. Since then, Venus’ financial status has had a big turn-around. "Kasi dati-rati, palagi na lang nangungutang," she laughingly shared.

"Now, I get to send my nieces and nephews to a good school. They are assured that they’ll have money for school projects. If there are school activities they want to join but require money, I can provide for that now. So the new-found privilege is not only for me, it’s for my entire family’s needs."

The rickety small hut that would give way each time a strong typhoon visited is still there, but Venus had a sturdier house built beside it.

"Dati, every year may bagyo at talagang nasisira. Ngayon, kahit papano, the foundation of our house is already strong. Now we’re assured that we don’t need to go to an evacuation center para makisiksik sa ibang tao. Our house is even open for other people who want to seek temporary shelter during typhoons, para sila naman yung matulungan namin."

Venus, as singer?

Venus is obviously enjoying her transition from beauty queen to showbiz personality. It wasn’t without a bit of culture shock, though. "I never imagined myself entering showbiz. Ganito pala yung buhay dito, ganito pala karaming tao ang nakakakilala sayo. Dapat ngitian mo lahat. Pero nung nagtagal, na-enjoy ko na siya. Ang daming taong nagbabanggit ng pangalan mo, so nakakatuwa pala."

These days, she wakes up at 3 a.m. on weekdays for UKG, then appears Sundays on the noontime show ASAP Rocks. With hosting checked off her bucket list, Venus aspires to be a recording artist next. Given a break, Venus says that she wants to do acoustic tunes or songs done like those of her idol, the British sensation Adele.

"I really want to sing. I’m also taking guitar lessons now," Venus admitted. "Acting is okay but singing is what I really want to pursue.

People like Anne Curtis who just had a Gold Record award for her album and Manny Pacquiao who’s had a chart-topping hit are my inspirations. If they were able to do it, why can’t I?"

"As I always say, there is nothing wrong in dreaming. Nasa lakas lang din yan ng loob. My voice might not be as good now, but I can learn and improve.

No Shamcey envy

Current country darling Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup is understandably at the center of everyone’s attention, similar to the fanfare accorded to Venus last year. Talks swirled of Venus being dropped like a hot potato from UKG to give way to her successor. This was followed by rumors of her jumping to TV5.

"May mga napapabalita nga na ganyan, pero hindi naman po totoo. Yes, there was an offer to my manager Jonas Gaffud, but so far, wala pang agreement for me to transfer. I’m still with UKG. And I’m very happy with ABS-CBN. I hope they’re also happy that I’m with them. Maganda po ang relationship at walang lipatan na mangyayari."

She denied any sort of competition between her and Shamcey. In fact, she treats her as a sister and helped train the General Santos native for Miss Universe. Now, the two queens share the same hope of maintaining our consecutive top five Miss Universe ranking in the years to come.

"We had a runner-up back in 1999 pa, and then after that, ako na, and now we have Shamcey. I’m happy that last year, we opened the gates for the Philippines to have another Miss Universe finalist in the top five, kasi matagal-tagal din talaga yung panahon na wala."

She added, "Shamcey and I are hoping that in the next years to come, we’ll still have a finalist. Because the feeling is really different when the whole nation stops just to watch Miss Universe. It’s a great feeling when we are recognized internationally. Maybe next year or in two years, we’ll finally get the crown again."

‘Woman of the Year’

Another feather-in-the cap for the half-Indian beauty is the "Woman of the Year" award she is set to receive in the 10th Gawad Amerika Awards Night this November 5 in Hollywood, California. Organized by the non-profit organization Gawad Amerika Foundation. The annual event honors individuals who excel in their careers and who had made a difference in their lives and communities.