‘Recycled’ beauties are sure winners - FUNFARE by Ricardo F. Lo

It’s the onset of the awards season and the beauty contest season, too, or haven’t you noticed?

Second week of March (postponed from the original Feb. 24 schedule), the three winners of the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant (that is, for the Misses Universe, World and International contests) will be chosen, with 1993 Miss World Second Princess Ruffa Gutierrez as host.

Now, will we produce an international winner this time, good enough to beat the winning/winsome entries from India, the new beauty capital of the world (dislodging Venezuela)? Let’s keep our fingers crossed – and pray.

Funfare readers have been suggesting that the Bb. Pilipinas management send past losers to other international beauty pageants, a practise done by other countries. These "recycled" beauties have the edge because they have the experience and a previous exposure, and they are expected to have learned a thing or two about onstage poise and grace from wherever it is they are originally sent to.

Two Bb. Pilipinas "recycled" beauties have finished either as winners or runners-up in the recent past, such as Joanne Zapanta Santos who won as Miss Tourism International in 1997 and Rachel Muyot Soriano who bagged the second runner-up honor at last year’s Miss Tourism World contest.

Here’s a report on "recycled" binibinis from Funfare’s "beauty experts" Gery Yumping, Joey Cezeare, Francis Calubaquib and Felix Manuel (now in London):

It looks like the Binibining Pilipinas organizers are following the advice of avid pageant watchers to "recycle" their beauties. This time, they’re putting their bet on reigning Bb. Pilipinas-International Joanna Maria "J" Mijares Peñalosa. She was chosen by the Bb. Pilipinas organizers to represent the Philippines – for the very first time – in the 2001 Edition of the Miss Internet WWW pageant to be held in Istanbul, Turkey.

Now on its 6th year, the Miss Internet WWW is produced by the same organizers of the just-concluded Miss Tourism World pageant in Malta. It is headed by John Singh. Miss Internet WWW is similar to other pageants where contestants are judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview.

In addition, they also have a national costume competition. Over 35 countries are competing in the week-long pageant, from Feb. 20 to Feb. 28. The finals will be held at the Princess Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey. The winner will receive $30,000 in cash and other prizes.

Joanna, 21, a graduating student of civil engineering at the De La Salle University, has had enough preparation for the pageant having competed in the Miss International 2000 in Tokyo, last December. It’s just a matter of "brushing up" on what she has already gained aside from the training from the Binibining Pilipinas Inc. The youngest of three sisters, she stand 5’9" tall with a well-chiseled body. Joanna has played basketball and once was a team captain. On weekends, she goes either jet-skiing or fishing and, of late, rock climbing whenever her busy schedule permits.

Joanna is the fourth Bb. Pilipinas titleholder chosen again to compete in another international beauty pageant. The first was former Bb. Pilipinas winner Ailleen Leng Marfori Damiles (Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and Miss Universe-Miss Photogenic 1996), who competed along with partner Christopher Celis (Mr. Philippines-World 1995) in the first International Folklore Beauty Pageant in Ibague, Colombia. They were among the five finalists chosen from 21 countries. Ailleen also bagged the Miss Photogenic title.

Next was Joanne Zapanta Santos (Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1995) who competed and won the Miss Tourism-International 1997 (in Macau). Last was Rachel Muyot Soriano (Bb. Pilipinas-World 1998) who joined Miss Tourism World 2000 in Malta wherein she was named second runner-up and Best in Long Gown. And hopefully, Joanna will have the same fate as her predecessors.

Meanwhile, the 2001 Binibining Pilipinas candidates are gearing up for the pageant, busy with photo shoots and rehearsals. They will be having their traditional parade of beauties and Charity Day on March 4. The finals and coronation night will be on March 10 (instead of Feb. 24 as originally announced).