Beauty queens turned newscasters

They look good and they sound good, and they add a touch of glamour and glitter to the field of newscasting.

Funfare’s “beauty experts” Felix Manuel, Joey Cezeare, Gery Yumping and Francis Calubaquib are referring to beauty queens who have crossed over to television, not to soaps or sitcoms but to newscasting.

The “beauty experts” have the list, led by 2006 Miss Philippines-Air Ginger Abadiano Conejero (“imported” from California) who is an entertainment correspondent for TV Patrol World and several shows on ANC. The others are: 

• Cathy Veloso-Santillan, 1979 Bb. Pilipinas second runner-up and undoubtedly the prettiest face to ever grace primetime news, anchored RPN 9’s Newswatch.

• Joyce Ann Burton, 1981 Bb. Pilipinas-Young International and 1985 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe (the only one to have won both titles in the history of the Bb. Pilipinas Pageant), anchors the news on the ANC Channel.

• Lia Andanar, 1989 Bb. Pilipinas-International and Miss Friendship in that same year’s Miss International pageant, is also an ANC news anchor.

• Cheryl Cosim, 1989 Limgas na Dayat first runner-up in Lingayen, Pangasinan, started as a weather girl for ABS-CBN and then hosted her own public affairs program.

• Cara Subijano, 1991 Supermodel-Philippines and 1994 Bb. Pilipinas-World, became a courtside reporter for the UAAP games and ventured into newscasting. She works for the ABS-CBN’s The Filipino Channel (TFC) in San Francisco, California. 

• Alou Camua, one of Manila’s Five Loveliest in the early ’90s, anchored a news program for ABS-CBN.

• Cher Calvin, 1994 Miss New York-USA first runner-up and a Broadcast Journalism graduate from New York University, works with Emmett Miller at the anchor desk for the KTLA Morning News: First/Early Edition. She came from Las Vegas’ Fox affiliate KVVU where she co-anchored the station’s Fox5 News This Morning. From 1998 to 2003, she was news anchor and features reporter at GMA 7; and then as anchor, host and reporter for ABS-CBN where she received two Golden Dove Awards, the Philippines’ Emmy Awards equivalent. She is a recipient of the prestigious Emmy Award and the Golden Mike trophy from the Radio & Television News Association for the KTLA News special Access Asia. Cher had her first job in the news business in New York where she simultaneously worked as news desk assistant editor at Time magazine and assignment desk assistant at CNN. Also in New York, she served as editor-in-chief of A-PlusList.com.

• Phoemela Baranda, 1995 Elite Model-Philippines second runner-up, currently anchors TV Patrol World’s entertainment segment. She has also hosted several variety/entertainment/reality-TV shows and is one of the country’s most sought-after commercial and ramp models.

• Rhea Santos, 1996 Bodyshots finalist, is an AB Masscom magna cum laude graduate from St. Paul’s College in Quezon City. She has hosted GMA 7’s Unang Hirit  and received the 2002 Star Awards Best Morning Show Host.  She currently anchors QTV 11’s primetime news.

• Patricia Bermudez, 1996 Bb. Pilipinas semi-finalist and 1999 Mutya ng Pilipinas semi-finalist, anchored the news when she was just starting and was assigned as a courtside reporter for the PBA. Married to cager Vince Hizon, Patricia now hosts Venta5 on ABC 5.

• Tisha Silang, dethroned Bb. Pilipinas-Universe in 1998 (replaced by her first runner-up, Jewel Lobaton, wife of senatoriable Koko Pimentel), hosted Mornings@GMA.

• Miriam Quiambao, 1999 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and first runner-up in that same year’s Miss Universe Pageant, hosted Unang Hirit and now hosts Palaban (with Winnie Monsod and Malou Mangahas) also on GMA 7.  

• Gretchen Malalad, 2003 Bb. Pilipinas Miss Talent and Miss Red Bull Supreme Energy recipient, was a Philippine Air Force Airwoman second class during her stint on Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Celebrity Edition  and now serves as a correspondent for TV Patrol World’s police beat.

• Margaux Mitz Flores, 2004 Bb. Pilipinas semi-finalist, worked for ANC as a news anchor and later as a stock market analyst.

• Cathy Untalan, 2006 Miss Philippines-Earth and a UP cum laude graduate, served as San Beda’s courtside reporter during the last NCAA season covered by Studio 23.  

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