No Maita Gomez biopic?

The colorful and dramatic life of Maita Gomez, chronicled by Marra PL. Lanot in a 2003 article reprinted from Leader magazine in last Sunday’s STAR, is an excellent material for a movie (with, why not, Iza Calzado playing Maita). In fact, there were offers but Maita, ever the private person, said no.

It was a life that ended quietly when Maita died while having an afternoon nap Thursday, July 12, last week. She was 65.

Marra’s article (included in a collection of profiles of personalities to be published by Anvil) proved to be the last interview given by the publicity-shy Maita who was Miss Philippines 1967 for the Miss World pageant (not Miss International as Marra erroneously mentioned but corrected in the book).

The only connection Maita had to showbiz was her daughter Melissa Perez Rubio who played Valentina in a Darna movie and romantically linked to Richard Gomez (no relation to Maita). Now married with two children, Melissa was the toddler Maita brought along with her in her peripatetic life when she joined the communist movement. Another is singer-composer Heber Bartolome, one of the men Maita lived with after her first failed marriage. They have two children.

Funfare’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas is sharing with this corner’s readers additional interesting stories about Maita who was a voracious reader, well-traveled, played the guitar, loved to sing and listened to folk songs, and adored Joan Baez and her music. According to Celso’s research, in high school Maita was a member of an eight-member-all-girls singing group, Bogi Dogies.

“At a very young age,” reported Celso, “the svelte, 5’11” stunner Maita went on a world tour right after finishing high school, a gift from her land-owner parents, Jose Gomez and Cecilia Favis of Pangasinan. But her studies had to take a backseat for a while. She temporarily dropped out from the University of the Philippines after winning a 16-week scholarship at the June Dally Watkins Modeling School in Sydney when she bested eleven other ramp models in the search for Calendar Girl of 1966.”

Maita was also named one of Manila’s Five Prettiest of 1966 by the Bachelors’ Club in August that year, together with Margarita Romualdez (crowned Miss Philipines-International 1967), Melinda Rodriguez, Mila Lichauco and Violeta Delgado.

Back from Sydney, Maita qualified as one of the 35 candidates of the 1967 Bb. Pilipinas pageant but she backed out before the grand finals. It was Pilar Pilapil who won, with Lotis Key among her runners-up.

Maita opted to join Pitoy Moreno’s entourage in fashion shows around the world (Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, Madrid, Barcelona and Tehran) with Patsy Sevilla, Toni Serrano, Baboo Mondoñedo and Trina Yujuico.

Celso noted that in Nov. 7, 1967, from a field of 37 aspirants, Maita was named one of the Top Ten Fashion Models along with Tina Santos, Cherry Pie Villonco, Jean Margaret Lim, Pearlie Arcache, Toni Serrano, Dinty Barredo, Baby Santiago (Queen of the Pacific 1968), Joji Felix Velarde and Chona Kasten. The search sponsored by Central Textile Mills for the benefit of Scholarship Foundation of the Filipino Youth and College Editors Guild.

“Minutes after the Top Ten Models were proclaimed,” said Celso, “Maita was surprised when she was announced Miss Philippines and as the country’s representative to the Miss World contest.”

She hardly had time to prepare. Chaperoned by Pitoy, Maita left on Nov. 11 and arrived late in London, thus missing the pre-pageant activities and ruined her chances of winning the crown that went to Peru’s Madeleine Hartog-Bel Houghton (who, the year before, was a semi-finalist in the Miss Universe contest along with Bb. Pilipinas Clarinda Soriano, a former Miss UE).

Will Rehman finally bring home the Miss World crown?

As usual when we send off a bet in a universe/world-international pageant, we keep our collective fingers crossed and, while expecting the worst, hope for the best.

The biggest winner of last year’s beauty-ful batch was Gwendoline Ruais who finished First Princess (second place) to the Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos in the Miss World contest. It was the second time for the Philippines to get closest to winning the title; the first was in 1973 when Evangeline Pascual placed also first runner-up to Miss USA Marjorie Wallace who was eventually dethroned. Why Evangeline “politely declined” to take over has remained a big question mark up to now.

Reigning Miss World Philippines Queeneerich Rehman is leaving tomorrow for Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China, to compete with an expected 100-plus candidates in the grand finals set for Aug. 18.

In a separate report, Celso said that Queeneerich will be competing against beauties who have already won or placed in international beauty pageants including Nicolina Loncar of Montenegro (2011 Miss Universe Miss Congeniality), Jessica Kawahaty of Australia (2008 Miss International top 12, she represented Lebanon), Nathalie den Dekker of the Netherlands (2010 Miss Tourism International winner), Kelly Cheung of Hong Kong (2012 Miss Chinese International winner), Guiliana Zevallos of Peru (2010 Miss Continente Americano winner), Mariana Notarangelo of Brazil (2010 Reinado Internacional del Café winner and 2011 Miss Global Beauty Queen winner), Gabriella Ferrari of Venezuela (2012 Reinado Internacional del Café second runner-up), Anastasia Sidiripoulou of Greece (2010 Miss Teen World winner), Fiorella Migliore of Paraguay (2008 Miss Italia del Mondo winner), Maricely Gonzales of Panama (2010 Miss Tourism International and 2010 Nuestra Belleza Latina, both top 20) and Charlotte Holmes of England (2010 Britain’s Next Top Model fourth place).

Queeneerich herself is not new to beauty contests. She was among the semi-finalists (and Best in Swimsuit special awardee) in the 2011 Bb. Pilipinas contest won by Shamcey Supsup (third runner-up in last year’s the Miss Universe contest).

“Miss World chairperson Julia Morley requires the girls to bring three samples of stones and a book from their respective countries,” said Celso, “and Queeneerich is bringing with her serpentinite from Zambales, and marble and jade from Mindoro, courtesy of DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau.”

She will be wearing an all-Filipino wardrobe by Filipino designers: Eric delos Santos, Veejay Floresca, Francis Libiran, Philip Tampus and Cherry Veric; and for the gala and coronation night, Dubai-based Manuel Cinco.

Miss World Philippines national director Cory Quirino has this simple reminder for Queeneerich: “Be yourself, speak from the heart, give authentic answers and be friendly to everyone including the chaperones.” And, of course: “Bring home the crown.”

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