Beauty is in the blood

Perhaps no family can beat the Manalos in having the most number of beauty-queen members.

There’s Nini Ramos-Licaros, the first Bb. Pilipinas-International (1968) who finished one of the 15 semi-finalists in that year’s Miss International pageant in Tokyo. Two more Binibinis in the family: Kate Manalo-Hernandez, 2002 Bb. Pilipinas-World who was among the Top 10 finalists in the Miss World contest and Bianca Manalo, 2009 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe who represented the country in the Miss Universe pageant. They are Nini’s nieces, with another niece, Nichole Marie Manalo, competing against 39 other hopefuls in the 2014 Bb. Pilipinas pageant set for March 30 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum (aired live by ABS-CBN).

The girls’ mother, Nini’s older sister Norma Ramos, was herself a beauty queen (the first Miss Caloocan, 1970).

“It was different during my time,” recalled Nini. Her co-winner, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Charina Zaragoza, competed in the Miss Universe pageant. “We didn’t wear bikinis during the Binibini contest, only a one-piece bathing suit. The Miss International contest was held at the Sudokan Hall in Tokyo.”

Unlike most beauty queens who ventured into acting after their reign, Nini politely turned down movie offers and instead produced a TV show called Eh, Kasi Babae which lasted a top-rater for several seasons. She later became a kagawad in Forbes Park and a Makati City councilor.

Same with Kate whose stint in the Miss World pageant in Nigeria was marred by violent protests, with the contestants deemed to be in eminent danger, so the organizers escaped in the dead of night and hauled the whole batch to London where the pageant finally went underway.

“That was really very scary,” said Kate, a cum laude college graduate who, before the Binibini, was The STAR’s Face of the Week, and first runner-up in the Bond Girl search, a special promotional tie-up of The STAR for the showing of the 007 movie The World Is Not Enough. When she joined the Binibini, her vital statistics were the same as those of Nini: 36-25-36.

A PAL flight stewardess (domestic) before she joined the Binibini, Bianca broke the family “tradition” by entering showbiz after she came back from the Miss Universe pageant. She was cast in the title role in the ABS-CBN series Juanita Banana (inspired by the Sampaguita movie starring Rosemarie Sonora) and co-hosted the same network’s noontime show Happy Yipee Yehey!. For a while, she was romantically linked to John Prats (a few inches shorter than her).

They are now rallying for Nichole, 24 and towering at 5’9.5”, a Nursing graduate from the Manila Doctors College (batch 2010), who used to work at the ICU of Ospital Ng Maynila. Her hobbies include swimming and surfing; and her special talents include acrobatics and hula-hooping. A Libra (Oct. 13, 1989), she’s No. 23 among the 40 Binibini bets.

So what pointers are they giving Nichole?

Nini: “Ako kasi, I’m very particular with the hair because it’s a girl’s crowning glory, isn’t it? It enhances her looks. You can be the prettiest girl in the batch but if you don’t fix yourself well, it can be a disadvantage. You have to relax even if it’s not easy parading before an audience of hundreds and thousands of people watching the TV coverage. During the Q&A, be short with your answers and don’t try to elaborate. The more you try to be smart, the more you get into trouble.”

Kate: “I tell Nichole to be herself, enjoy and learn from every moment knowing that God has a plan for her and always go back to her values.”

Bianca: “I always tell Nichole to just enjoy every moment, to have fun and be natural. Kasi kapag natural ka, you don’t have to pretend or put up a front sa mga tao. They will see kaagad your being naturalesa at mas mamahalin ka ng tao. We always remind Nichole that, win or lose, we are here for her. I tell her, ‘You’re a born winner. Manalo ka!’ That should boost her spirit.”

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