Looking back at 1st Bb. pageant in 1964

It’s Binibini season again.

Next Sunday, March 18, the Bb. Pilipinas pageant, said to be the most prestigious beauty search in the country, is celebrating its 55th anniversary by choosing six queens from a field of 40 hopefuls — Bb. Pilipinas-Universe, Bb. Pilipinas-International, Bb. Pilipinas-Intercontinental, Bb. Pilipinas-Supranational, Bb. Pilipinas-Globe and Bb. Pilipinas-Grand International. Venue is, as usual, Smart Araneta Coliseum, to be aired live by ABS-CBN. 

So far, the pageant has produced three Misses Universe (1969, Gloria Diaz; 1973, Margie Moran; and 2015, Pia Wurtzbach) and five Misses International (1970, Aurora Pijuan; 1979, Melanie Marquez; 2005, Precious Lara Quigaman; 2013 Bea Rose Santiago; and 2016, Kylie Verzosa). The country’s first Miss International winner, Gemma Cruz, was not a Bb. graduate.

Here’s a misty-eyed looking back at the first Bb. pageant in 1964, courtesy of Funfare’s “other beauty expert” Celso de Guzman Caparas, from his “lumang baul.”

The final screening of the 30 applicants was held on June 24, 1964. The 15 finalists were Marilou Alberto, Lilia Alvarez, Milagros Cataag, Edna Rosanna Keyes, Marita Dimayuga, Aida Gaerlan, Elvie Gonzalez, Elizabeth Gutierrez, Carmelita Larrabaster, Maria Sonia Orendain,  Thelma Shaw, Chiqui Somes, Mila Sumayao (a.k.a. Mila Ocampo) and Nina Zaldua and (the late) Myrna Panlilio who won the crown.

The first Bb. Pilipinas Coronation Night was postponed from July 3 to July 5 due to Typhoon Dading that wrought havoc in Central Luzon including Manila and its suburbs. A generator was put on standby in case of a power failure. The proceeds from the gate receipts were channeled to the typhoon victims. Ticket prices: Special Ringside, P5; Upper Box, P3; and General Admission, 90 centavos.

Myrna was crowned by 1963 Miss Universe third runner-up Lalaine Bennett. Runners-up were Milagros as Bb. Waling-Waling and Elvie as Bb. Ilang-Ilang. Then 21 years old and an AB Foreign Service graduate of Maryknoll College, Myrna was a Merchants Bank teller. She won P2,000 cash, Regal sewing machine, a year’s supply of Helene Curtis beauty products, a complete wardrobe from Philippine Couturiers Association, a golden trophy from the Lions Club and a free trip to Miami, Florida, USA.

On Aug. 1, 1964, Myrna competed along with 59 other international beauties in the 1964 Miss Universe won by Greece’s Kiriaki Tsopei, held in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A. Myrna played host to Kiriaki when Kiriaki visited the country; they performed in the World Beauty Queens 1965 show held at the Big Dome.

Mila was the first national beauty titleholder to join the pageant. She was Miss Press Photography of the Philippines in 1959.

Aside from Mila, other pageant veterans who joined the inaugural Bb. Pilipinas were: Maria Sonia Orendain was Miss Visayas, second runner-up to 1963 Miss Philippines International Monina Yllana and 1963 Miss Press Photography of the Philippines first runner-up Sylvia Gumabao; Chiqui was Miss Visayas (second runner-up to Lalaine Bennett and a Fairest Ten of the Philippines 1964 candidate; Edna Keyes was Miss Luzon (first runner-up) to Gemma Cruz; Elvie was Queen of Dance-O-Rama for August 1963 and a Fairest Ten of the Philippines 1964 candidate; Nina was Miss Dance-O-Rama January 1964 and Miss Nite Owl February 1964; Marilou and Carmelita were also Fairest Ten of the Philippines 1964 candidates. Only Elvie made it as one of the Fairest Ten of the Philippines 1964. Sonia became a 1965 Miss Ever Girl finalist while Chiqui competed in the first Queen of the Pacific in 1967 won by Malaysia’s Betty Lim held in Melbourne, Australia.

Mila started as a child star in the early ’50s; she appeared in Romansa sa Nayon (shown on July 14, 1952) and Haring Solomon at Reyna Sheba (shown on Dec. 21, 1952). Both films were topbilled by Nida Blanca, Nestor de Villa and Rogelio de la Rosa, and produced by LVN Productions. Mila’s first grown-up movie was Walang Takot (starring Lou Salvador Jr., Marita Zobel and Bernard Bonnin, shown on Jan. 24, 1958). Chiqui and Nina were introduced in Larry Santiago Productions, Inc.’s Mga Kanang Kamay (topbilled by Bob Soler, shown on Feb. 28, 1964) and billed as 7 Coeds along with Dulce Lukban, Margie Tanquintic, Jojie Crespo, Suzette Speis and Merle Huggins.

Elvie was the first binibini repeater. She joined the pageant in two consecutive years. The next year (1965), she was fourth runner-up to Louise Vail Aurelio. In 1994, her daughter Charlene Gonzalez was crowned 1994 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and finished among the Top 6 in that year’s Miss Universe pageant held in Manila for the second time.

Edna was the first binibini to become a movie actress. She was introduced in Lalaine Mahal Kita, starring Lalaine and Mario Montenegro, shown on Aug. 21, 1964. Elvie joined showbiz in 1967 and debuted in Together Again with Dolphy, Nida Blanca, Romano Castellvi and Jean Lopez (shown on April 28).

Myrna became an executive committee member of the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. (BPCI). She was appointed by then Pres. Joseph Estrada as the executive director of Nayong Pilipino. During her term, she put up the Dambana ng Kagandahan showcasing pageant memorabilia of former beauty queens.

Chiqui is the daughter of Dalisay Pictures character actor and former Manila cop Jose Vergara. Mila was the mother of Snooky Serna (by actor Von Serna). Elvie is the mother of another actor, Richard Bonnin (by actor Bernard Bonnin). Nina is the mother of actor Lance Raymundo and award-winning singer/recording artist Rannie (by Nilo Raymundo).

(In Memoriam: Myrna passed away on July 19, 2009, due to cardiac arrest; she was 66. Mila died at 67 on Jan. 6, 2010, due to lingering emphysema.)

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)