‘As Precious as her name’

When Precious Lara Quigaman won as 2005 Bb. Pilipinas-International last March, her father Nelson, a bus driver in the United Kingdom, said: "Now I can die. I’m glad that Lara won because she has a good chance of winning in an international contest if given the chance."

His words have proven prophetic. Lara went on to win the 2005 Miss International crown Monday night in Tokyo, Japan, beating 50-plus other beauties from the same number of countries in what is generally considered as the third most prestigious international beauty search (after Miss Universe and Miss World). Unfortunately, Lara’s father didn’t live to savor his daughter’s victory. Two months after the Bb. Pilipinas contest, he succumbed to cardiac arrest.

With her win, Lara broke the 26-year "drought" suffered by the Philippines in the Miss International contest. She brought to four the number of Filipinas who have won the title — the first being Gemma Cruz in 1964, followed by Aurora Pijuan in 1970 and then Melanie Marquez in 1979.

"It’s about time we won another Miss International crown," Melanie told The STAR. "I’m happy for Lara. I’m thankful that she gave her best and represented our country very well. Her victory should help boost our economy, especially our tourism industry. Once again, she has proven to the whole world that Filipinas are beautiful; they are also intelligent with a beautiful heart."

Born on Jan. 3, l983, Lara graduated with a VCE Media Communication and Production degree from Filton College in Bristol, England, where her parents worked. Her mother, Princesita Quigaman, is a nurse.

With her dusky looks, Lara is a stunner. She stands a shade under 5’6", weighs 100 lbs. and measures 33-23-34. According to relatives and friends, Lara is outgoing, forever smiling. As a kid, she would pretend to be a beauty queen, standing in front of the mirror, chin up and waving this way and that.

"She is a ‘joiner,’" according to one of her aunts. "She loved to join beauty contests."

Lara’s efforts have paid off handsomely.

Before winning the 2005 Bb. Pilipinas-International crown, Lara already joined the same search when she was 17, in 2001. She didn’t make it even to the semifinals. Undaunted, Lara joined two other contests — Eat Bulaga’s "TeeVee Babe" search and the Circle of Ten search for commercial models — before she competed again in the Binibining Pilipinas contest. This time, Lara was tagged as a "sure winner" not only because of her beauty, but also for her brains.

In an exclusive interview with The STAR three days after she won (with Gianna Cabrera, Binibining Pilipinas-Universe who competed last May in Thailand; and Carlene Ang Aguilar, Binibining Pilipinas-World who will compete in the Miss World contest in China in December), Lara showed her quick wit and intelligence.

Asked how relevant beauty contests are today, she said, "Beauty contests were relevant then, are relevant now and will be relevant in the years to come because they open opportunities for women not only in the Philippines but in other parts of the world as well."

Does she think women today are on equal footing with men?

"Oh yes, of course! The fact that the President of the Philippines is a woman proves that women, specifically Filipino women, are on equal footing with (Filipino) men. Personally, I’m not for chivalry. You know, I don’t like a man opening a door for me and pulling a chair for me. That makes me feel helpless."

Her stand on birth control?

"I don’t see anything wrong in birth control. If people need to do it, they should do it."

Naming Sam Wile, her journalist-teacher at Filton College, as the most unforgettable person she has met and Demi Moore as the person she’d rather be aside from herself, Lara said that "any man is good enough for me as long as he’s okay in every way." Yes, she has a boyfriend: he’s Michael Dulay Catacutan, 29, a nurse.

But after winning as Miss International, marriage might have to wait — if ever that’s in her and Michael’s plans. If the Miss International organization will let her, Lara might come home this weekend to acknowledge the cheers of her kababayan who look at her victory as a positive sign of things to come.

Asked in the same STAR exclusive interview (conducted two months before the "Hello, Garci" controversy erupted) what were the three most pressing problems she would solve if she were President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Lara answered: "Peace and order, poverty and the educational system. I’ll ask the rich to help me solve the problems. The haves should help the have-nots."

That’s our girl!

As a clincher, Lara repeated her answer to the crucial/decisive question during the 2005 Bb. Pilipinas finals: What is the essence of being a woman (the same question wittily answered by Miss India Sushmita Sen who won the Miss Universe crown in Manila in l994)?

"I believe that the essence of being a woman is being a good mother, a good daughter, a good sister and a good friend to everyone."