Mr. & Ms. Chinatown on ‘siomai’ and stereotypes

MANILA, Philippines - Ni hao ma! Let’s face it. Some Filipinos are racist bastards and can’t conceive the concept of a Filipino-Chinese pageant without at least a few snickers at the back of our minds. Even the fact that the girls had a swimsuit competition and the guys didn’t has inspired comments along the lines of “Siguro kasi walang babakat.” But that doesn’t mean we don’t love and secretly envy them (especially for their money), if the string of brokenhearted forbidden Filipino lovers is to be of any significance.

The Mister and Miss Chinatown pageant was held last June 30 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila with the purpose of redefining Fil-Chinese beauty and to “pave the way for better business relations, and realize cultural and artistic goals” according to Alexis Sy Go, national director of the pageant. Grand prize winners, “lola’s boy” Randy See and interior design student Rolini Lim, were also awarded contracts with ABS-CBN, apart from the cash prize and a trip to Beijing or Shanghai.

Culture, goodwill, and diplomatic relationships aside, we asked the winners to loosen up and indulge us here at Supreme by shooting back their own answers at our most ridiculously stereotypical impressions. We spoke to winners Randy See and Rolini Lim, first runners-up Jerome Tan and Con Cho, and second runners-up, Sky Yang and Michel Sy.

What’s the biggest amount of money you’ve received in an angpao?

RANDY SEE: P500,000 from ABS-CBN last Sunday. (Laughs.)

ROLINI LIM: P10,000.

MICHEL SY: P3,000.

CON CHO: P10,000.

SKY YANG: P8,000.

JEROME TAN: P5,000.

How is your family business?

RANDY: Give me three months!

ROLINI: Doing good!

MICHEL: It’s progressive.

CON: We don’t have a family business.

SKY: It’s doing good.

JEROME: Our family business is doing good.

Please solve. 28,398x34/28+4,780-10?

RANDY: 39,253.2857. For more inquiries please contact my accountant.

ROLINI: Can I call a friend?

MICHEL: Use the MDAS (multiply, divide, add, subtract) rule for this.

CON: (No answer.)

SKY: (No answer.)

JEROME: 999,999,999!

What are your most shameless money-saving tips?

RANDY: I ask Mom to prepare my diet food for the whole day.

ROLINI: Skip meals! (Laughs.)

MICHEL: Dedicate 20% to tithes and charity first before you deposit to your bank account. It’s a mark of being grateful to your Master Provider.

CON: If you don’t need it, don’t buy it! Just save your money for future use.

SKY: Every time I want to buy something and I didn’t, I put 1k in my secret stash.

JEROME: Yeah, just don’t buy what you don’t really need.

Siomai or siopao?

RANDY: Siomai. I appreciate the little things in life. Good things come in small packages.

ROLINI: Siomai kasi pwede mo siya kainin with rice, pwede siya sa sabaw at pwede din siyang appetizer.

MICHEL: Siopao, coz the best part is on the inside!

CON: Siomai. It’s cheaper.

SKY: Siomai, if I’m not that hungry. Siopao, if it’s a long day ahead of me.

JEROME: Siomai. Because it’s easier to eat! (Laughs.)

Shark’s fin or pusa?

RANDY: Shark’s fin. Cats are friends, not food.

CON: Shark’s fin. I don’t like cats.

SKY: Shark’s fin because it’s sosyal (Winks.)

Are you free to date a Filipino?

RANDY: Yes.

ROLINI: Yes.

MICHEL: No.

CON: Yes.

SKY: Yes.

JEROME: It depends.

What are the best ways to hide and keep a Filipino partner?

RANDY: There’s no point hiding!

ROLINI: There’s actually no best way cause we shouldn’t hide them.

MICHEL: You just tell the truth and maintain honesty and it will set you free.

CON: Why hide? My parents are open-minded.

SKY: If you’re just going to hide it, there’s no point having one.

JEROME: You don’t keep it a secret!

What is the biggest misconception about Chinoys?

RANDY: That we are kuripot for no reason!

ROLINI: That Chinoys are stingy when it comes to money. It’s not actually true since the Chinese community has established a lot of charitable organizations in the Philippines.

MICHEL: That we’re babaero.

CON: Being kuripot. Chinoys are not kuripot. We are generous not only financially but also emotionally.

SKY: That we are kuripot.

JEROME: That Chinoys are chickboys (daw).

What are you most proud of about your Chinese heritage?

RANDY: The respect for culture and the importance of tradition.

ROLINI: I’m most proud of the fact that Chinese are rich in culture and traditions and value the importance of it.

MICHEL: We are built up with a mind and soul of a warrior that enables us to be a competitive business leader globally.

CON: Chinese are family-oriented.

SKY: We have huge ambitions. 

JEROME: Chinese are known to be hardworking, and with strong family ties.

What are you most proud of about your Filipino heritage?

RANDY: The importance of family and the sincerity of the people around us.

ROLINI: Being a Filipino makes me proud because we are united and ready to help anyone in need.

MICHEL: Being service-oriented.

CON: Filipinos are family-oriented.

SKY: We are always happy!

JEROME: My being outspoken, simple and generous.

What’s next for you after the competition?

RANDY: A box-office king title for a movie called Rush Hour in Chinatown.

ROLINI: I’m planning to pursue my studies while doing my job as Miss Chinatown and what else is out there for me.

MICHEL: An exciting adventure of self-discovery.

CON: I will work and save money.

SKY: Showbiz. Entertaining and inspiring people.

JEROME: I want to enter the business to learn something and to develop my confidence in facing people.

Photo by GABBY CANTERO

Produced by DAVID MILAN

Makeup and hair by ANGIE CRUZ

and ANGELIQUE DINGLASAN

of Shu Uemura and Kiehl’s.