Bods, bonding, Bora

Ah, the memories of wearing matching team spirit uniforms during PE. Those physical education classes helped us get in shape, but now that most of us don’t work on our bodies to get good grades it is quite a challenge to keep in shape. That’s why we can only look in amazement at well-sculpted bods. You know, like Spider-Man in that costume from another planet or that Aeon Flux chick who’s as shapely as a Matisse cutout.

Century Tuna, the brand known for the Superbods Beachfest competition, recently held the culminating event in Boracay. The summer bash hosted by MYX VJ Iya Villania and model Derek Ramsay started off with an all-white sunset party at Club Paraw with DJ Karl Ty of Superfly who spun chill-out beach sounds. Guests were able to try delicious dishes like salad and pita wraps made with Century Tuna’s new variant: Hot and Spicy which has 50-percent less fat and salt. This is a must-try for spicy cravers or those on a diet.

The following day was packed with activities like free massage, hair braiding and henna tattoo application at Pier One. These are essential pursuits for every Bora pilgrim. Well, aside from seeing if he or she could down those jiggers in Cocomangas and still remain standing.

For those who weren’t able to join the Superbods preliminary search, there was a special wild card audition as well. Males and females who were vacationing in Boracay mustered up enough courage to don swimsuits and try their luck in the Century tilt. It was also an exciting afternoon for celebrities, journalists and contestants as they competed in beach games like extreme relay, fishing and the knockout challenge.

For the grand finals night, 30 contestants showed off their super bods with swimsuits by Twinkle Ferraren and board shorts by Resort Shop from Cinderella. There were 22 semifinalists flown in from Manila through SEAIR and eight wild card contestants chosen during the beach auditions.

This year’s batch was composed of former college basketball players, models, video jocks, gym instructors, and even a freelance journalist. I think this year’s participants come from more varied backgrounds. The contestants were Pierre Niccolo Fabi, Jerome Ortiz, Alexander Poe, JC Tiuseco, Jovince Cañisarez, Larry Bril, Raphael Kiefer, Ram Sagad, James Zablan, Mico Lara, Alizon Andres, Athan Collado, Gabriel Garcia, Marc So, Jessie John Cabuang, Mona Lisa Neuboeck, Dominique Dabao, Lotus van Hedeggem, Kristine Pearl Ladera, Jamie Diago, Tricia Velasco, Jam La Migo, Dorothy Aragye, Patty Ortega, Julia Duncan, Mica Tuaño, Gwyneth Albarraccin, Dannielle Go, Ave Ong and Stephanie Afzelius.

The winning pair will automatically become Century Tuna’s image models. But before they could do just that, they also need to prove that they have the brains — aside from great bodies and healthy lifestyle philosophies.

There was a Q&A portion for the top 12 finalists. This year’s panel of judges included model Rissa Samson, photographer Raymund Isaac, fashion director Robby Carmona, MEGA Publishing Group president and CEO Sari Yap, star discoverer Jojie Dingcong, columnist Maurice Arcache, PC&V Communications VP Ariel Comia, and Century Tuna marketing manager Ayet Evangelista.

Pinikpikan provided the musical interludes. The band is headed by percussionist Billy Bonnevie, with guitarist Sammy Ascuncion and bassist Louie Talan. If any band exudes that Boracay vibe perfectly, it would be Pinikpikan with its fusion of ethnic tones, rock grooves and world music ambience. The band’s music, according to Igan D’Bayan, evokes "sunsets, shorelines, and the lulling hum of the universe… everything that is tribal and electric at the same time."

After the contestants strutted their stuff, two winners were chosen: Ram Sagad, who used to play college basketball, and Patty Ortega, who’s darn proud to be 100-percent Filipina.

They each won P500,000 and a one-year exclusive modeling contract. Both are set to appear in Century Tuna’s TV commercials, as well as in print ads, billboards and posters.

First runners-up were Mica Tuaño and JC Tiuseco, while second runners-up were Dorothy Aragye and Ralph Kiefer. Winning the People’s Choice Award were Alizon Andres and Jamie Diago, who got the most number of votes from texters who went home with P50,000 each.

Ah, the lessons we can learn from these Superbods winners. Maybe if we try hard enough (spend hours in the gym, maintain a healthy diet and abstain from junk food and booze, etc.) we could all have our own super-bodies. Maybe not as amazing as the physiques of Ram Sagad and Patty Ortega, but at least we could be better versions of ourselves.

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E-mail love-hate whatever things to becca_rodriguez@yahoo.com or visit www.myspace.com/beccacrodriguez.