Shamcey Supsup outdoes Venus Raj in Q&A

Last year, when Ms. Philippines Venus Raj bagged 4th runner-up in the Miss Universe Pageant in Las Vegas, she left an indelible mark in our nation’s consciousness during her Q&A when she was asked the poignant question, “What is one big mistake you’ve made and what did you do to make it right?” Her response was, “You know what, sir, in my 22-years of existence, I can say that there’s nothing major, major, I mean, problem that I’ve done in my life because I’m very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So, thank you so much that I’m here.”

The reply of Venus Raj has been analyzed by so many pundits, some of them saying that she lost the Miss Universe Crown because of her “Major, Major” reply, though she has become famous here at home. Last Tuesday, the Miss Universe pageant once more made history with our Miss Philippines Shamcey Supsup bagging 3rd runner-up. While it was Miss Angola who won the Miss Universe Crown, Shamcey Supsup unexpectedly outdid Venus Raj in the Q&A, something that was truly unexpected from her.

During the Q&A American actress Vivicia A. Fox asked the question, “Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person you love? Why or why not?” Shamcey’s response was, “If I have to change my religious beliefs, I would not marry the person that I love. Because the first person that I love is God, who created me. I have my faith and my principles, and this is what makes me who I am. If the person loves me, he’ll love my God, too!”

Watching her make that impromptu reply (before a billion televiewers world wide) took me aback that here was a beautiful woman who is so young, vibrant, so bright with the world at her feet and she didn’t hesitate to show her love of God, which is the first amongst the ten commandments of God and the greatest commandment of all. Shamcey Supsup is not only beautiful, smart, but she’s got an uncanny strong faith for a young woman.

Of the five finalists, only Shamcey Supsup responded in English to the questions asked in the English language. She is a Cebuano speaker, but spoke fluent English that makes us Filipinos proud of our bi-lingual capability. The other contestants needed an interpreter in order to understand the questions being asked in English. But what makes me doubly proud was her deeply-rooted spirituality that would put to shame even some priests!

Of course, we Filipinos believe that Shamcey Supsup should have won the contest. But even the famous TV Divah Oprah Winfrey was quoted over NBC saying, “I have reservations with the results. If the only basis is the Q and A portion, after having been trimmed down to 5, Ms. Philippines deserved to win. What made her different from the rest is that she had no seconds to rethink of her answer as she had no interpreter to break the ice. The rest had their interpreters and having breaks on seconds to think about their answers. Hands down, Ms Philippines answered straight to the point! Indeed, Shamcey was at the top of the fan list… now why did she not even make second place?

I was told that Shamcey Supsup is a Born Again Christian, but what is important is that she has a deeply-rooted faith in God, something terribly missing in many Catholics today. There must be something going on in General Santos City where people have a deeply-rooted faith. First is Pound-for Pound Super Boxing Champ Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and now there’s Ms. Philippines Shamcey Supsup.

God indeed works in strange ways. In the decade long campaign in our spiritual battle against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, it is only during the Aquino administration that the volume has been turned so loud for those supporting the RH bill who do not mince words and worse, they wouldn’t hesitate to lie about the dangers of the use of contraceptives and totally ignore the will of God because of their lack of faith.

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This Sept.16-18, the USS Russell (DDG-59), an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, will be visiting Cebu for the weekend and members of the Cebu media are invited for a special tour on board the ship. The USS Russell is the reincarnation of the USS Russell (DD-414), a Sims class destroyer, that saw action also here in the Philippines during the Invasion of Leyte Gulf and in Luzon.

The new version of the USS Russell has participated in the bilateral Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises in the Philippines in the year 2004. It is home ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It has a complement of 32 officers and 251 enlisted personnel headed by Commander Joseph Carrigan, Commanding Officer and by Commander Garby Cave, Executive Officer. I would have wanted to visit the Nuclear Carrier USS John Stennis during their four-day stay in Manila, but this was called off because of Typhoon Mina. Yes, even aircraft carriers avoid typhoons!

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