The beach party of the century

Toned and chiseled bodies conquered the beautiful beaches of Boracay as the country’s leading canned tuna brand Century Tuna gave the island an unforgettable summer with the Century Tuna Superbods Beach Fest, a two-day display of bodies, hot raffle prizes, cool chill-out music and two nights of parties.

Prior to  the competition night, Century Tuna  threw a Lite & White Bash, where guests  came in their most stylish white garb and were treated to the extra light goodness of the new Century Tuna Lite, which has 50 percent less fat and 50 percent less salt.

Making the event even more exciting were the raffle prizes given out every half an hour. Prizes included Motorola RAZR V3i cell phones, Canon digital Ixus cameras, several iPod Shuffles and Nanos, Havaianas and P5,000 cash.

Guests turned up the next day and competed in celebrity games like beach assault, kayak relay, tuna sand sculpture and celebrity jeopardy. A muscle-flexing basic aero boxing and Tae Bo session was also conducted by fitness expert Chinggay Andrada in the morning. On the side, guests got to relax by having a free massage, hair braiding and henna tattoos, while sampling delicious tuna treats.

The non-stop fun events culminated in the Superbods competition night hosted by TV personality JM Rodriguez and model Bianca Valerio. On hand to welcome guests were Century Tuna executives headed by Joseph Pineda, Leo Po, Ayet Evangelista and Gigi Angkaw. The competition attracted a total of 55 contestants – later trimmed down to 16 finalists who embodied the essence of the brand – great body, glowing skin and healthy lifestyle.

Judging the contestants were VP-creative director of Century Tuna’s ad agency Ariel Comia, talent manager Douglas Quijano,  former Century Tuna image model Phoemela Baranda, TV host Angel Aquino, model Raya Mananquil, writer Tim Yap, society photographer Alex van Hagen, actor-TV host Richard Gomez with wife Star columnist/TV host Lucy Torres-Gomez and Century Tuna marketing manager Ayet Evangelista.  Served with the buffet dinner was a huge paella made by Gigi Angkaw and her team using various seafood with Century Tuna.

The winners were crowd favorite and half-Filipino, half-British Jon Mullally and Fil-Am Michelle Padua who each walked away with P50,000 and a one-year modeling contract with Century Tuna to appear in its TV commercials, print ads, billboards and posters.

First runners-up spot were Grant Hooks and Elaine Gallardo who received P20,000 each. Second runners-up were Chris Samson and Danielle Pioli who each went home with P15,000. The remaining contestants also received consolation prizes for participating in the competition.

Seen chilling out to the latest music dished out by guest DJs Karl Ty of Superfly and GP Reyes at the Century Tuna Lite party were Star columnists Celine Lopez, DJ Montano and JR Isaac, Ricardo Po, Marielle Santos, Marcel Crespo, Trish Panlilio with her sons Quintin, Matteo and Luca Cu-Unjieng, Jackie Castillejo, model Teresa Herrera, MTV’s KC Montero, Jack Madrid and Twinky Lagdameo, current Century Tuna model Will Devaughn, fashion editor Jenni Epperson, president of Century Tuna ad agency Socky Pitargue and actress Rachel Lobangco who did a sizzling fire dance with the Boracay Dragon Dancers.

The big prize money, the great raffle prizes, the fantastic parties…. Great company, great sounds… this was truly the party of the Century!

Catch the Trimaran!

When in Boracay, try to catch the Trimaran M/S Vianelle, a 72-foot trimaran with a 150-square-meter deck.  They offer sunset cruises from 4 to 7 p.m. (but one can extend to 9 p.m.) which includes bar chow and local drinks. Day trips are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (extendable to 9 p.m.) including food and local drinks. The day trips can take you to Caluja, Tablas, Carabao Island, Buruanga or Maralison.

The trimaran’s charming Captain Liechtensteiner Marcelo Kaiser says parties are held there, too, for a maximum of 70 people but it stays in Boracay. 

(For details, check out their website www.hiihaa.com or email [email protected])