Breath of fresh air

MANILA, Philippines – It’s approaching noon time of Thursday, the morning after Gabriele Raine Abellana Baljak’s coronation as Miss Cebu 2016, and she’s now on her second round of interviews at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, having had one sit-down as early as 6 a.m.

Outfitted in a casual white button-down, dark blue jeans and beige heels, the 19-year-old greets us with a cheery “Maayong buntag!” as she plunks down her seat in front of us.

The first question is thrown, and a few words in, the five-foot-seven charmer’s voice is trembling, and soon she’s weeping. Raine, Cebu City’s newest ambassadress, needs no further nudging. She pours her heart out willingly, makes you sit up and reconsider your own beliefs in life, and spouts out wisdom beyond her years.

Don’t ask her about celebrity crushes or movies. This girl – “profound” is the common impression that she leaves – enjoys music and books, and could go on about topics such as paganism, herbal healing, the cosmos and whatnot.

Truly that rare gem of looks, smarts and heart, behold Cebu City’s new queen.

On her post-coronation reflections:

“Luckily, I was able to get some sleep after speaking with my family, whom I wish to have more time with, lately at least. When I arrived home, I broke out in tears and I thanked the Lord because no one sees what goes on behind all the bustle backstage. I sat there with my journal, writing a prayer. I’m just so grateful for the entire journey. To be a candidate was an opportunity in itself and without the universe guiding me to where I am now, it wouldn’t be possible. I’m just so blessed to have such a supportive family who devoted so much of their time for me, because time is something we can never really take back. The reason why I’m struggling to say this is because on the day of the Miss Cebu screening, I lost my grandfather on my mom’s side. He and I were very close. He inspired me to always have substance, humility, to be sincere, to always open my heart to other people. At a young age, he lost his legs doing something he was deeply passionate about, which was diving. So back home after I won, me and my family just stood there holding hands and we prayed together. Standing there onstage, it can feel lonely. But having so many people cheer and open their hearts to you, people you know and people you don’t, it feels like everyone is coming together and so that’s where I found my comfort.”

On her beauty queen mom’s reaction: “She was overjoyed! She herself lost the right words to express herself. Seeing her look at me, you can just feel how happy and proud she was. For her to see me stand there and do something I’m not too keen on – last minute I decided to join because of my grandpa, really – she was just so happy that I took the time to devote myself on something she’s really passionate about.”

On her mom’s role in her Miss Cebu journey: “She has always been a strong woman and when she separated from my dad when I was very young, she devoted so much of herself to giving me the best. Sometimes, she may not have been there in person because she had to work two jobs aside from taking care of me. I just admire her resilience. She never cried in front of me unless it was a dramatic film. From my mom’s strength and how open she is to people, she’s so giving, and I’ve always admired that about her. That’s the one thing she’s always told me: to open my heart to people because that’s how people genuinely know who you are. Aside from her telling me to keep my chin up and my back straight, I can never thank her enough for guiding me on how I am physically, but also for teaching me that it’s what’s in your heart that makes you who you are.”

On people often saying she and her mom look like sisters: “My mom has great genes! We have a 30-year gap, yet she looks like my sister. But that’s because she smiles so much. I’m proud when people say that, because it’s like we’re back-to-back partners in life, which is how it’s been like since I was a kid. I’m so proud of her because not only has she seen me grow but I too have witnessed her grow and that’s why I can truly say she’s my partner in crime.”

On growing up in the countryside: “Ever since bata pa ko, ganahan ko kaayo jud mag-share sa akong kasingkasing sa tanang tao. I grew up in the bukid of Danao City, in Tabunok Maslog, around people who didn’t have much, people who made a living through fishing and farming. I grew up on a farm, playing among carabaos and climbing mango and coconut trees, and it’s just the simple things that made me happy. And as much as Cebu wants to innovate, I just hope we never forget that it’s in the simple things where we can find true joy.”

On her vision of a kid-friendly city: “I see a lot of kids sa eskina, sa dalan – they’re singing, dancing, playing – but is it safe? Mubasa ka sa newspaper and we find so much information about cyber sex, drugs, violence. Magsakit jud akong kasingkasing, because I was blessed enough to have been in such a secure upbringing. The children here deserve that. I’ve been to Hong Kong, and kids as young as six years old ride the public train all on their own. Here, you see kids on their own, but they’re not safe. And how much of them actually know where they come from?”

On where in Cebu she’d bring Miss Colombia: “I hope she arrives during sunrise or sunset because then together we could stand on the Mactan bridge first and enjoy how the sun would rise or set, because the colors on this side of the world are different from anywhere else. Even this morning, there was a light rain at around 4 or 5 in the morning and slowly the color changed at sunrise from a dark palette to a light blue and a yellow and then an orange and it was like, ‘Wow!’ As a visual artist, I learned in school that light is what brings color. Seeing as we come from the earth, we come from the planet. And the planet broke off from the sun and the stars so technically, we’re all made from the sun so we have that light inside us. And if you read the Bible, you learn that we all have this halo around us and as time passes, somehow that goodness vanishes a little bit. And in our own little way, I’m like ‘come back!’ And by letting Miss Colombia see the sunset, I wish she would see the light that we have. And then we’d go around the city and she’d the see the joy in every citizen even though they don’t have much. I’ve been to Hong Kong where it’s a busy bustle just like Manila, people don’t tend to smile. If you ask for directions, they may or may not help you. But here, even if they didn’t know, they’ll ask someone else. Mutabang jud sila nimo and nindot jud kaayo because they’re so willing to share. Then I’d take her to the mountains for her to see how Cebu has changed. Take her to the ocean where a lot of people get their livelihood. I hope somehow she can see what life is like here and how it’s not so different from what she may have in South America because they too were colonized by the Spaniards. Eventually, I would like to take her to the Basilica del Sto. Nino because that’s where Christianity was first brought in all of Asia. I would just like her to see where our happiness comes from. It could be from the sun that is always shining bright upon us. The land that is so lush and fertile. Or it could be from the devotion and faith that we have; our hearts are just so connected to our religion. Or maybe it comes from the people, who are like, ‘It’s okay, pwede ra ka mubayad later.’ Always so willing to tabang and go out of their way. That’s why when we were introduced to Cebu’s new motto, I was like, ‘Wow, our hearts do really sing.’”

On the meaning behind her tattoos: “I have four. The first one I got was a revolver and the reason why I got this is when I was young, I had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Overly excited, overly energetic, overly impulsive. In life, you have to remember that you hold the gun. It’s you who chooses where you shoot the bullet and no matter what negativity people may throw your way, you always have to remember to shoot your bullet forward and never get lost with what you’re passionate about. I don’t believe in violence, so in a way, there’s irony. My second tattoo is the symbol ‘Om.’ It’s something you utter in prayer. It’s present in Hinduism and Buddhism, two of the oldest philosophies in the world that goes further than Christianity. I have many different faiths but this is just something to remind me of the flow in life. My third tattoo is a lotus, the only flower that grows in a balance. As I live on earth, I hope to continue to keep a balance, not only with the purity in my mind but also with a genuine heart that would balance my whole. The last tattoos I got were the sun and the moon, two forms of light that exist in darkness and in light. It’s on my ring finger because all the arteries and blood vessels on this finger connect straight to your heart. That’s why we wear our wedding ring here. This reminds me to keep my love with the earth, with the sun and the moon that radiates light.”

On the woman she looks up to: “I admire opera singer Nana Maskouri from Greece who speaks more than seven languages. A multi-talented woman who is also strong and independent, she may be 81 years old right now, but she still takes part in the government of Greece as someone who helps promote tourism. She’s a very involved woman in her community. In her youth, she enjoyed and explored who she was, and then later she decided to take active part in her country and be patriotic. I hope to one day live my life just like hers.”

On her skin condition: “No one can be a hundred percent perfect, because then you would be divine. We all have conditions and negative aspects, but it’s until we embrace these that we can fully share ourselves to others. If we don’t love ourselves as a whole, we can never truly love someone else. And that’s why I can’t say I have a crush on someone or naa ko’y palalab because I can’t devote myself to someone just yet. I’m still learning about myself. When I was a kid, that’s how I picked up my Cebuano, because of the harsh words of other people – they would call me kagiron, they would tease me for my taas nga li-og, they would call me giraffe or ostrich because of my long neck. Sometimes, it’s not actions that would hurt people, but through words. The moment I accepted and let go, that’s when I realized, ‘Hey, you’re beautiful even with imperfections.’ If we were perfect, we wouldn’t grow. To anyone out there, whatever path you may be in,  embrace every aspect of who you are, because you’re born the way you are for a reason. You may not understand it now, but you will understand it later on.”

On her ‘no-heartbeat’ diet: “As a vegan, I don’t want to eat another life. I only eat plants. I can’t find myself eating another form of life, because at the end of the day, we do come from nature. Whatever lifestyle anyone chooses though, I respect. I eat when I’m hungry, so sometimes I’ll have five to 10 meals a day, but small meals only. I get full quickly like a bird, but then I feel hungry quickly also. I usually like to start my day with hot water that has calamansi, cayenne pepper, honey, coconut oil and ginger. That mixture acts as an anti-bacterial that cleanses you out. I’d eat fruits in the morning, because the sugar in fruits gives you energy. Apples have more caffeine than coffee. Between 9 a.m.-3 p.m., that’s when I have mushrooms, kangkong, tomatoes…garlic, onions and green leafy food are my favorites. My favorite desserts are coconut and frozen grapes and mangoes. I also like dipping salvaros in tea.”

On the showbiz loveteam craze: “I think we don’t have our priorities straight. Why are we focusing on other people’s relationships when we can barely take care of ourselves? Where is our focus? We should be thinking about other things. There are people out there who don’t get proper nutrition, can’t even afford a meal, and can’t go to school. Yet what are we focusing on? People in love. And is the love even real?”

On joining other pageants after her Miss Cebu reign: “I’m just taking each day one step at a time because a year ago, I was thinking that maybe I will go to a university of performing arts or maybe study herbal medicine or law or linguistics. It was always along the arts or people – my passions. Then I realized on the last month before I graduated, there’s quite a number of opportunities that I have been blessed with because people see my passion or my perseverance or my patience – there was something in me that they wanted to develop. It was here in this city that I have been blessed with these opportunities so I took a chance and then I realized that as much as we want to plan, life may not always go in that direction. I plan my life maybe three weeks to three months at a time. You never know. Before Miss Cebu, I lost a friend to lung cancer and it was so unexpected. He was still 24. He was the happiest, healthiest, God-fearing  guy. Somehow, it was his time. You can never truly predict because there might be another plan that the world has for you. Right now, I’m just thinking what I can do to help our city. That’s what it means to be in this position and I’m ready to give myself as a whole and grow not just by myself but with everyone.”