Ann Maris Igpit from Bohol to the World

It was a dream come true for Anna Maris Igpit, as she was eventually crowned Bb. Pilipinas World Saturday night at the Araneta Coliseum - a feat that left the Boholana beauty teary-eyed.

This year's crop of winners is interestingly made up of "promdis," with Bb. Pilipinas Universe Lia Andrea Ramos coming from Davao and Bb. Pilipinas International Denille Lou Valmonte from Bulacan.

In a text message to FREEMAN Entertainment yesterday morning, Igpit said she could still not believe she went home with the crown, although she revealed that as soon as she heard the answers of the nine other semi-finalists, she knew she had a chance.

Her question was what would she do first thing the next morning should she win that night, to which she answered she would go the church and "thank the Lord for the blessings He has given her all these years."

"That was what I felt and it was the best answer to give. That was why it was so easy for me to support and elaborate my answer. I was really praying hard while I was on stage," Igpit recalled.

A devout Roman Catholic, Igpit has always made it a point to drop by the Redemptorist church every Wednesday no matter how hectic her schedule is, aside from saying the rosary daily.

In an exclusive interview with The FREEMAN a day before she left for Manila for the pageant last February 7, Igpit said she was eyeing the Bb. Pilipinas Universe crown, but wouldn't mind should she be declared Bb. Pilipinas World, because it challenges her that a Filipina has yet to bring home the Miss World title.

A native of Panglao Island, but who has lived in Cebu all these years with her family, Igpit follows in the footsteps of fellow Models Association of Cebu (MAC) member, Queen of Asia Oceania Karla Bautista whom she considers as her idol.

Igpit's modeling stint in Cebu proved useful as well as she was also declared best in gown.

Also, during the said exclusive interview, Igpit admitted that she was pressured to duplicate if not surpass the success of Bautista and another MAC model Melanie Ediza, who was last year's second runner up in the same pageant, but she had since surrendered her fate to God's will.

She also explained then that although Cebu is already her second home she would introduce herself during the pageant as a Boholana because "gusto ko nga ma-proud pud sila sa ilang kaugalingon nga bisan gamay ra tawn among probinsya ug di kaayo industrialized pareha sa Cebu, naa gihapon miy talento nga pang world-class. Pero gusto nakong i-emphasize nga I will be forever grateful to the Cebuanos especially sa mga syudad sa Mandaue ug Talisay sa ilang pag tabang ug pag ila kanako sa natad sa beauty pageants."

Her goal really is to help promote Bohol's tourism and that joining the most prestigious pageant in the country was a major step.

Only two years in the beauty pageant circuit, Igpit has been crowned three times apart from her latest title-she's the reigning Miss Bohol Sandugo and Miss Mandaue and was also declared Miss Talisay City in 2004.

Asked how these pageants prepared her for the Bb. Pilipinas, Igpit said, "A lot. They helped me to be at home with the stage and be confident. But I can really say I improved a lot with all the training I went through for this pageant."

She may have appeared confident and very poised on stage like as if she was just having fun, Igpit said she was actually nervous from the beginning until the end of the pageant but she had to contain the feeling.

"That is what they told me. It seems that I was just having fun. Maybe the guidance of the Lord and the Sto. Nino (she brought with her a small image of the miraculous child to Manila) gave me that facial expression while I'm on stage. Truth is I was feeling all the nervousness inside. When I saw the video true jud nga murag wako kulbai. Nag-think lang ko nga if ako then ako jud. Ready naman sad ko to accept whatever ang result," Igpit told FREEMAN Entertainment.

A Tourism sophomore at the Southwestern University, Igpit may not enroll next semester as she is bent on giving her full time commitment and attention to the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, but she vowed to go back to school after her reign.