Missus takes pageant spotlight

CEBU, Philippines - While she would dabble in university beauty contests, Joyce never found the chance to try her luck in any of our country’s prestigious beauty tilts. She was a college scholar at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Manila taking up Communication Arts, and had to prioritize academics to maintain her grades. After graduation, the Bataan-born lass landed a good job at a five-star hotel. Marriage and motherhood took over, and with a blooming career as a hotelier, Joyce’s beauty queen dreams seemed a thing of the past.

Joyce describes her childhood as normal and happy. She was an only child, and her father was quite strict when she was younger. Before tying the knot with a fellow hotelier, Joyce says one highlight or life-changing incident in her life was when she met an accident inside her apartment.

“When I was 25 years old, I badly slipped through the stairs and it broke my left arm. Doctors had to put in a metal to hold it together. I actually have a six-inch scar now on my arm, and having a prominent mark like that became an inhibition,” says Joyce, now 28.

“It was my husband who first came to my rescue during that accident. We were still very good friends at that time, and we worked in the same company. It actually became a turning point for me,” she continues.

Joyce had to take a three-month leave from work so she can undergo physical therapy. She recalls, “I couldn’t fix my own hair or even put on my underwear, since I had one incapacitated arm.”

She returned to work after her recovery, making sure the accident didn’t hinder her from doing the things she used to do. Joyce’s doctor told her that the broken arm is now stronger than the normal arm.

Later on, Joyce would get wind of a pageant for married women called Mrs. Philippines-Globe, our country’s version of the 16-year-old Mrs. Globe international pageant. Last year was the first time the pageant was mounted here, and Joyce jumped at the chance to live her fantasies.

According to her, “It was my husband who encouraged me to fulfill what had been my unfinished business. It’s a good thing that Mrs. Philippines-Globe exists to cater to us married women and that they do not discriminate. Even if I had a scar, I qualified, and I even had a story to tell my co-candidates.”

Fifteen other Filipinas heeded the pageant’s call, but Joyce literally stood out among them for being the tallest at 5’10”.  She bested them all come coronation night, snagging the Mrs. Philippines-Globe 2012 crown and for that, took home P700,000 worth of prizes.

“Everybody did very well,” she humbly says. “There were candidates who were former ramp models or ex-beauty titlists, and they actually became mentors to us first-timers.”

What did she think determined her victory? “I would say that I’m very low-profile and unassuming. I think the question and answer portion was really the highlight. The question was, ‘What do you think is your edge in the competition?’ I answered that aside from being the tallest, I can say that I embody the true essence of a woman. I’m God-fearing, I’m a good wife and mother, a good daughter, and I have a great career. On top of that, we had pre-pageant activities. We had a week of us being together every day, so while our performance on coronation night and the way we carry ourselves are important, I think equally important is your attitude outside or beyond the pageant.”

Aside from taking care of her family and being a career woman, Joyce is a certified trainer for Personality Development and a volunteer teacher for UP’s Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, truly making her that rare mix of beauty, substance and heart.

Joyce barely had a month to prepare for Mrs. Globe, where she had to compete with at least 40 other beautiful and accomplished women from all over the world in Rancho Mirage, California, USA last August 2012. She may have failed to bring home the crown, but Joyce won a special award called Face of the Year. More importantly, she won friends and a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience.

“There’s a certain pride that for the first time in your life, you’re not called by your name, but by your country. The feeling is different when you’re carrying your flag. I found a best friend there in Mrs. Mexico, who was my roommate. It’s different when it’s married women competing. There is more maturity, no politics, and you really gain friends along the way. Until now, we’re still very much in touch with everybody.”

She adds, “It was a learning experience too, as it helped a lot in my line of work. I meet people of different nationalities in my profession every day, which was what I also experienced during the international pageant.”

Joyce, who’s been in the hotel industry for almost 10 years, has since been focused on her job as executive lounge manager of Edsa Shangri-La's Horizon Club.

“I started from the ranks as an executive assistant to the general manager and then I moved to operations. Now, I’m spearheading a team of 25 people. I’m currently on leave so I can join the regional launches of Mrs. Philippines-Globe. I believe in empowering your staff, so that when you’re not around, they will still function. As a manager, when your team performs when you’re not around, that means you have managed them well,” says Joyce.

After all the adulation that a crown on one’s head brings or the fulfillment of climbing up the corporate ladder, nothing still compares to the happiness Joyce feels when going home to her husband and two-year-old boy, Clarence Jacob. Even her son’s name has a story behind it, she shares. “My mom had a miscarriage, but they learned it was a boy and they named him Clarence. So I told myself that once I have a son in the future, I would also name him Clarence in honor of my brother in heaven.”

Now that her unfinished business is out of the way, Joyce hopes to serve as inspiration for other married women and single mothers, that they too, can similarly find the courage to chase their dreams.

“It’s never too late. Some women feel that when they get married and have kids, that’s the end of the line. As long as you take care of yourself, it’s never too late. You can, if you think you can. Think of marriage and motherhood as an advantage because you gain more maturity and wisdom – and these will become your edge.”

*Mrs. Philippines-Globe 2013 aspirants from the Visayas can troop to the Cebu Marriott Hotel on April 2 for a screening scheduled 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.