Who will bring home the crown?

Sunshine gives birth

FLASH: Sunshine Cruz gave birth to a baby girl last night at the St. Luke’s Medical Center by natural means, with husband Cesar Montano by her side. The baby will be named Angela Isabel; Sunshine’s first child and Cesar’s fourth (two by his late first wife and a love child by Teresa Loyzaga).

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Let’s forget about the impending war between the US and terrorist-harboring countries (like Afghanistan) for a while and talk about more pleasant things such as – what else? – beauty contests.

Without your knowing it, the bevy of 2001 Bb. Pilipinas beauties has been busy "out there" vying in international contests in an effort to add more crowns to the country’s growing roster of, that’s it, "international crowns."

According to Funfare’s "beauty experts" Joey Cezare, Francis Calubaquib, Felix Manuel and Gery Yumping, Bb. Pilipinas second runner-up Michelle Reyes (staff nurse at UST Hospital) has just competed (last Sept. 22, Saturday) for the Miss Tourism-International title (against 21 other girls from the same number of countries) in Ankara, Turkey, which is near Afghanistan but Michelle is unperturbed. "I’m enjoying my stay here," said Michelle. "We are being taken care of by our host." The Miss Tourism-International title was won by Joanne Santos in 1997 in Macau.

(FLASH: As we go to press last night a call came from the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. that Michelle won the title, including a special prize for Best in National Costume, with Miss Russia as second placer and Miss Turkey, third placer.)

Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Zorayda Ruth Andam (the country’s representative to the Miss Universe Pageant held recently in Puerto Rico, won by the Puerto Rican bet) is now in Medellin, Colombia, competing with 79 other hopefuls for the Miss World-Tourism title.

On the way to Medellin, Zorayda made a stopover in Bogota to renew friendship with people she met on her way to the Miss U contest. "We’re busy with rehearsals and sight-seeing," said Zorayda. Grand finals is slated for Oct. 2.

Soon, two more Binibinis are setting off, Maricarl Tolosa on Wednesday, Sept. 26, for the Miss International contest on Oct. 4 at the Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo, and Gilrhea Quinzon for the Miss World contest on Oct. 22 in Sun City, South Africa.

Earlier this year, another Bb. Pilipinas runner-up, Maricar Balagtas, came home with the Miss Globe International 2001 plum from Istanbul, Turkey. Maricar also won a special prize for Best National Costume.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of ’em all? Who will bring home another crown? Will it be Michelle? Or Zorayda? Or Gilrhea? Or Maricarl?

Stand by.