3 Crowns, One Cause

And then there are three.

Hundreds showed up for the auditions. The number was trimmed down to 24. Saturday night last week, when the usual, glamour-and-glitter pageant unfolded at the Big Dome. And the winners were:

• Lia Andrea Ramos, 25, Bb. Pilipinas-Universe (to compete at the Miss Universe Pageant in July, venue to be known soon), 5’7" tall, weighing 113 lbs. and measuring 34.5-23.5-34;

• Denille Lou Valmonte, 24 (to compete in the Miss International contest in September in Beijing), 5.’6.5" tall, weighing 100 lbs. and measuring 34-22-34; and

• Anna Maris Igpit, 18 (to compete in the Miss World contest in December in Poland), 5’7" tall, weighing 113 lbs. and measuring 34.5-23-36.

Three crowns and a cause: To project a savory image of the country abroad and to help "serve humanity" in their own humble way.

A Political Science graduate from UP, Lia hails from Davao, the eldest among four children from a middle-class family. In 2001, she joined as Miss Global Queen (an inter-school pageant). "I was very raw at that time," she said. "I didn’t win." She’s a Mormon. Her boyfriend, also from Davao, is an Ateneo de Manila graduate.

Denille, who’s graduating this month with a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management from Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP, Sta. Mesa, Manila), is the younger of two siblings, from Quezon City. Before the Binibini, she has joined several beauty contests, among them the 2003 Bikini Open and Extreme Faces 2002. She has a special someone, "my inspiration."

A Tourism student at Southwestern University in Cebu (where she’s based because that’s where her dad works), Anna is one of five children from a "supportive, semi-liberal/semi-conservative family."

Among her past titles are Miss City of Talisay, Miss Mandaue City and (the reigning) Miss Sandugo (of Bohol). She has a boyfriend, also from Cebu.

Conversations sat down with the three Binibinis and made them answer a set of questions usually asked in the "Q&A" portion of beauty contests.

What’s your ideal man?

Lia: One who is patient and understanding, somebody with ambition...very loving...a dreamer and a doer. Somebody who can keep me grounded. My exact opposite so we complement each other. Yes, I’m describing my boyfriend.

Denille: Someone who will see the beauty not only in my physical attributes but the beauty within me...someone who will take me for what I am, including my imperfections.

Anna: Someone who is secure with himself, with a sense of humor. My boyfriend is like that.

How relevant do you think are beauty contests today?

Lia: Beauty pageants are an effective forum for women to voice their opinions and express their views on various issues.

Denille: As long as winners in beauty pageants represent good morals and advocacies, they will always be relevant.

Anna: Beauty contests are conducted not only to select the most beautiful women but also women who can serve as role models, and that’s what makes them relevant.

Do you think beauty contests exploit women?

Lia: Until I started joining beauty contests, I thought that way. But now I see things differently. Beauty contests show more than just the contestants’ bodies, it also showcases their confidence, their intelligence, their wit and humor.

Denille: If you have a nice body, flaunt it! Kidding aside, just because beauty contestants are made to parade in swimsuits doesn’t mean that they are exploited. In fact, they give contestants a chance to put their best foot forward, to show their positive side.

Anna: The nuns in school said that beauty contests exploit women but I don’t agree with them. Beauty contests give women an opportunity to serve the country in their own little way through civic projects (undertaken by the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. led by Madame Stella Marquez-Araneta).

Do you think women today are on equal footing with men?

Lia: I think the status of women has progressed through the years. Women have more opportunities now than they had several years back. Countries aside from the Philippines have women leaders.

Denille: Yes, of course! Women have been making their presence felt in fields that used to be dominated by men. But I must admit that I still appreciate men who open a door for me or pull a chair for me.

Anna: I agree with Lia’s opinion about women today. Like Denille, I like it when a man opens a door for me, pull a chair for me or offer me a bunch of flowers.

If you were somebody else, who would you be?

Lia: I’d like to be Angelina Jolie. Imagine having a boyfriend as gorgeous as Brad Pitt! Seriously, I admire Angelina for using her beauty and influence to make a difference (by being a UN Ambassadress of Goodwill).

Denille: I’d still be myself. I am what I am today because of what I have been. I wouldn’t want to be anybody else.

Anna: I would still be myself. Given the chance, I would be like (the late) Princess Diana. She reached out to the needy and the poor. She was the perfect role model.

Who’s the most unforgettable character you’ve ever met?

Lia: My Shakespeare professor in UP, Mr. Aureus. He’s humble. He lives a simple life; he isn’t materialistic at all.

Denille: My grandfather, Hilario Valmonte, who unfortunately died a month after I was born. But I’ve heard so much about his projects for other people. He was barangay captain in our community, Bago Bantay, where an alley was named for him. I want to be like him someday – serving other people.

Anna: Roger Flores (trainer for Binibini candidates). He’s a good person who helps without expecting anything in return. Such a wonderful person!

Are you in favor of the living-in set-up?

Lia: If other people do it, it’s their choice. I still believe in the sanctity of marriage.

Denille: I’m not against people who do it but personally, I will live with a man only after marriage. I’m very traditional at heart. There’s a better way of getting to know each other than living together without the benefit of marriage.

Anna: That’s putting the carriage before the horse. For me, marriage should come first before two people live together.

What do you think are your winning qualities (aside from beauty)?

Lia: My positive outlook in life. Also, the fact that I’m always smiling. My being civic-spirited. I do NGO work.

Denille: My three D’s – Determination (to win), Drive (to excel) and Discipline (to realize my dreams).

Anna: My ability to always look at the bright side of life, and to feel and stay beautiful all the time.

How would you describe the Philippines during the contest abroad?

Lia: The Philippines is a beautiful tourist destination. It has a healthy democracy. It has an interesting, diverse culture, and is very rich in natural resources. Filipinos are warm and hospitable people.

Denille: The Philippines is a country of people with beautiful faces forever lit up by a smile. A country of hospitable people.

Anna: More than just its 7,100 islands, the Philippines is defined by its people who treasure values they have inherited from generation to generation, something that sets them apart from people of other countries.

Which of the five senses (sight, taste, touch, hearing and smell) do you think is the most vital?

Lia: The sense of touch. There are things that are better felt than seen or heard. You can better appreciate the beauty of a person or of nature by just feeling it.

Denille: The sense of touch. Even if you cannot smell or cannot see or cannot hear or cannot taste, if you can feel the touch of a person and feel your environment, you can still relate to the world around you.

Anna: The same, sense of touch, for the same reasons given by Lia and Denille.

On what occasion do you tell a lie?

Lia: When telling a (white) lie means saving somebody.

Denille: To avoid hurting somebody. I’m sensitive so I try not to hurt anyone.

Anna: If telling also (a white) lie would prevent trouble.

Would you join showbiz after your reign as Binibini?

Lia: My passion is more in development work or in foreign service.

Denille: I have my own catering business, so I plan to expand it after my reign. Or put up my own bakeshop.

Anna: I’m not closing my door to it. After my reign, I’d like to be a flight attendant.

What is the essence of being a woman?

Lia: Being able to tackle different roles, she has to be dynamic, able to be a mother, a daughter, a sister, a leader, a follower and a friend...able to make a difference and effect change in society.

Denille: It’s not only carrying a child in her womb but the ability to sacrifice herself for the common good, and nurturing humanity and helping her children to be good citizens.

Anna: Not just bearing a child but bringing up that child, her children, to be good persons and upright citizens.

Describe yourself in one word.

Lia: Adventurous.

Denille: Unstoppable.

Anna: Determined.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected])