Beautiful people, beautiful bodies

Weekends are dreaded times for me these days because that’s when the MMDA closes half of EDSA to do repair work. Too bad for me, I can’t just stay home to rot because Startalk is aired live every Saturday.

Getting to the GMA 7 studio in EDSA from my place in Greenhills and getting out of there had been a major undertaking lately. And so I’ve said no to anything that would require me to go to Manila and anywhere near it so that I don’t die in traffic.

In mid-November, however, I got a reminder from Slimmers World International about an invitation to judge on Nov. 25 the 12th Great Bodies competition at the Philippine International Convention Center. I was actually aware of it – having been told as early as the press launch last Oct. 18 at the Music Museum, but I was hoping they’d forget. Apparently, they didn’t.

Of course, it will always be an honor to be judging this very prestigious body building contest, but I was hoping they’d change the venue to somewhere around Greenhills. I didn’t care if they held it at the Uni-Mart parking lot for as long as I didn’t have to be trapped in holiday traffic (I can walk from my house to there), which is inevitable if you have to go to PICC.

But drive and travel (that’s the more appropriate word) to PICC I did last Nov. 25 because I love dearly Slimmers World VP Helen Camacho and I can never say no to her invitation.

And so after an edition of Startalk two Saturdays ago, I took a deep breath and began my voyage to PICC (why did Imelda Marcos have to build it that far?). I swear getting out of the GMA 7 vicinity (EDSA traffic moved at a pace slower than that of a snail) took more than half an hour. After two hours, I made it at last to PICC (after languishing in traffic in E. Rodriguez and later at Quirino Ave.). It turned out I was among the first of the judges to get there on time.

In spite of the traffic hassle, I was immediately put in a good mood as soon as I stepped into the PICC – thanks to the festive atmosphere. Some of the contestants, it turned out, brought their own cheering squads and even bands and the entire place just spelled F-U-N. Undeniably, this was the biggest and – so far – most successful of the Great Bodies contests.

While waiting for the event to begin, I spent time swapping stories with the various managers of the Slimmers World branches: Weng Quitives, Tinka Sarmiento (the niece of late actor Juancho Gutierrez), Sharmaine Neri, Michelle Calub and Angelie Chua.

Then the competition began and I noticed that the contestants had worked even harder to bulk up and be in shape since the press launch in October. This was very evident in contestant No. 9, Johannes Magbitang from Slimmers World Pasig.

During the press launch, people were already expecting him to win because he definitely had a good physique and towered (at 5’9") over the other male contestants. During the finals, even the judge seated to my right, Sam Oh (she hosts a lifestyle show on Sundays in one of the cable networks) couldn’t help but remark, "He is artistahin." Tim Yap who was also a judge and seated to my left agreed with Sam.

Too bad for Johannes, he is 26 and that’s a bit too late to start a showbiz career as a matinee idol (they like them very young in this profession). Well, I never got to talk to him before and after the contest and for all you know, a showbiz career is not part of his dreams. (He is an architect by profession.)

Showbiz was contestant No. 8 – Maita Ejercito, formerly movie star Maita Sanchez and now married to Pagsanjan Mayor E.R. Ejercito, who gave his all-out support to his wife in this undertaking. (She was among the contestants from Slimmers Megamall).

During the press launch, my bet was Maita because she was Miss Projection and Miss Confidence put together. Even during the finals, she displayed the same qualities all throughout the time she was competing with the rest of the contestants in the Magic 5.

Impressive was the transformation of contestant No. 11 Manuel Nuezca, also from the Pasig branch. Manuel is not very tall at 5’4", but he compensated for his lack of height by posing well and giving his best during the finals. (I didn’t even expect him to get that far during the press launch.)

In the end, he placed second runner-up with Billy Jarnes Renacia of the Trafalgar branch in second spot. The Great Bodies winner in the male division? Predictions came true and no one was surprised anymore with the announcement of Johannes Magbitang as victor.

In the female division, Maita fell out of the race (but it was a good fight she gave and she is a winner as far as I am concerned), but was crowned Texters’ Choice and Miss Talent.

Winning the top prize in the female division was Myra Villanueva of SM City – with Luisa McClinton of Pasay Road and Haydee Quijano also of Megamall as first and second runners-up, respectively.

For a while there, I thought Binondo’s Jen Te, a 43-year-old housewife who gave a mean striptease during the talent portion, was going to at least land in the Top 3. I also felt bad for James Banzon of Megamall and thought he would be a runner-up because he was among the best contenders in the contest (he became Texters’ Choice winner). But then, there were other judges who were also knowledgeable or even far more knowledgeable than I will ever be when it comes to body-building competitions. All in all, judging was fair and square.

However, it was really a difficult contest because everyone deserved to win or at least land a place. What a tough competition that was and I’d rather drive through EDSA traffic on Saturday afternoons during the entire holiday season than sit through a contest again that tight.