The perils of being a beauty queen

Many of you might think that life under the limelight is most of the time happy and fulfilling. However, some of my experiences prove this belief wrong. Two years ago, I was living a very simple life back in the province. I was trying to convince myself that I was happy with the way my life was going. But I could not deny that there was a burning desire inside me to explore other possibilities and fulfill my dreams.

My life took a full turn when I grabbed the opportunity to join Binibining Pilipinas which led me to win the Bb. Pilipinas-Universe crown and eventually finish fourth runner-up in the Miss Universe 2010 competition. My journey was a bit controversial but I was happy that I was able to redeem myself after all the controversies that I had to face. I emerged victorious despite the hard battles I had to go through. This also opened a lot of opportunities for me to help my family and give them a better life. But you really cannot please everybody. Just when you thought you have made the whole country proud, the skeptics would slowly question your capacity and even your whole personality. There had been a lot of people who have thrown wrong judgment on me. Some of them are saying that showing my body in my two-piece swimsuit is a form of exploitation. But the swimsuit competition has been part of beauty contests for many years already to showcase fitness as an important aspect in feeling more beautiful and confident.

Even my family had similar experiences of being judged because of the issues I had to face. My sister, a teacher, was removed from her work because of me. She was told that it is not good to have a teacher who has a sister walking the runway in a two-piece swimsuit. I was very sad for she lost her job because of me but I know better things will come her way. My nephews, on the other hand, were also criticized because they were related to me. They were called by their own teacher as “masasama ang ugali” just because I am their tita. I always say sorry to them when they encounter such situations because of me. They always understand. Even my nephews and nieces in elementary school already know how to respond to these kinds of experiences. I know I can take whatever criticism is thrown at me but I think my family should not be personally attacked just because of me. This is part of my new lifestyle and I know we have to get used to people talking about us but I just hope they won’t make conclusions without knowing us first.

All these things have made me a stronger person and my family more understanding. I know we need to face more similar instances but the important thing is we know that we have not done anything wrong and being a beauty queen is something I am very proud of. It has been my dream ever since and I have done everything to fulfill it. Now that I have become a true beauty queen, I will agree that it is not about the glitz and the glamour but what you can do to the society and to other people with your title. Beauty queens can create impact on the lives of many people and we can also serve as good examples to young individuals.

We should all remember that we should not easily criticize others because those who judge will also be judged. I just hope we learn from the simple mistakes in our lives and difficult situations will make us stronger and better individuals. We should see every challenge as an opportunity for us to grow and learn new things. Every day should be a learning experience for us.

A living example of a person who has overcome tough battles in life is our pride Manny Pacquiao who has proven once again that Filipinos can rise above even against foreign nations if we stand strong and determined to get what we want. In behalf of Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. and Araneta Group of Companies, I would like to extend my congratulations to Hon. Manny Pacquiao for displaying great courage and strength in his fight against Antonio Margarito which earned him his eighth division belt. I, together with all Filipnos, am so proud of you. I hope when you get back to the Philippines, we can meet so that I can personally congratulate you and give you our token of appreciation. It was a hard battle won by a great fighter. You deserve your victory.