Maxine deserves no less than R-E-S-P-E-C-T

MANILA, Philippines – Maxine Medina will probably go down in the annals of Philippine beauty pageant as the most bashed Binibining Pilipinas winner. But it looked like the lady is a fighter and survived the enormous cyber bashing (or bullying) unscathed.

For the record, I was one of those who initially had misgivings about Maxine as a strong contender for Miss Universe, much less duplicate Pia Wurtzbach’s win to give the Philippines a back-to-back title.

But I decided to give Maxine the benefit of the doubt after learning from a mistake. That mistake was misjudging Shamcey Supsup’s chances in the past edition of Miss Universe. I thought Shamcey was too mediocre to even land as a semi-finalist. But on the pageant night, as we watched on TV from the Big Apple, Shamcey transformed into a goddess and slayed the competition with her magnetic charm and her now famous tsunami walk. She finished third runner-up.

Despite harsh opinions about Maxine, particularly her command of the English language, I avoided making comments the whole time she was gearing up for the main event. I always reminded myself of the adage, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.”

Shamcey’s feat was successfully duplicated by Ariella Arida (third runner-up), Janine Tugonon (first runner-up) and even MJ Lastimosa (Top 10), who all stood out and proved their detractors wrong. Perhaps they could have performed better had they gotten the full backing (and well-wishes and prayers) of their ironically, pageant-fanatic kababayan.

Maxine’s situation was far tougher — way, way tougher — than those of her predecessors. The reigning Miss Universe was from the Philippines, which was also the host country — two factors that could have already diminished Maxine’s chances of bagging the $300,000 majestic crown. And netizens were not only generally lukewarm, she also got bashed left and right (many of them below the belt) for her English skills and even her level of intelligence.

About a week prior to the pageant finals, my good friend Alfred Aldana of Jersey City (New Jersey) posted on his Facebook account videos of the preliminary competitions (national costume, swimwear and evening gown) that gave me the chance to get a glimpse of Maxine’s shot at the title.

Lo and behold, the girl was on fire. I was left speechless and felt my heart pounding as I watched Maxine dazzle on stage like a beautiful swan, confident, captivating and bubbly. I knew then that Maxine would do well and could even make history for a back-to-back win for the Philippines. Venezuela did it before, so why not the Philippines.

Indeed, it looked like the only thing that could stop Maxine from clinching the crown was the dreaded question-and-answer segment. I was hoping against hope that Maxine, however impossible it may be, could pull a Sushmita Sen and surprise everyone with a heartfelt and intelligent answer. I was hoping she would be asked something that she had pre-rehearsed that would seal her victory. 

But it probably was not meant to be. Maxine, just like Miss Kenya Mary Esther Were, was given a tricky question. 

Not a few thought Miss Kenya could be another Miss Botswana, the no-nonsense Mpule Kwelagobe, who unexpectedly stole from Miss Philippines Miriam Quiambao the 1999 crown with her remarkable answer to the question: Should Miss Universe be allowed to continue her reign in the event that she got pregnant? Miss Kenya was a standout during two prior Q&As that brought her to the Top 6 along with Maxine. But when she was asked a political question about US President Donald Trump, who was in power for only less than two weeks at the time, Miss Kenya briefly stammered before giving a baffling answer that halted her from advancing to Top 3.

And Maxine? The pressure was simply too much for Miss Philippines, a professional model and interior designer who studied at De La Salle College of St. Benilde and the Philippine School of Interior Design. 

In the segment her detractors predicted would be her Achilles heel — her weakness which can lead to her downfall — Maxine was (oh no!) the first to be called in random order. Amid the glaring spotlights and in front of thousands of live spectators, she was asked by host Steve Harvey what is the most significant change she has seen in the world in the last 10 years.

Under pressure to answer right away, Maxine looked calm and was all smiles as she did her best to give a logical answer. Sad to say, it was not her lucky night. It didn’t help that she had an interpreter, who turned out to be needing an interpreter himself.

I myself frowned at the difficult question. How can I give a worthy answer by assessing the past 10 years within a few seconds? No way I could answer that question in an instant. But after 10 seconds or so, which is eternity in Q&A pauses, I thought of social media, which made the world smaller by reaching out to people all over the world faster. But I had plenty of time to think and there were no spotlights, no big crowds and no pressures. Otherwise, I could collapse or die from nervous breakdown.

But Maxine was all smiles and stayed graceful under pressure as she did her best to finish the fight for her country, for her family and for herself. Her best may not have been good enough, but it was more than enough to make me feel proud of her and the Filipino women — just as I was truly proud of watching the exquisite Philippine islands and its fun-loving people held in high regard on an American television. 

Maxine is not only confidently beautiful, she’s also brave, resilient and a champion. And she deserves respect.

The globally-televised pageant made me fall in love with the Philippines all over again, and it breaks my heart that my beautiful native land with the most kind-hearted, hospitable, talented, hard-working and God-fearing people is still enmeshed in so much political, economic and peace and order problems — especially the killings, the abuses, the social inequality and massive corruption — that not only divide the nation further, but also make life harder for the already struggling masses.