When I was asked, I hesitated. I called our lifestyle editor Millet Mananquil to ask her if she thought it was a good idea.
"Do it," said Millet.
"Pinakamagandang Hayop Sa Balat Ng Lupa" of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) was the beauty contest, and native- bred dogs were the contestants. The venue was the Atrium of SM Megamall, Pasig.
I like it when Scott, my American pet-loving colleague, talks to me about dogs. After all, Scott, who grew up with pets, knows just how pet owners feel. We here at the office like to let Scott in on the new politically-correct terms used for all things Filipino. And, just for you Scott, these dogs are no longer called askals. PAWS has christened them aspin (asong Pinoy). And no, again, we are not talking about a mix breeding of purebred dogs. PAWS was on the lookout for those true native-bred dogs – the dogs that we take for granted, the ones that wander on the streets, the ones which others use as pulutan – because they only have value if they can be cooked.
With "Pinakamagandang Hayop Sa Balat Ng Lupa," PAWS hopes to raise the awareness and concern of Pinoys for aspins, because just like their purebred cousins, the aspins are loyal, friendly and capable of much love.
Last Saturday, these aspins were the stars of the show. And at the end of the day, they brought the mall down.
There I sat with the panel of judges, which included Tin Tin Bersola and Julius Babao of ABS-CBN; ETC video jock Sam Oh; actress and former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz; and Pia Guanio of GMA-7.
What’s the thing I have in common with these folks? Our love for animals, of course.
"We worked with all the 10 finalists (the doggie contestant and his human)," said PAWS director Anna Cabrera. "It was great getting to know these dogs up-close. We should really be proud of them and their humans, too, for the love they have showered on their pets."
It is hard to remain neutral. This was one of the things I learned while I was judging. There is that one dog that catches your eye, and, no matter what he or she does, it just adds to their winning personality.
Yet each of the dogs had a history of abuse or being abandoned, and then being rescued by their current humans.
Pretty Girl, a five year-old longhaired native, won the most photogenic award. She is pretty now, but when she was rescued by Yasmin Jadwani, she couldn’t walk. Pretty Girl was thrown out the window from the second floor of a building by her previous owner. It is amazing what her human has done to make her whole again. It was just great to see how Yasmin tried her best to coax Pretty Girl to walk. She tried, but it was hard. Yasmin lovingly picked up Pretty Girl and carried her on the ramp.
The most congenial award went to Tin, who is one-and-a-half year old with short, white hair. She was adopted by Stephanie Yabut from the PAWS shelter.
"We worked on this pageant like we are organizing a real beauty pageant," said show director and PAWS member Rich Ilustre. "I love all the dogs. For me, they are all winners."
As a judge, I knew that at the end of the afternoon there had to be a winner. That one dog that would become the ambassador of aspins hereabouts. It was not easy rating the dogs as they walked down the runway in their evening gowns and swimsuits. Harder still was rating the way their humans answered the questions asked of them during the Q&A portion.
The real test for me came as I read about the past lives of these aspins and just how much their current humans have given them a happy and loving home.
The grand winner of the night, crowned as the "Pinakamagandang Hayop Sa Balat Ng Lupa," was Tala, She is a five-year-old, short-haired black-and-tan cutie. Tala was rescued from the streets of Cubao. She was adopted by Lea Eljean Gatpandan.
The first runner-up (and my personal favorite) was Cass, a one-year-old short-haired brown doggie. I was told by Anna that when Cass was rescued she was all mange; it was hard to find any part of her where the skin was clear. She was adopted by Gwen Protacio.
The second runner-up was Nicky, one of two male dogs that joined the beauty contest. Yes, it was open to male and female aspins. Nicky is also owned by Yasmin Jadwani.
Third runner-up was Sugar, a one-year-old short-haired doggie. Fourth runner-up was Alicia, a two-year-old beige doggie. She is owned by Colleen Cano. She was rescued at Ayala Heights and was brought to PAWS shelter where she was adopted by her current human.
"These dogs represent the best of the Filipino dog – their appearance, temperament, loyalty and intelligence," added Illustre. "They are a breed we should all be proud of."