MANILA, Philippines - A group of seven to 10 high school students confronted a judge at a local beauty pageant yesterday after their school’s candidate failed to answer his question on the number of consonants in the modern Filipino alphabet.
“Why did you ask a question that has only one answer? That is a question that does not require an opinion. You embarrassed our candidate,” one of them told performer and visual artist Ramil Lacsamana.
The students, who supported the candidate from Roxas High School, approached Lacsamana at the judge’s table right after the question and answer portion for the Mutya ng Wika 2011 at a school in Paco, Manila.
Lacsamana, who appeared shocked by the gesture, said it was not his intention to embarrass the finalist and that he merely threw what was for him a valid question.
To pacify them, Lacsamana also explained that he has even paraphrased his question after the finalist failed to give the correct answer. “I also gave her a high score,” he said.
According to Lacsamana, there are 25 consonants and five vowels in the modern Filipino alphabet.
The students, who refused to accept Lacsamana’s explanation, took turns lambasting him, and insisted that he erred because he was the only judge who threw such a question.
Apparently irked, Lacsama asked: “This is one of the subjects or lessons that students like you take up in school. Teachers teach this over and over again. Didn’t you study this in school? Why don’t you know the answer?”
He added that even beauty queen Charlene Gonzales was thrown a similar question in the Miss Universe 1994 pageant when she was quizzed about how many islands the Philippines has.
Lacsamana’s answer seemed to have stumped the students, who left the judge’s table.
Lacsamana was one of the four judges in the annual pageant, which aims to promote Filipino language and culture. The contest showcased 10 high school students from various schools in Paco and Sta. Ana in Manila.