Bagoong-loving Miss America: People are color-blind

Miss America 2001 likes bagoong, is a devoted choir girl, preached against pre-marital sex in high school and has a love greater than her crown: teaching.

In Manila for the first time to visit the land of her parents’ birth, morena Angela Perez Baraquio bested 10,000 other beauties to become Miss America.

And the Hawaii-born Angela has no problems representing the land of the Star-Spangled Banner even if she does not look like the typical American.

"It’s a great feeling," she said at a press conference. "Where I come from, people are color- blind. After I won, another Asian told me, ‘You did it, I could do it’."

A grade school physical education teacher and athletic director, "Coach Angie" admits life has changed much since she won the coveted crown where she bested 10,000 girls from rigid screening to pageant rites.

She met with US President George W. Bush last week and called on President Arroyo at Malacañang this morning.

Bush told her she was doing a good job with her crusade for values in US schools. Mrs. Arroyo, for her part, gushed, "I am so very happy that the most beautiful woman in America is a Filipina. We’ve followed closely this Miss America pageant because of you."

Angela travels 32,000 kilometers per month to address state legislatures and other fora about improving the education system in America.

"Teaching is my passion," she admits, adding that politics does not interest her.

She describes today’s school culture in the US as "PC" for post-Columbine, referring to the teenage thrill killings and suicides by two students at the suburban Colorado high school in 1999.

Angela says proudly that at the Miss America pageant, winners don’t bring home jewels and a car but a scholarship program.

The Miss America pageant has been ongoing for 80 years now and is the longest-running beauty contest in the US. Its winners do not compete in international competitions, like Miss Universe (where the winner of the Miss USA pageant competes).

Angela has already used up most of the $104,000 she won — for paying off her education loans. After her reign, she plans to pursue her master’s in education administration.

The eighth of Letty Perez’s and Claude Baraquio’s 10 children, Angela is perhaps the only Miss America whose victory was witnessed by 800 of her neighbors and students who were watching the live telecast on a giant screen set up outdoors by her parish priest in Waikiki.

Letty and Claude said they named their daughter Angela because she was born in June, the month of angels.

And so far, they say, the daughter they describe as mabait (good) and devoted to her Catholic faith, has lived up to her name. – Marichu Villanueva