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Monday, September 11, 2006
An afternoon with CDO tourism queen Jedyl Jamaca
By Stephen Capillas
SHE may not have won the 2006 edition of the Miss Cagayan de Oro contest but Miss CDO first runner-up and Miss Tourism Jedyl Jamaca nevertheless won the admiration of the throng of city residents who trooped to the Limketkai Atrium last Aug. 25 to watch the pageant live as well as the thousands more who watched the event live on TV in the comfort of their homes.
Having clinched the "Darling of the Press" award, the same honor secured by last year's Miss Cagayan de Oro winner Jessa del Rosario, it was understandable that Jamaca was among the favorites to win the title.
Still the judges in the pageant saw otherwise and Liceo de Cagayan University's Kathrina Manansala captured the title three years after first joining the pageant in 2003. Not a few in the audience felt that it was Jamaca's height that may have swung the vote in favor of Manansala.
Jamaca thought as much when she happened to visit the offices of Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro Publications Inc. last Friday for some small chat and a photo op with the editorial and administrative staffs.
Having just come from school -- she is president of Xavier University's debating club -- Jamaca said it took sometime for her and her mom to drive and find our offices.
Even with the delay though Jamaca was gracious enough to field questions posed by this writer and Johnny Agustin of Sun.Star Superbalita despite the obvious clutter of the newsroom amid the weekend break -- heck, newsrooms are anything but presentable unlike those found in the Palace press corps offices -- and game enough to pose with some of our staffers despite their busy schedules.
As gleaned from the answers -- another feature on her will be published sometime this week -- Jedyl Jamaca is anything but one's typical idea of a beauty queen:
SSCDO: Days after the pageant, how are you feeling?
Jedyl Jamaca: It is great, I'm not disappointed with not winning the title...A certain relief and after the initial excitement died down everything was back to normal. If anything the days leading up to and preparing for the pageant made me develop more as a person.
SSCDO: What's keeping you busy nowadays?
JJ: I recently came from Butuan City where I participated with other students in an interparliamentary debate. I haven't actually sit down with a number of department heads on what programs or events I would participate in keeping with my role as Miss Tourism though I understand there are plans to launch a still to be confirmed activity.
Also I was kept busy attending the various fiesta programs like the civic-military parade and now I am also helping to organize a concert by bands Parokya ni Edgar and Kamikaze at Xavier University on Sept. 24.
I also hope to have a hand in helping stage the national inter-parliamentary debate here in Cagayan de Oro sometime in the near future.
Even if I'm graduating this year I want to join efforts in bringing this event which is participated in by schools in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, perhaps as a judge and a representative of the debating club here.
The national debate is a one-week activity to be held in Baguio City on October 22-28 is a potential tourism draw because it would invite a lot of tourists from all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The hosting of the event is being bidded by representatives from various debating clubs around the country and maybe I can get to lobby for it when my reign is over.
SSCDO: How would you want to be remembered by city residents?
JJ: I want to be remembered as someone who is more than just a beauty titlist...someone whom people could look and say 'she did a lot of good things to help the city', to at least leave a good legacy and achieve something tangible for the city's development even in my own small way.
Specifically I want to help promote Cagayan de Oro as a tourism haven and adventure capital. Much had been said of Mindanao as a war zone and I want to help correct that impression.
That's it for now. Again, check this section sometime this week for more on this Xavier University stunner.
(September 11, 2006 issue)
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