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Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Who will be Miss Cebu 2005?
By Guia Estrella I. Chua
A poster shouting, “The Search is On for Miss Cebu 2005” caught my eye when the Miss Cebu 2004 winners had their meeting at the Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) office. The meeting aimed to plan an activity for the benefit of the city’s streetchildren and out-of-school youth last Dec. 19.
Going back to the poster, I couldn’t help but regret that it is almost January and our batch of Miss Cebu winners are about to relinquish our titles. Regret, for truly our Miss Cebu experience had been fun, exciting, enjoyable and worthwhile. I cannot help but reminisce about the fond memories I’ve had with Miss Cebu. I could have said “the pageant,” but for me, it had been more than just a pageant.
I was there when this year’s finalists were screened on Oct. 9 and 16. As I looked at their faces and perfect masks of confidence hiding their nervous jitters, I could not help but understand how they were feeling. After all, I had been in their shoes once.
As I served as the emcee during the closed-door screening, I had the chance to pick out my own batch of favorites and was happily excited when I found out the name of the top 10 finalists. I was even happier knowing that some of my past acquaintances made it.
They are Sarah Lei Spagnolo, Mae Janice Miral, Candy Baraquia, Isbell Seever Aguipo, Maricon Esperanza, Marinela Tajanlangit, April Lynn Villanueva, Charita Marie Yap, Sarah Katrina Miñosa and Michaelyn Ledda.
Being so proud to have been a part of Miss Cebu, I shared some of my pre-pageant experiences with some of the finalists when I met them for the first time last Oct. 25.
At that time, I teasingly warned them about the series of seminars the CCTC commissioners had in store for them. But then, I compensated by telling them that through the seminars, they will develop holistically in terms of beauty, grace, personality and a sense of responsibility to the community, just like what happened to the previous batches of finalists.
When they asked me if it was exhausting, I told them the truth. True, it had been tedious. But I wouldn’t miss these for anything in the world. I joined every single activity (not once late) because I knew that joining would be an enjoyable, learning experience for me.
And it had been for all of us. Not only did we learn a lot, we were able to build valuable relationships amongst ourselves. And in the end, it seemed as if all of us had emerged winners.
Miss Cebu made us realize our potentials (yes, even our weaknesses). But despite that, we were made to know that we, young women ambassadors of the city and province of Cebu, are strong women. We are capable of taking the challenges ahead of us and we are worthy to be put in the pedestal for our achievements. No, not for our physical beauty alone but for the innate beauty that blossoms from within us. The beauty that makes us seek to achieve what is best for us and the community we belong to and should be responsible to. I am sure the 2005 batch of finalists will all feel the same way, whether they make it to the top five during the coronation night or not.
So far, the finalists for Miss Cebu 2005 have gone halfway through their scheduled program of activities prior to the coronation night on Jan. 13 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel.
After being presented to the CCTC commissioners on Oct. 21, they were given a briefing on Cebu city politics and government by Councilor and CCTC Commissioner Arsenio Pacaña on Oct. 23.
Then, they had their City Hall tour and City Hall session presentation by Nagiel Banacia last Oct. 27. After which, the business prospects in Cebu were discussed with Jay Aldeguer on Nov. 5. As for Cebu’s history and cultural heritage, it was well taken care of by CCTC commissioner Tetta Baad on Nov. 6. After the talk, the finalists went on a museum tour with special thanks to Chac (Cebu City Rizal Museum), Alma Mia Garcia (SWU Museum), Fr. Andy Rivera (Basilica del Sto Niño Museum) and Maria Socorro Ampiloquio (Casa Gorordo).
Personal leadership and interpersonal relationships and team building were then discussed by Belinda Navascues of Cremdec on Nov. 13. Then, Toastmasters International District 75 gave the finalists tips on extemporaneous speaking and effective communication.
After their individual profile shots were taken by Raul Arambulo of Fotofolio on Nov. 18, a two-day workshop on good grooming, make-up, dressing up for success, poise, personality and projection was given by Chechel Joson of Mega Magazine on Nov. 20-21.
Alice Queblatin then talked about the concept of tourism on Nov. 27
while Hope Melgar of DTI gave a talk on Cebu’s export industries last Dec. 3, which was followed by a second session with Toastmasters International on Dec. 4. The finalists were also presented to the public during the launching of Pasko sa Sugbo at the Fuente Osmeña Circle last Dec. 1.
With all the mind-boggling seminars and activities the finalists had to go through, it is no wonder that they enjoyed their two-day overnight Bantayan island escapade courtesy of the Hotel Resort and Restaurant Association of Sta. Fe. And, of course, the finalists thanked Marriott Hotel GM Karl Hudson for his talk on social graces and business etiquette over a wonderful fine-dining experience at Marriott on Dec. 5.
It is a good thing that the finalists were kept up to date on their hectic schedule by Cinbeth Orellano, Joel Navascues and In-In Menchavez.
Constantly joining them in their various activities were CCTC commissioners Petite Garcia, Honey Jarque-Loop, Cebu’s fashion guru and Miss Cebu chairman Philip Rodriguez and Vice-Mayor Michael L. Rama as the overall coordinator. Thus, I’m speaking on behalf of the 2005 finalists and past finalists of Miss Cebu: Thank you so much dear commissioners for giving us the opportunity.
It might not be always easy for the Miss Cebu finalists. We had to spend two months to prepare for the pageant night. But in the end, we know that the series of workshops, seminars and activities had all been intended for our benefit. And all of them were fun, educational and truly worthwhile. Plus, they are learnings that we can take with us even beyond the pageant. Win or lose, we have something to keep for the rest of our lives. There are always fond memories of laughter, experiences and shared stories with new-found-but-soon-will-be-good friends, all because of Miss Cebu. Which is why, it is truly an honor to be part of Miss Cebu.
Watch out for more updates on the Miss Cebu 2005 finalists.
(December 28, 2004 issue)
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