AT 51 years old, poise and grace still embody Agnes Padao Jakosalem, the Cebuana who bagged the title of Mrs. Grandma Universe 2017, which was held last Jan. 22 at Sofia, Bulgaria. One might think she's a veteran beauty queen, but in fact, it was her first ever beauty contest.
In a press conference held at Jose Filipino Kitchen at the Cebu Yacht Club last Wednesday, Jakosalem, together with her trainor and handler Yves Jacob “Tatta” Sagia, shared how they overcame the struggles to best the other 14 candidates to win the crown of Mrs. Grandma Universe 2017 Born and raised in Dapitan City, not in her wildest dreams did she consider joining beauty contests. Jakosalem said she prefers to be behind the scenes, away from the limelight.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology at the Southwestern University in Cebu, but she didn’t take the board exams. This did not stop her from becoming a successful woman as she later became a licensed realtor and worked for a known firm.
Jakosalem has three children and a seven-year-old granddaughter who became one of the reasons why she pushed through with the contest. She said that it was through the persistence of her children and her granddaughter that she eventually acquiesced and joined the contest.
Mrs. Grandma Universe started out as a small beauty contest in Bulgaria, which used to be exclusive to neighboring countries. Later on, the organizers started accepting contestants from different parts of the world and is currently on its eighth year.
The road to the crown wasn't easy: there was a problem with the visa and she was held at the airport because of her costume. Sagia said their visas were only approved a day before they had to fly to Bulgaria. Then they almost didn't make it to the flight because airport personnel questioned Jakosalem about her Sinulog costume.
There was also the problem of funds. Jakosalem said that she used some of her personal money, along with the money solicited from friends, to be able to fly to Bulgaria. It was like fate really wanted them to go to Bulgaria and win.
With the little time Jakosalem and Sagia had, they had to make the most out of everything particularly on her trainings.
“Gamay ra gyud to among training period kay naa ko sa Manila, naa sya diri sa Cebu (Our trainign period was so short because I was in Manila and she was here in Cebu)… More or less one month ra gyud to,” said Sagia.
Because of the little time they had, Jakosalem had to practice her “rampa” or walk at the car park outside the condominium where they were staying. It took Jakosalem one week to master the walk.
Luckily, the San Diego Dance Company helped Jakosalem with her Sinulog dance.
Mrs. Grandma Universe is not the usual beauty contest. It doesn't have a swimsuit competition and a question-and-answer portion. The candidates are instead given a set of questions which they have to answer in an essay form.
Jakosalem’s answer stood out. Jakosalem said her essay was about the real essence of being a grandparent.
When the minor awards were given out, Jakosalem and Sagia's hopes vanished. Jakosalem didn't win any award.
Jakosalem said she just prayed to the Sto. Niño and entrusted her fate to Him. True enough, the Sto. Niño didn’t fail her. She got the crown and title of Mrs. Grandma Universe 2017.
Jakosalem revealed during the press conference that the Philippines, particularly Cebu, is being eyed as the next venue for Mrs. Grandma Universe 2018.(Peter Paul R. Daradal/USJ-R Intern)