1991 Miss Bohol Sandugo: Ma. Recelle E. Adlaon

Mt. Pinatubo sure knew how to make attention- grabbing headlines from around the world when it reawakened from its centuries- long slumber on June 15, 1991. 

Its after effects were felt around the world when it spewed tons of minerals and metals into the surface and adversely affected the stratospheric conditions of the globe. 

It did not only change the landscape of the affected areas in Central Luzon and alter the lives of people in those areas but also threatened to mar the successful staging of the 1991 Bohol Sandugo Festival. Talk about perfect timing. 

But no volcano or typhoon could stop Boholanos from celebrating the Blood Compact which is regarded as the first international treaty of friendship forged between two races. Another reason for the heightened excitement was the holding of the 1991 Miss Bohol Sandugo Pageant. 

The bevy of beautiful Boholanas in its official line- up of candidates made it the most anticipated highlight of the annual month- long Sandugo Festival 

EARLY FAVORITES FOR THE CROWN 

Miss Tagbilaran Joanna Cheryl “Chewee” Evardone and Miss Candijay Haidee Ingking were pegged by pageant experts and mediamen as among the frontrunners for the crown. Both girls first came into the limelight when they made the Top Five of the 1989 Campus Girl Search, a Tagbilaran City- based inter- school personality search for high school and college students. 

Chewee and Haidee finished not only as 1st and 2nd in that year’s Miss Tagbilaran Search but also as Class Valedictorian and With Honors during their high school graduation, respectively. 

Truly epitomizing beauty, brains and breeding 

Other favorites were Miss Antequera Mylene Indino and the statuesque Miss Duero Theresa Virtusio, a BS MedTech student from Cebu Doctors College. 

It was also a return bout for three lovely and popular campus figures that represented their respective colleges in the 1991 Miss DWCT Search held in February. They were Miss CAS Jennifer Mejorada now representing Loon, Miss Nursing Recelle Adlaon who was representing Jagna and Miss Education Geneva Baja representing Guindulman 

Trivia # 1. 

Did you know that the 1991 pageant edition is the first and only time that the pageant was held in an open air venue? 

A stage rose from the middle of the CPG Sports Complex with the cordoned off VIP section surrounding it. General admission tickets were seated at the grandstand area. It wasn’t a wise decision since July is a rainy month. 

 A slight drizzle in fact threatened to cancel the event. Since then, the pageant has been held in an indoors venue 

PAGEANT HIGHLIGHTS 

Finally, after an hour- long delay brought in part by an uncooperative weather and the huge turn- out of Boholanos, festival visitors & guests and tourists, the annual search for Bohol’s fairest maiden kicked off with the girls garbed in traditional Filipiniana attires parading onstage with their respective city and town mayors escorting them for the Traditional Introduction of Candidates. 

The appearance of the top local city and municipal executives sent the message that the pageant which was on its second year as Miss Bohol Sandugo was strongly supported and endorsed by the participating local government units. 

The girls also brought with them their towns’ popular or best- selling product which they also introduced to the jampacked crowd. For instance, Miss Jagna Ma. Recelle Adlaon brought with her the very famous calamay which is synonymous with the name of her town. 

For the Casual Wear Competition, the girls wore identical red sleeveless dresses with white polka dots and they sashayed and strutted to the beat of Roy Orbison’s famous hit “Pretty Woman” 

The girls then competed in Swimsuits, Evening Gowns and Interviews before the names of the 1991 Miss Bohol Sandugo and her runners up were revealed. 

Insiders revealed that the original plan to have a Top Five who will undergo a final interview round was scrapped because of the inclement weather. 

Of course, the judges still had to deliberate and make their final selections from among the five highest ranked ladies. 

According to very reliable sources, Recelle won the judges over to her side with her angelic face, her refreshing candor and spontaneity, her natural and unrehearsed ways, her winsome smile and the great personality projection that was very evident in the interviews 

Trivia # 2 

Did you know that for the first time ever, the girls were allowed to express themselves in

any language or dialect during the Q & A portion with no point deduction on their scores. 

FAREWELL WALK: 

Before the reigning Miss Bohol Sandugo 1990 Tiffany Matuod Yap of Jagna stepped onstage for her final walk as Miss Bohol Sandugo, 1988 Mutya sa Bohol Elizabeth Anana of Guindulman and 1989 Miss Bohol Fiesta islands Winnie Moreno Lim of Tagbilaran City made a special appearance 

SPECIAL AWARDS 

Miss Duero Theresa Virtusio was Miss Diet Coke 

Miss Tagbilaran City Chewee Evardone was Best in Gown 

Miss Talibon Marissa Autentico was Miss Avon 

FINAL RESULTS 

1st RU Miss Duero Theresa Virtusio 

2nd RU Miss Tagbilaran City Chewee Evardone 

3rd RU Miss Talibon Marissa Autentico 

4th RU Miss Candijay Haidee Ingking 

BOHOL’S QUEEN FOR 1991 

It was then the time for the pagant emcees Mr. Loi Palapos and Dr. Disi Yap- Alba to reveal the name of the new queen. “And the 1991 Miss Bohol Sandugo is …Miss Jagna!.” 

A visibly shocked Recelle couldn’t believe her ears when her name was called as the big winner that night. 

Although she was pressured by fellow Jagnaanons to duplicate the victory of Tiffany Yap as Miss Bohol Sandugo the previous year, she never had any high expectations. 

“But of course, I was fully armed when I went to the battle” Recelle added. 

She then left everything to Divine Intervention after she had conditioned herself to accept whatever the results would be that night. 

She believed that whoever would be crowned that year’s Miss Bohol Sandugo would surely be the most deserving. 

PAGEANT INVOLVEMENT 

It was such a sweet victory for the introverted daughter of Engr. Celestino M. Adlaon and the late Mrs. Remedios S. Echevarria whose only reason for joining pageants was to overcome her shyness and improve her interpersonal skills. 

Truly, her triumphant journey on the way to bagging the crown was already written in the stars 

Her first pageant experience was the 1990 Miss Young Jagna Search which she won thus earning the right to represent her town in the Miss Bohol Pageant for 1991. 

Early that year during the DWCT College Days Celebration, she was handpicked to represent the College of Nursing in the 1991 Miss DWCT Search after the original candidate who also came from Jagna withdrew from the pageant. 

Despite the short notice, she accepted the challenge and gave a good fight. She placed 4th overall and won Best in Cocktail Wear. 

Trivia # 3 

Did you know that the Municipality of Jagna is the first town in Bohol to achieve a back- to- back victory in Bohol?  It would become a threepeat when another Miss Jagna, the sultry and smart U.P. Diliman educated Celevel Ranoco, won the crown in 1992. The record still stands until now 

In addition, Jagna scored another three-in-a- row victory of a different sort when Soccorro Llido 1993, Genevieve Jamisola 1994 and Shiela Sumalinog 1995 placed as First Runner Up durin their respective years of participation in Miss Bohol Sandugo 

LIFE AFTER MISS BOHOL SANDUGO 

EDUCATION & WORK EXPERIENCES 

After taking and passing the Licensure Exams for Nurses, she worked briefly at Lim’s Community Hospital. Recelle also worked at the then DWCT now Holy Name University College of Nursing as a Clinical Instructor, a reviewer, Level 4 Coordinator and Academic Chairman. 

While still with DWCT, she pursued a degree in BS Education major in General Science. After completing the academic requirements, she took and passed the Licensure Exams for Teachers. She also finished her Masters in Nursing major in Medical- Surgica Nursing. 

She is also an OB Gyne Rationalizer at HRD Review Center 

DOMESTIC BLISS 

Recelle and her husband Engr. Emmery Santino G. Paredes will celebrate their 10th year wedding anniversary on December 22 this year. Their marital union has been blessed with a pretty and precocious daughter Reanne Ella A. Paredes who is now eight years old. 

Presently, she is working at her husband’s call center company and, at the same time, fulfilling her role as a full- time wife and mother 

ADVICE FOR BEAUTY PAGEANT HOPEFULS 

Recalling her involvement in pageantry during her younger days, Recelle averred that winning a crown is a matter of destiny and of course, hard work and discipline. 

Her advice for beauty candidates who aspire to become beauty queens? 

”Just be yourself, reach out and make new friends  and most importantly, enjoy the experience.

That way, you wouldn’t become bitter 

should the crown prove to be elusive for you. 

Expect the worst but hope for the best. At the end of the day, after the pageant has ended,  

you are left with nothing except the memories”