Miss Ubay 2007 To Represent The Philippines in the 2018 Miss Intercontinental Pageant

Karen Boyonas Gallman 

Year 2017 was unprecedented when two Boholanas emerged as runners up in two of the biggest national pageants in the country. 
Glyssa Bingas Perez placed as 1^st Princess in the 2017 Miss World Philippines pageant while Catherine Cadayona Tabaniag was a runner up & Top Ten finisher in the 2017 Miss Philippines Earth Pageant.

This year 2018 has proven to be a bumper harvest for Boholana beauty queens who competed in the nationals. Bohol produced three national titleholders.

ANOTHER BB. PILIPINAS TITLEHOLDER. After Anna Maris Igpit- Taylor and Amanda Arles both from Panglao, Bohol were crowned 2006 Bb. Pilipinas- World & 2014 Miss SCUBA Philippines, Bohol produced another national beauty queen when Karen Juanita Boyonas Gallman who traces her roots in Ubay, Bohol was crowned as 2018 Bb Pilipinas- Intercontinental.

 Karen during the Bb. Pilipinas 2018 Pageant finals

Incidentally, the Miss Intercontinental 2018 pageant will be held in the Philippines with more than 80 delegates expected to participate in the 47th edition of Miss Intercontinental. Pageant finals is set for January 26, 2019 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

  Karen was Miss Ubay 2007 but didn't compete in Miss Bohol

Miss Intercontinental has proven to be elusive to Fiipina beauties. The closest we had to winning was the 1^st Runner Up finish of both Katarina Rodriguez early this year and Christi Lynn Mc Garry back in 2015. Shall we see the crowning of a Boholana as the first Filipina Miss Intercontinental? We shall find out soon. 

Karen Sizzles in Her Swimsuit Shoot

Photo Credits: Raymond Saldana Photography

Karen was born in Sept 27, 1992 in Ubay, Bohol to retired World War II German soldier Gavin William Gallman and a native from Bohol Editha Boyonas. She had her formative years in Bohol where she also had her primary school education. 

Karen as Miss Ubay 2007
photo credit: Atty. Janice Parilla

The family later migrated to Brisbane, Australia. She has a degree in Business Arts major in Management at the Griffiths University in Brisbane, Australia.

PART TWO IS COMING UP!

Happy Holidays 2018

It’s that time of the year when people seem nicer and warmer and when the weather seem cooler.

Who wouldn’t be when most have received their bonuses & perks and when everyone’s favorite Christmas carols incessantly play over the airlanes and inside the shopping malls. 

As Christmas Day nears, everybody seems to be in a mad rush for last- minute shopping and for the lucky & privileged set, it’s the time to hie off to exotic and foreign destinations for their annual family holidays.

 The familiar Christmas symbols

On the debit side, the traffic situation has been getting horrendous and not a few motorists have blown not only their horns but their tops as well. Lighten up folks. Brace yourselves for the traffic mayhem, brave the kilometric queues at the malls and do mind your battle with the bulge if you cannot resist the calorific indulgence the next couple of weeks.

On a personal note, life has seemed to be better and brighter. Setbacks and drawbacks were made bearable with the presence & support of a few but reliable friends. Even with all the uncertainties & the negativity, I try to be more grateful because it is gratitude that makes you acquire peace of mind, tranquility and clarity.

Tis the season to be merry! What better way to cap off a most memorable year than celebrating it in a most meaningful way.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Angela Ponce Aims to Become First Transgender Miss Universe

Just like any beauty pageant, Miss Universe 2018 also has its fair share of controversies. The most talked about however is the participation of Angela Ponce of Spain who is the very first transgender in history to participate in Miss Universe after she won the Miss Universe Spain 2018 pageant. 

Will Angela Ponce go all the way to the final round?

Seconds before she was named Miss Spain

The Spanish senorita was one of the most applauded candidates during the National Costume Competition and the Presentation Show (also known as the preliminary swimsuit & evening gown competitions). 

Poise & elegance during the 

National Costume competition

After an impressive performance during the preliminaries, the transgender candidate has now been installed as one of the crown favorites from the Europe continental grouping. 

She was one of the standouts during the preliminaries

Aside from fulfilling a childhood dream to compete in Miss Universe, Angela aims to use the Miss Universe platform to convey her message of inclusion, tolerance and respect for the LGBT community. 

Acknowledging her Thai fans with a queenly wave

With crown favorite Catriona Gray of the Philippinesa

Bonding with the girls

Win or lose, her participation is already a landmark victory for the transgender community.

At home, she works for the Daniela Foundation, a Spanish non-profit organization working with children and families dealing with gender identity issues.

"So many children face discrimination for being different. It is important to tell them they have a right to be who they are, who they want to be,"

Will Angela Ponce become the first transgender to be crowned Miss Universe?

"I was born into a world, into a society which really wasn't prepared for me. I had the support of my family, but I still faced discrimination, and I had no role models," she said. 

Watch Miss Universe 2018 will be telecast today from the IMPACT Arena in Bangkok, Thailand at ABS CBN Channel 2, 8 am and will be aired in more than 190 countries to an estimated half a billion viewers.  

Why Catriona Gray Should be Miss Universe 2018

If the stars will align in her favor and if it is in her destiny, then Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray will be the Philippines’ fourth Miss Universe after Gloria Diaz 1969, Margarita Moran 1973 and Pia Wurtzbach 2015. 

PROPHETIC PHOTO? (L-R) Catriona with Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters &

Miss U 2015 Pia Wurtzbach & Miss U 2016 Iris Mittenaere

Okada Hote, Parañaque, May 2018

Never before has the Philippines been represented by a very strong candidate , a complete package so to speak, than Ms. Catriona Gray, who is affectionately called Cat, Meow or Muning by her legions of fans all over the world. Even before setting foot in Bangkok, Thailand, the venue for the 67^th Miss Universe Pageant, she has already rewritten pageant history records as the first Filipina to ever compete in both Miss World and Miss Universe. She represented the country in Miss World 2016 where she placed in the Final Five out of more than 100 beauty delegates.

Catriona at one of the pre- pageant events & mobbed by Thai fans upon arrival in Bangkok

The most awaited and most documented arrival by any Miss Universe delegate.

Royal Thai Police had to step in guard her from the adoring mob & TV crews 

Pageant websites all over the world have her in their prediction lists as one of the frontrunners even before the pageant officially started. Catriona is also one of the most popular candidates among the Thais and the pageant sponsors. After the preliminaries a couple of nights ago, she has been installed as the Girl to Beat. Her swimsuit and evening gown presentations were flawless.

CATRIONA AT THE PRELIMS: Fabulous. Fierce.Fashionable Filipina

SIMPLY THE BEST CHOICE Simply put, Catriona has everything that the Miss Universe Organization is looking for; confidently beautiful, a universally appealing & commercially viable beauty, a powerful social media following (she is ranked # 1 among the Miss Universe 2018 candidates with the highest number of Instagram followers at 927,000) plus the eloquence and maturity.  

Miss Philippines with her LuzViMinda attire & props

during the Miss Universe National Costume Competition

From a pageant, business and marketing perspective, Catriona Gray should be Miss Universe 2018. In terms of business, she will be a highly sought after endorser, brand ambassador, and model.

MISS UNIVERSE BEHIND THE SCENES: Catriona with her Miss U sisters

Your Roving Eye is very confident of the strong probability of Miss Philippines being crowned Miss Universe 2018, there is also the possibility that there might be another frontrunner or even a dark horse who might snatch the crown from her. As we all know, pageants can be very unpredictable.

A frontrunner status does not guarantee a crown and in fact, during the last 10 editions of Miss Universe, only four heavy favorites went on to win the crown. They are Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela 2008, Ximena Navarette of Mexico 2010, Paulina Vega of Colombia 2014 and Demi Leigh Neal Peters from South Africa 2017. 

MISS UNIVERSE 2018 CROWN FAVORITES

MISS UNIVERSE 2018 SELECTION COMMITTEE

L-R: Lili Gil Valletta, Bui Simon, Monique Lhuillier, Michelle McLean,

Iman Oubou, Janaye Ingram and Richelle Singson-Michael

For the first time ever in Miss Universe history, the selection committee is composed entirely of women. Incidentally, two of the judges are Filipinas. They are world- class fashion designer Monique Lhuilier and Archt. Richelle Singson- Michael. It’s also the first time in over 20 years that the preliminary selection committee will also be the panel of judges on coronation day.

Prior to the preliminary competition last Thursday, Gray, along with her fellow candidates, met with the selection committee through a panel interview for their accomplishments and aspirations. 

Scheduling the interviews ahead of the preliminary swimsuit & evening gown competitions would certainly produce pleasant surprises and shocking exclusions. After hearing and seeing the girls really up close and personal, the committee would surely have a more favorable impression on the girls they liked during the interviews. Expect the unexpected tomorrow upon the revelation of who made the Top Twenty.

HOW IS MISS UNIVERSE 2018 CHOSEN?

This year’s Miss Universe edition has 94 candidates, the highest number so far in its 67 year history. Expect a lot of surprises tomorrow as Miss Universe is looking not only for a beautiful face but also for a spokesperson and ambassador. A premium is now given for the speaking skills, as well as the academic & career achievements of the ladies.

Early this week, the preliminary swimsuit and evening gown competition was conducted. The girls’ preliminary scores along with the results from their closed- door panel interview scores will determine which of the 94 ladies will move to the next round. The Top Twenty will be determined by Continents Plus. Europe, Asia- Oceania and Africa, and North and South America will each have five representatives. The remaining five slots are for the “wild card” candidates, whose selection will be regardless of their continent.

TOP TWENTY will go straight to an opening statement, which means a 15-second statement with host Steve Harvey. This will determine the next cut – Top 10.

TOP TEN will go through both Swimsuit and Evening Gown Competitions. Their composite scores in the two segments will pave the way for the ladies with the five highest scores to advance.

FINAL FIVE will now have a Q&A – again with host Steve Harvey that will secure three (3) of them spots in the Final Round.

TOP THREE will have one (1) ultimate question to answer for the judges to decide who will be Miss Universe and her runners up.

So who will sizzle or fizzle tomorrow? Who will be crowned Miss Universe 2018? Catch the drama and the excitement when it happens tomorrow Monday, Dec 17, 8 am,  ABS CBN Channel 2 or at any live streaming sites online

#CatrionafortheWin

   

It's a Green Christmas Holiday in BE Grand Bohol

You would not miss BE Grand’s Christmas tree. Aside from its imposing height and unique look fashioned entirely from re- purposed and reused materials, it is right smack in the middle of the lobby.

A couple of weeks back, Your Roving Eye was one of the members of the media who made it to BE Grand Resort’s annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony that ushers in the most wonderful time of the year. This holiday season, it’s a celebration of a Green Christmas Holiday not only because green is one of the traditional colors of the Christmas season but also because green is synonymous with being environmentally-friendly.  From the Christmas Tree’s repurposed, recycled and reused materials, BE GRAND is giving back to the environment. 

As BE Grand Team Chorale’s mellifluous voices floated in the air with their Christmas carols, selected pupils from Danao Elementary School proceeded to the Christmas tree to decorate it with their own hand- made ornaments. 

BE Grand Team Chorale

Panglao LGU's Al Arbutante & JP Maslog

BE Resort's warm & friendly staff

Jumjum Ouano, Your Roving Eye & Paolo Rigotti

RM Pearl Yang with DOT & media friends

an early Christmas for the kids

Panglao Municipal administrator Alejandro Arbutante helped welcome the start of the resort’s holiday season with the switching of the Lights. 

 RM Pearl Lorraine Yang presents token to Mr. Arbutante

 Danao Elem. School kids hang their hand- made ornaments

BE Resort's great PR lady Karen Ello

In addition, as part of the Resort’s annual pledge of giving back, they have partnered with the Bohol Crisis Intervention Center-- a center who provides a safe haven for abused children and women. By donating, guests can hang their ornament on the Christmas Tree with the donor’s name to acknowledge their kindness.

Marjoe Yamada: Fab & Fun Female & Her Ruby Birthday

This enigmatic and effervescent exercise enthusiast recently marked her ruby milestone with elan. Where else to celebrate but at Persona Mesa, her upscale Modern Filipino Asian restaurant that has been consistently rated by Trip Advisor as one of Bohol’s top ten restaurants in terms of food quality, ambience and service. 

Life indeed begins at 40! Marjoe basks in the 

love and support of family & friends

Everything was styled to perfection, the buffet stations groaned with all the delectable fare, and the booze and drinks literally overflowed that one magical evening. A few brave souls gamely picked up the microphone to regale and amuse the guests with their vocal stylings. 

WE ARE FAMILY: with brother Noel, sister-in-law Daff, their son Ryuichi Miguel.

The fabulous Fabiosa Clan relatives came in full force

Cebu family: Chef Lor Torres & Ms. April Rama of Isidra Comfort Cantina

All out support of Persona Mesa family.

CLOSE FRIENDS & BATCHMATES : Shiela Avergonzado, Jennette Trinity Carido, 

Mae Grace Ciruela, Analiza Chua,Caryl Teruel, Atty. Cocoot Marapao, 

Lj Lumayag, Francis Butal, Don Jose Ugdoracion, Gil Sabandal

RIPPED-CITY GYM Coaches & Trainers special mention to personal coach Coach Jimmy.

K & N Family

As the evening soiree was winding down during the wee hours of the morning, the pyschologist turned restaurateur managed to say a silent prayer of gratitude to Our Maker. After all, this fashionable style icon has so much to be thankful for; a loving and close- knit family, fiercely loyal friends & dependable staff. Cheers!

 Photo Credits: Arvin Avergonzado