Paulene Quinal is Miss Balilihan 2014

Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto & First Lady Pureza Chatto crown
Paulene Quinal as Miss Balilihan 2014

One of the most endearing traditions among Bohol towns is the staging of a pageant to select & crown the town’s fairest. 

Whether to celebrate the town’s founding anniversary or town fiesta in honor of its patron saint, the pageant is a sure blockbuster. 

It is a crowdrawer not only because it gathers the town’s most beautiful whether on or off the stage, but also because it spices & enlivens the celebrations

 Your Blogger with the Balilihan beauties

The recently- concluded Miss Balilihan 2014 Pageant which highlighted the town’s 186^th Sumad or Founding Anniversary was no exception. 

It was my very first time to witness the Miss Balilihan Pageant. 

With everyone from K& N Productions in tow, our group was able to squeeze in at the jampacked Balilihan Cultural Center to witness the grand staging of the pageant.

The Final Three

And then there were two

A shocked & disbelieving Paulene Quinal tries to suppress her emotions

Crowned Miss Balilihan 2014 is 19 year old Paulene Quinal, a graduating BS Psychology student from Bohol Island State University. 

With her very pretty face, silky smooth complexion, amazing talent, great communication skills & spellbinding presence onstage, I must say that Balilihan has a very strong contender for next year’s Miss Bohol Pageant. Named 1st Runner Up was Christine May Paster while 2nd RU was Venus Toledo

Congratulations to the tandem of  Mayor Dominisio Chatto and Vice Mayor Pureza Veloso-Chatto & the rest of the LG of Balilihan for the successful staging of the pageant. 

Congratulations to the LGU of Balilihan

Credits: Raymund Buslon & Leah Marchil

What Happens When Pageant Girls Don't Make It?

The heady mix of excitement & tension, of frayed nerves & pumped up adrenaline, and the last- minute jitters that accompanied the participation of the Class of 2014 in Miss Bohol will now become memories for the ladies.

The accompanying photos for this blog feature that show Bohol First Lady Pureza V. Chatto with the girls  were taken minutes before the show started

 

Miss Jagna

The glamorous activities that go with the Miss Bohol Pageant like the endless photo shoots, the costume fittings & visits to beauty & pampering salons will now be things of the past.

The pageant night has been concluded with the crowning of Miss Bohol 2014. Right now, social media and public scrutiny are now focused on the newly- hailed queen and her runners- up.

 

Miss Ubay

So how about the girls who didn’t make it? Are they coping well? Most of them have to put up a brave front especially when they have to face supporters who were expecting a lot from them

SCENES FROM THE BACKSTAGE

Last Saturday, right after the names of the five finalists had been revealed, the 13 others who didn’t make it had to go backstage.

Would the pageant results crush their dreams and turn them into embittered persons? Or would they take it as a learning experience?

The upbeat mood that had pervaded the dressing area right before the pageant had started had turned into a gloomy silence. Gone were the excited exchanges of friendly banter, the laughter, the selfies & the smiles.

Miss Sierra- Bullones

Here and there, you can see the girls as they tried to cope or come to terms with the results. Some were alone and preoccupied with their own individual thoughts, some were consoled or cheered up by their pageant handlers, boyfriends or mothers.

Miss Balilihan

And then I saw Miss Loon Jassenie Mangaron who was sitting in a corner all by herself. I may not remember anymore what I told her but what I could not forget were those beautiful expressive eyes that couldn’t mask the disappointment. A breath away from her was Miss Carmen Annaleah Saga who I tried to cheer up as well. 

Here now are my words of encouragement not only for Jassenie and Annaleah but also to the rest of the girls whose confidence & self- esteem might have been affected  

To the 2013 Miss Bohol Batch of Candidates: 

Don't you ever let the pageant results last July 19  define who you are as a person.
Consider it as a phase in your life. An adventure. A learning experience. A memory to cherish and remember years or even decades from now. Hold your heads high for you all did a great job

Remember, winning a beauty title doesn't mean you're the smartest not the prettiest.
On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that you will just pretend that everything is okay for it is not okay.

Allow yourselves to let out how you feel and you have to come to terms with your sense of loss. Afterwards, you have to make yourself bounce back and surround yourself with friends and family to cheer you up. On the brighter side, remember that you belong to a special breed of Boholanas for not everyone can ever claim to have been a Miss Bohol candidate.  

Finally, whether you made it or not, take time to thank your family and all the people who believed in you and helped you in your journey towards the Miss Bohol crown because a real queen is someone who is gracious and knows how to look back with gratitude

So Cheers and Smile for God Loves You

Photo Credits: FB Miss Bohol 2014

Onstage Interview of Miss Bohol 2014

Here is the gist of Your Blogger’s onstage interview with Queenie Melody Fullante, the newly- crowned Miss Bohol 2014.

Just read the interview contents and look at how she projects during the interviews. She was such a natural onstage. 

No pretensions and she said it as it is. I believe this must have gotten the attention of the judges especially with the hint of self- assuredness that was on display that night.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE COMPARED WITH MS. VENUS RAJ?

When asked how she feels being compared with Venus Raj, she readily replied that it flatters her to be compared to one of the Philippines’ most iconic beauty queens. 

On the other hand, she feels that it somehow makes her lose her self- identity and frustrates her that she has to live under the shadows of one who is very popular. 

She insisted that she wants to be known simply as Queenie and not to be the clone or lookalike of someone else

WHO IS MORE IMPORTANT? THE FATHER OR THE MOTHER?

When asked who is more important in her family, her mother or her father, she replied that both the father and mother are equally important for they play complementary roles. 

The mother is the symbol of love and of sharing. A father on the other hand, is the symbol for strength and stability. 

But if she is to choose only one, she would choose her mother. She explained that she has never seen her father for she was born an illegitimate child. But even then, she would always have the highest regard for her mom who was able to raise her up to be who and what she is right now despite being a single mom

Her answers struck a chord in the hearts of those who were in the audience that night. She had the audience and the judges to her side even before we wrapped up the Onstage Interviews.

For the penultimate round where the final five were asked the same question, it was smooth sailing for her. Add the moral boosters made up of townmates from Dauis led by their supportive mayor, Hon. Marietta Sumaylo, who helped clinch for Queenie the special award “Darling of the Crowd”

Get the chance to know Queenie a little better the next few days only here with Your Boholano Blogger

Hail the Queen! 

Photo Credits: Ryan Macalandag of gobohol.info

Why Miss Dauis Is Miss Bohol 2014

She might not be the prettiest nor the tallest in the batch but inarguably, she was the most engaging and had the most refreshing way of expressing herself during the Onstage Interviews. She was very candid and very honest about herself and her family background.

Here in Bohol, pageant winners are often crowned on the sheer strength of their answers. Of course, this is not to say that Queenie is not beautiful. Hers is the type of beauty that grows the longer you stare at her plus she has this sun- kissed complexion that is to die for

HOW DOES SHE FEEL BEING COMPARED WITH VENUS RAJ?

When asked how she feels being compared with Venus Raj, she readily replied that it flatters her to be compared to one of the Philippines’ most iconic beauty queens but on the other hand, she feels that it somehow makes her lose her self- identity and frustrates her that she has to live under the shadows of one who is very popular. 

She insisted that she wants to be known simply as Queenie and not to be the clone or lookalike of someone else

WHO IS MORE IMPORTANT? THE FATHER OR THE MOTHER?

When asked who is more important in her family, her mother or her father, she replied that both the father and mother are equally important for they play complementary roles. The mother is the symbol of love and of sharing. A father on the other hand, is the symbol for strength and stability. 

But if she is to choose only one, she would choose her mother. She explained that she has never seen her father for she was born an illegitimate child. But even then, she would always have the highest regard for her mom who was able to raise her up to be who and what she is right now despite being a single mom

Her answers struck a chord in the hearts of those who were in the audience that night. She had the audience and the judges to her side even before we wrapped up the Onstage Interviews.

A beauty queen is not chosen for her physical assets alone. She has to be witty, to possess the sense of responsibility and sensitivity and lastly, she has to have that ability to connect with people. Queenie has all of those and she deserves to be crowned Miss Bohol 2014.

The Accounting graduate from the University of Bohol will not only be  a role model for the Boholano youth but will be speaking up and getting support for her chosen advocacy  during her year of reign.

 Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto & First Lady Pureza flank Miss Bohol 2014

Cheers and may your reign be a memorable one!

Photo Credits: Lemuel Managron

Miss Bohol 2014 & Her Advocacy: Part Two

Here’s Part Two of my feature on the Miss Bohol 2014 candidates and the advocacies that they will be supporting should they get crowned as the province’s fairest tonight

Candidate # 10. Imaculada Cleofe Leopardas (Miss Barbra Pearls Cosmetics)

"If I will be this year's Miss Bohol 2014, I would focus my advocacy on extending help for the malnourished children and those street children. I will use my title and make a project wherein there will be a monthly feeding of nutritious goods at the different areas of Bohol.

I will feed their stomachs, but I would also feed their minds by teaching them the ways and values of life. I have a heart for these children and I believe that every child is special. They are the hope of our future and if we will give them the privilige to let their inner beauty shine through, then they will be closer to success in which every Boholano would be most proud of."

Candidate # 11. Liezel May Turtoga (Miss Getafe)

"If I will be crowned as Miss Bohol 2014, I will be a good role model among my peers and use my title to promote my advocacy in life and that is to preserve and protect our rich cultural heritage which we can do by educating our people especially the new generation of how important and significant these thing to us.

Candidate # 12. Geraldine Bernido Topsnik (Miss Tagbilaran City)

"If given a chance, I would like to help my fellow Boholanos through my advocacy which is to implement business and entrepreneurial programs for the jobless, provide opportunities to go back to school for those out- of- school youth and to give a home and shelter to the homeless and streetchildren. I hope that through these, I would be able to give back to my province what it has given me."

Candidate # 13. Genina Abrau (Miss Sierra Bullones)

"My advocacy would be to have a computer literacy program because we are now in the cyber world where everything is powered by technology. Unified as we stand, I together with the organization I am in, the Society of Computer Eng'g Enthusiasts, we can impart our knowledge to the rural places.

We will train those people in the uncivilized areas for them to have basic background on computer usage. I would like to propose several computer units to be distributed to several towns specially on rural places. If I win Miss Bohol 2014, I know my advocacy would be realized with the help of the provincial government."

Candidate # 14. Maria Tiffany Tabigue (Miss Balilihan)

"If I will win miss Bohol I will campaign my advocacy of LOVE. L-oyalty to God, O-bedience to His commandments, V-ictory of our morality, E-xpressions of our true feelings. With this advocacy, there will be no problem in our society. Let us love one another." .

Candidate # 15. Natasha Amethyst Torralba (Miss Duero)

"If given a chance to win the crown,my advocacy would focus on a massive campaign for the protection of our environment. Right now, we are experiencing climate change, a very serious case, but most of the time taken for granted by most people.

We need to take care of our environment not because it was a gift from our ancestors,but because we owe it to our future children. I know, upon choosing ths advocacy, I could help Mother Earth heal again in my own little ways

Candidate # 16. Christine Mae Cuarto (Miss Jagna)

"My advocacy revolves on women's rights. I will work with the government officials like the Department of Social Welfare.

As a criminology graduate, we will conduct seminars to inform women what is abuse and how it could happen to them."

Candidate # 17. Queenie Melody Fullante (Miss Dauis)

"If destiny would allow the crown to land on my head tonight, the advocacy that I would focus on is on women’s health. According to research, even though women live longer than men, it doesn’t mean that they are healthier or live better. So if women are in good health condition, they can do a lot of great things to lengthen and improve their life spans.

Furthermore, women are the life bearers but due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth, maternal deaths have been one of the leading killers of women especially for adolescent pregnancy. With the help of the Provincial Health Office, setting information drives on women’s health and providing accessible health services for women will save not only the women of today but also tomorrow’s generation.

Candidate # 18. Diozel Ramayla Namoco (Miss Dimiao)

" My advocacy would be 'Sustainable Tourism' because it is my hope that whatever initiatives, projects, or tourism activities we do would have minimal adverse impact to our environment and to our culture.

So there you go, the ladies and the advocacies that they believe in and will support during their year of reign and beyond.

I have always dreamt of the day when Miss Bohol will also become avowed advocates for projects that would ultimately benefit the community. Whoever gets crowned as Miss Bohol 2014 will have my support. Remember ladies, everybody will be waiting for you to turn those proposed projects into real tangible realities. Let’s walk the talk.

For the meantime though, let us await the crowning of this year’s queen and may the most deserving lady take it all

See you at the Bohol Wisdom Gymnasium tonight!

Here’s the Link for:

Miss Bohol 2014 & Her Advocacy: Part One 

Photo Credits: Chris Ramasola