Meet the 2016 Bb Pilipinas Girls Who Caught Your Roving Eye's Attention

Finally, contestant numbering has just been concluded. Numbers are usually assigned according to height with the tallest girls getting the middle numbers in this case # 20 & # 21 and the rest taper down like the silhouette of a pyramid. 

With the pinning & assigning of numbers, the girls can finally heave a sigh of relief and this means that the Bb Pilipinas 2016 season is officially open. 

From more than a hundred applicants, 40 hopefuls have been selected as the official candidates for the country’s longest running & most prestigious national beauty pageant.

Three of my pre- pageant faves

For the fourth straight year, a Boholana is absent from the roster of candidates not because there is a dearth of beauty queen material in Bohol but because it requires a lot of logistical support to sustain an almost two-month stay in Manila for the competition.

The last time Bohol was represented in the Bb Pilipinas pageant was back in 2012 with Miss Tagbilaran 2010 Fer Mary Baliquig and former Miss Ubay Karen Gallman as the qualified candidates.

Five titles are at stake, namely; Miss Universe Philippines, Bb. Pilipinas INTERNATIONAL,   Bb. Pilipinas  INTERCONTINENTAL, Bb. Pilipinas   SUPRANATIONAL, and Bb. Pilipinas  GRAND INTERNATIONAL. 

Performance of 2015 Bb Pilipinas titleholders in their international pageant assignments:

CANDIDATE	PAGEANT	DATE	VENUE	PLACEMENT
Ann Lorraine Colis	Miss Globe	Oct.  8	Toronto,Canada	Winner
Parul Shah	Miss Grand Int’l	Oct. 25	Bangkok, Thailand	3rd RU
Janicel Lubina	Miss International	Nov. 5	Tokyo, Japan	Top Ten
Rogelie Catacutan	Miss Supranational	Dec. 4	Krynica-Zdroj, Poland	Top 20
Christi Lynn McGarry	Miss Intercontinental	Dec. 18	Magdeburg, Germany	1st RU
Pia Wurtzbach	Miss Universe	Dec 20	Las Vegas, USA	Winner

2015 has been another great year for Bb Pilipinas titleholders who all placed in their respective pageant missions and whoever will be crowned as this year’s queens will have the formidable task of equaling or surpassing their predecessors’ performances. 

 Who will succeed the Queens of 2015?

The greatest pressure will surely be felt by Pia Wurtzbach’s  successor as pageant fans will expect nothing less than a back- to- back Miss Universe victory. A very difficult and almost impossible assignment I must say but still achievable if everything will be aligned in her favor.

NOTE: Although Parul Shah was the 2014 Bb Pilipinas TOURISM winner, she was appointed by Madame Stella Marquez for she was not able to compete abroad in 2014.

Good luck to all forty fabulous Filipinas as they begin their journey for a Bb Pilipinas crown.

Do enjoy the journey! Cheers! 

Photos by Bruce Cassanova for Bb Pilipinas Charities, Inc

Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach is Finally Home!

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach arrived early this morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Jakarta, Indonesia. Despite the unholy hour, Pia looked absolutely smashing and confidently beautiful. 

Getting crowned as the most beautiful woman of the universe absolutely boosted Queen Pia's self- confidence and self- assuredness.   

 Royal welcome for Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach

Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc Chairperson Stella Marquez Araneta led well- wishers in giving Pia a warm welcome befitting a queen. After a mini press conference at the arrival area, the beauty queen was whisked off to Novotel Araneta Center, her official home for her homecoming.

Pia needs all the beauty rest and pampering for she will plunge into a whirlwind of activities starting tomorrow.

Queen Pia’s homecoming will be highlighted by two big events: 

1.Victory Parade, January 25, Monday,

Her victory parade route includes Quezon City, Manila and Makati 

2.Tribute to Miss Universe show,  January 28, Thursday

Venue: SMART Araneta Coliseum

  

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  Novotel Araneta  welcomes Miss U 2015 Pia Wurtzbach

In between are the courtesy calls, press conferences, welcome parties, sponsor visits and attending Vic Sotto & Pauleen Luna’s wedding. A high point of Pia’s homecoming will be her sentimental journey home to Cagayan de Oro City. 

Welcome home Queen Pia and long may you reign!

2013 Bb Pilipinas Gold Queens: Most Successful Batch Ever

The 2013 Bb Pilipinas Gold Edition  Queens really lived up to their billing as they have proven to be the most successful batch of Bb Pilipinas.

Farewell Queens L-R: Cindy, Ara, Bea & Mutya

A Year Ago as Bb Pilipinas Gold Edition Queens

Two international crowns, a runner up finish and a Top Ten placement sum up the performances of our four Bb Pilipinas queens in the international beauty arena

At a time when our country was reeling from natural disasters that came one after the other and causing devastation, desolation and deaths, the achievements of our beauty queens were like rays of sunshine that brought unbridled joy and elation for our kababayans

Ara Arida made it four in a row for the Philippines in the Miss Universe Pageant held in Russia. Her 3^rd RU finish was our fourth Top Five placement in the Miss Universe Pageant

2013 Miss Universe Best in Swimsuit

She silenced her critics and detractors with a stunning swimsuit performance that gave us our first ever Best in Swimsuit award in the Miss U Pageant.

Victorious Homecoming Parade for Bea Rose

Bea Rose Santiago became our country’s fifth Miss International titleholder after wowing the Japanese- dominated panel of judges with her poise and elegance and of course , with her heartfelt speech during the final round

Mutya Johanna Datul became the first Filipina and first Asian to ensnare the Miss Supranational crown  which she won in Belarus. 

Mutya is congratulated by fellow candidates

Mutya is the first Filipina & first Asian to win Miss Supranational

Her sunny disposition, her winsome smile and oodles of charm melted icy Belarus on her way to winning the crown

Finally, Cindy Miranda made the Top Ten in the Miss Tourism Queen International Pageant despite the stiff competition and unpredictable judging

As they passed on their crowns to the 2014 Bb Pilipinas queens,  you can feel the surge of pride and adulation showered on them by a grateful and proud country

But the proudest would have to be Madame Stella Marquez Araneta, the dynamic force behind Bb Pilipinas Charities Inc who has steered the country's most prestigious pageant to where it is now

Long may you reign ladies!

Photo Credits:

Bb Pilipinas Charities, Inc

Bb Pilipinas Awardee for Most In- Depth Pageant Blog

I got the shock of my life when I received news that my blog has been chosen by Bb Pilipinas Charities as one of the eight winners for its contest among hundreds of pageant sites and blogs

At first, I thought I was the victim of an April Fool's Day prank. I had to read and re- read the citation where I saw my name emblazoned as one of the two winners of the Most In- Depth Pageant Blog category

The realization that I won finally sank in when I opened my email and voila! there it was! A congratulatory message from Bb. Pilipinas Charities

This is an official recognition from Bb Pilipinas Charities Inc., the country's most prestigious pageant, that I have the "Most In-Depth Pageant Blog" among the hundreds of blogs & websites that sent entries from around the country. This is such a humbling honor for me.

It also means an opportunity to meet the Bb Pilipinas Queens for 2014 tomorrow at Balay, Araneta Center.

Chosen by Bb Pilipinas Charities as one of Eight Winners

Here's the content of Bb Pilipinas Charities Inc.'s email for me:

Hello Raul Phillip Gatal,

Congratulations for winning in the BPCI’s Blogger Promo!

Your blog Raulgatal.blogspot.com won in the following category:

Most In-Depth Pageant Blog

In line with this, we are giving you two (2) slots for the 2014 Bb. Pilipinas Winners Press Conferencetomorrow, April 2, 3PM at Balay Araneta Center.

Congratulations and see you tomorrow!

This is a validation of all the hard work I have been doing for my blog.

Thanks everyone! I share this with all of you!

Two winners for each of the four categories for a total of eight winners were chosen. The other awardees are:

normannorman.com, sashfactor.info, paddylastinc.com, pageantology.net, and hamsternice.blogspot.com

Stella Marquez: The First Miss International

María Stella Márquez Zawadazky a Colombian of Spanish and Polish parentage was born on May 4, 1939 in Cali, Colombia.

In 1959, at 20 years old, the 5'7" brown- haired and brown- eyed Psychology major represented the Nariño Department in the National Beauty Pageant and was awarded the coveted Miss Colombia title.

Senorita Stella Marquez 

As reigning Miss Colombia, she represented her country in the Miss Universe 1960 pageant held in Miami Beach, Florida.

She finished in sixth place among the 15 semifinalists thus missing a spot in the Final Five by the narrowest of margins.

Armed with valuable lessons learned from her Miss Universe experience, she competed again in another international beauty contest that same year. 

Miss International 1960, the first edition of International Beauty Congress Pageant was being held at Long Beach, California, USA with the pageant night scheduled on August 12, 1960.

The pageant was organized to replace the Miss Universe Pageant which had transferred to Miami, Florida.

She stood out from among 52 beauty delegates from around the world not only for her facial features, fascinating figure & flashing smile but also for her fluency in four languages, namely; English, Spanish, Italian & French

 1960 Miss International Top 15 that included Miss Philippines Edita Vital

 Pageant Emcee Byron Palmer crowns the first ever Miss International

 Stella's victory walk as the first Miss International

August 12, 1960, Long Beach, California, USA

 L-R: England 3rd RU, India 1st RU, Stella Marquez Winner, Iceland 2nd RU & U.S.A 4th RU

Result of Miss International 1960

Miss International 1960 Colombia - Stella Márquez Zawadski

1st RU  Miss India - Iona Pinto

2nd RU Miss Iceland - Sigridur Geirsdottir

3rd RU  Miss UK - Joyce Kay

4th RU  Miss USA - Charlene Lundberg

The rest of the semifinalists were Austria - Elizabeth Hodacs (Miss Universe 1960, 2nd Runner-up) Germany - Helga Kirsch, Israel - Lili Dajani, Italy - Maria Grazia Jacomelli, Japan - Michiko Takagi, Paraguay - Gretel Hedger Carvallo, Philippines - Edita Resurreccion Vital, Poland - Marzena Malinowska, Singapore - Christl D'Cruz and Venezuela - Gladys Ascanio  

  

 Meeting Colombian President Alberto Lleras Camargo

She became the very first Miss International in history and the first Latina to achieve the feat. It would take another 39 years before another Miss Colombia would win the crown. 

She is married to Jorge Araneta, a Filipino businessman. 

Please click the link for 

The Jorge Araneta & Stella Marquez Wedding

After their fairytale wedding in Cali, Colombia, the newlyweds settled in Manila, Philippines 

Stella Marquez Araneta maybe a Colombian by birth but she is definitely a Filipina by heart. 

HER GREATEST CONTRIBUTION TO PHILIPPINE SOCIETY

Her greatest legacy is the discovery of lovely Filipinas who who put the Philippines in the world map of legendary beauties

In 1964, she organized the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Incorporated (BPCI), a non-stock, non-profit organization and foundation, the organizer of the Binibining Pilipinas (or Miss Philippines), has established skills trainings and educational workshops for the indigents and philanthropic/humanitarian projects and activities that have benefitted many orphans and street children, poor families and other less fortunate members of the Philippine society.

1985 Bb Pilipinas Queens with Joyce Ann Burton (3rd from left) as Bb Pilipinas- Universe

Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines), the organization that sponsors the annual beauty pageant held in the Philippines.

The country's longest running national beauty pageant that chooses the Philippines' representatives to the annual Miss Universe, Miss International & Miss Supranational pageants, among others has been the most prestigious beauty pageant in the Philippines.

Your Blogger with Bb World 2006 Anna Maris Igpit & Bb Universe 1985 Joyce Ann Burton

The country’s longest running beauty pageant that marked its 50th edition last year is the main source of the foundation's funds.

The First with the Latest Miss International Bea Santiago

TWO MISS UNIVERSES. FOUR MISS INTERNATIONALS. ONE MISS SUPRANATIONAL

The Philippines, through BPCI, has produced two Miss Universe winners (Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Maria Margarita Moran in 1973) and four Miss International winners (Aurora Pijuan in 1970, Melanie Marquez in 1979, Precious Lara Quigaman in 2005 and Bea Rose Santiago in 2013).

BINIBINI REUNION: Madame Stella  with 44 Binibinis during BPCI’s 50th Anniversary Reunion

Bahay na Puti (White House), Friday, March 15, 2013

NOTE: The first Miss International crown for the Philippines, won by Gemma Cruz in 1964, is a product of the Miss Philippines pageant, the predecessor of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant.

Madame Stella Marquez Araneta is currently Charge d' Affaires of the Honorary Consulate of Colombia to the Philippines in Manila.

To Madame Stella Marquez Araneta, Thank You for Being Instrumental in Giving Us Our Numerous International Pageant Titles!

YOU will forever reign in every Filipino's heart

Photo Credits:

Copyright infringement not intended

Thanks to William Prendiz Jurado