33 hope to make it to Ms. Baguio

By Pigeon Lobien

BAGUIO CITY - Thirty three beauty queen wannabes, from a 5’1” vertically challenged” to a 5’8” giantess, turned in for the Ms. Baguio final screening on stormy afternoons last July 27 and 28 at the Baguio City Hall administrator’s office.

Despite the rains brought in by typhoon Gorio and the monsoon it dragged in, the 33 hopefuls came in the hope to unleash their talent, beauty and talent come Sept. 18 during the coronation night.

From a senior high, a college student to a new teacher, candidates came in their best gowns braving the cold on a wet Thursday and Friday afternoons where they also had to contend with the noise that the rain made when it hit the building’s roof above.

“I might be a little small, but I will make it up for my wit and intellect,” said the 5’1” Jenny Mae Ambeguia, a new teacher who was immediately asked why she be allowed to be interviewed when she knew from the start that the minimum height is 5’4”.

But she proved to be a bubbly and intelligent interviewee like Tyrion Lannister in the much watched television series Game of Thrones that saw her top the interview portion (30 percent of the score) in most of the five judges card.

However, Ambeguia quit Monday even before the Ms Baguio activities started.

Despite the note on most of the interviewers score sheet, Ambeguia landed among the top scorers for the 20 hopefuls on Friday that included two half foreigners: Fil-Brit Karla Jane O’hara and Isabel Lamberth, whose biological father is Australian.

The two candidates scored relatively high in most of the score sheets. O’hara is a disc jockey at K-Lite,  while Lamberth is a 17 year old actress to be, who two-months ago underwent an open heart surgery to fix a 2-centimeter hole at the left backside of her heart.

“I was given a clean bill of health by my doctor who said that my heart can take the rigors of the pageant,” said the senior high who thanked her grand uncle national artist Ben Cabrera for practically financing her medical procedure at the Philippine Heart Center.

Among the early favorites include 2016 Ms. HRAB Karen Marie Mabalo and Bohol born Anabela Zarisa Gaviola, an architecture draftswoman who is one of the most vocal. “I just wish to win the pageant and earn my architecture license in two years time,” said the 23-year old, who will then finish her required two-year internship with a local architecture firm.

“We are quite happy with the turn out, we were able to get this many despite the strong rain and wind,” said Sonny Ticwala of the Sonny T. Productions which organizes the event for a third straight time.

Ticwala looks forward to 48-days of activities with the candidates including a feeding program, a city tour and the talent, gown and swimsuit competition prior the coronation night on Sept. 18 at the Baguio Convention Center.

Most of the 20 hopefuls Friday say that they live with their mother only, some of them not even their father. PML