Bb. Pilipinas 2014 Question and Answer Portion: Angela's Version

I am not a “super” fan of beauty pageants but I like watching them. To see the contestants’ physical beauty, it is enough for me to see them in their long gowns or national costumes (because there is greater variety in these attires than others) but to gauge their wit, I really have to watch the question and answer portion. This part is the most important for me because this measures more accurately (in comparison to modelling various attires) real beauty. I believe that beauty is not superficial. I believe that beauty is from within – from the heart and from how one thinks. In this world, I believe that many are physically attractive but few are those with good hearts and beautiful minds.

Soooooooo... When I watched the Coronation Night of Binibining Pilipinas 2014, I really focused on the Q&A part. The questions varied from easy to difficult and very good questions. In my opinion, no answer from the ladies was very good (because no answer gave me goosebumps and it’s disappointing, haha). Therefore, I challenged myself to answer the pageant questions. (Silly, right?) But I guess this is worth my time and I hope worth yours also.

1.       What city in the world do you think best suits your character and why?

I guess I would be best in our very own Baguio City. Baguio has the right weather, not too cold compared to the foreign cities up north and not hot either, really perfect for me who prefers a weather that’s only cool – not cold nor hot. Baguio is civilized and developed, again, perfect for me who yearns for development all the time, who yearns for the right amount of stress in things especially at work. Baguio, despite its economic development, is still grounded with its ecological nature and its culture. This suits me because I am a nature-loving person, a person who prefers the serenity and freshness of a province (as connoted in the Philippine setting) and of course, a person who does not forget the persons, things and events that lead me to who I am in the present.

2.       As a beauty pageant contestant, what would you say to people who lack confidence that you have?

To those who lack confidence, you have no reason to lack such. Put in your mind your strengths and enhance them. Acknowledge your weaknesses and limit them. It’s a matter of knowing yourself and loving who you are. Learn to love yourself, accept who you are and believe in your capability. When you feel this for yourself, it shows. It radiates.

3.       Should you win one of the titles, how will you use your crown to push your advocacy?

Having one of the titles entitles me to be of influence to people. I will use this influence to promote my advocacy. If asked what advocacy this would be, this would be the promotion of mental health care in the Philippines because I believe this is one of the things that our country is lacking and is still naive about as evidenced by the large number of undiagnosed mental illnesses in our country and the obvious stigma given to those who have such illnesses.

4.       There is a  song saying, “All we need is love.” Apart from love, what else do you think we need?

For this question, I base my answer on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Yes, we need love but before such, we have to satisfy our physiological needs. I would say we need water, food, clothing, home but to put all these into one, I think it would be best to say that we need money. We need money to afford and acquire things that will satisfy our physiological needs. By then can we only be functional and thus able to show and share our love.

5.       March is Women’s Month. For you, what is the greatest advantage of being a woman?

A woman’s advantage would be... Hmm... I have not thought of anything really good so far but I guess it would be the fact that in this world where there is a lot of stereotypes (although I do not promote sexism and stereotypes), a woman can do things both manly and womanly. An easy example would be a woman can wear jeans which used to be exclusively for men but a man cannot wear skirts without being judged or thought as crazy or odd. A woman who does “male jobs” is cool but a man who does “female jobs” is not. These are stereotypes that I am not fond, given that I believe in gender equality, but I guess for now, this is the reality and this so far has been advantageous for women.

Note: A good friend of mine answered, “The greatest advantage of being a woman is that she can have multiple orgasms.” – naughty but good answer!

6.       Ano ang pinakamagandang leksyon na maituturo ng isang babae sa buong mundo?

Ang pinakamagandang leksyon na maituturo ng isang babae sa buong mundo ay ang katotohanang kahit ano pa ang iyong sekswalidad, maaari kang magtagumpay. Hindi basehan ang iyong pagkakalalaki, pagkakababae, pagkabading o pagkatomboy ng paroroonan ng buhay mo, ng kakayahan mo, ng katalinuhan mo o ng kabutihan ng puso mo. May karapatan ang lahat na magtamasa ng karapatang pantay sa lahat. May karapatan ang lahat na umunlad.

7.       As a binibini, you must be updated about the events happening around you. What particular event or latest news affects you the most and why?

The latest news that affects me the most as of this time is the lost plane of Malaysia Airlines. As much as I am curious of what really happened and of why there is not a trace of the plane’s loss, I feel very sorry for the loved ones of the passengers who still have no idea of where the passengers are. I feel sorry that until now, they have no closure of what really happened. I feel sorry for them because going through such uncertainty of being hopeful and of being realistic is very hard for sure.

8.       Do you think that being a beauty queen is a plus or a minus in landing a serious job in the corporate world?

I think it’s a plus to be a beauty queen in having a serious corporate job. Being a beauty queen means having the innate strategic and beautiful mind, the selfless and passionate heart, the integrity, the effective persuasion and influence to other people, and the right amount of confidence. Having all these would really be advantageous because these are the traits needed in order to be successful in the corporate world.

9.       If you were given the chance to talk before an international audience, what would you tell them about Filipino heroism?

I will be very proud to tell them how brave Filipino heroes are as what they did ranged from using peaceful and intellectual methods to defend our country to sacrificing their lives for the Philippines. These do not only refer to our national heroes but also to our modern heroes who show up in different ways everyday. We have those who save lives during natural and man-made disasters, those who fight for our country’s security, those who teach the young minds among others. Filipino heroism in the modern context refers to those who do their roles as citizens of this country with integrity no matter what the cost.

10.   In your opinion, what qualities inherent in a Filipina give them an advantage in international pageants?

Filipinas, aside from having the unique beauty and brains that stand out, have the inherent quality of being graceful and sturdy at the same time. Filipinas are naturally “mahinhin” because of our culture but we are also firm with what we want and what we do. We are not easily shaken by stresses specifically the stress in the pageants. Instead, we handle them with grace.

11.   What do you think are the reasons why the PH became the number one powerhouse of beauty in 2013?

The Philippines is the powerhouse source of beauty queens in 2013 because our ladies really had what it took to be crowned. These beauty queens, no matter how different they are from each other, they were able to showcase their uniqueness to the world. They were able to make their selves stand out by being who they are, by enjoying what they were doing.

12.   Name one thing you would sacrifice for a Binibini crown.

For a Binibini crown, I would be willing to sacrifice a part of my privacy. I know that winning the Binibini crown would make me a public figure and that means the public gets to know most of what I do. I guess that is or is only the length I would go for this crown and nothing more. (I cannot relate too much in this question because it has never been my dream to win a Binibini crown.)

13.   If you could go back in time, what would you change and why?

If I could go back in time, I would change nothing. I believe that things happen for a reason and these things happen to get me somewhere I truly deserve to be. Also these things made me who I am now, stronger and wiser; and I would not want my present self to be any more or less than I am now. Things unfold in their own right timing.  

14.   What about being a Filipino woman are you most proud of and why?

Being a Filipina, I am most proud of being empowered because it is from being empowered that I learned to believe in myself, utilize the blessings endowed upon me and cultivate my potentials.

15.   Would you fall in love and marry outside your religion? Why or why not?

Yes, I am open to falling in love with someone outside my religion as long as we both believe in a Higher Being and as long as we have the same ideas of morality. This is because I am not a religious person but I believe in a Higher Being and I have strong morals. However, when it comes to marriage, a change of religion is a different story because I strongly believe that my beliefs are closest to the Catholic teachings. I prefer that the man I’m going to marry be the one to change his religion.

Answering these questions is pretty challenging and somewhat draining. Given the time limit of 30 seconds to answer such questions, the candidates might have been very pressured to come up with a good answer. This is why Q&A is the best –it somehow enables us to gauge the contestant’s ability to maintain grace and share her wits even under pressure.