With all the talk going on with what happened in the
recent Bb. Pilipinas pageant, here's the host's (
Paolo B.) take (unedited), with his permission ...
You know me, I don't normally write loooooooonnnnnggggg blogs but there is something in here we can all learn from... read on...
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I have received hundreds of texts, emails, and comments from people asking me my opinion
on the recently concluded pageant. Here's my account of what happened and my view on the whole incident:When I called Janina up to the front I warmed her up just like the rest of the candidates with a simple question to reveal more of their personality and hopefully remove any nervousness. I asked if she felt any pressure considering she had just recently won best in swimsuit and long gown - two major awards, to which she replied without batting an eyelash that she felt no pressure at the moment to which I quipped sincerely "Confident! Please choose a name of a judge!" the whole time thinking to myself we have a winner here. Then it began...No need transcribing it here since Youtube has over 300,000 hits by now of that fateful incident that will forever etch Janina's name in pageant history. The poor kid was lost in her thoughts amidst the thousands upon thousands of people at the Araneta.
Was she deserving of the crown? Based on the criteria for judging and the process the SGV implemented the answer to that question is an emphatic yes. Beauty of face and figure comprised a total of 80% and remember she won both the long gown and swimsuit competition which leaves us with 20% to be divided evenly between personality and intelligence. Yes for this pageant 10% for intelligence was all that was allotted. So in other words no matter how badly she may have performed in the q and a, she couldnt have lost much considering she had a huge headstart in the scores. There was no back to zero, tabula rasa, clean slate either for any of the candidates in the top ten - it was a total carry over of scores. And in the final deliberation the candidates that ranked 5th and 4th go the 2nd and 1st runner up respectively. Candidate no. 8, an early favorite adorned with many special awards ranked 4th only .4 points behind the no.3 spot so close yet so far away from any of the titles.So here's the PhP 65,786,981.91 question: What now for Janina? The candidate who gained notoriety by simply being herself, the candidate who was able to eclipse national issues by uttering a few gramatically incorrect phrases and sentences and the candidate who took home one of the coveted crowns? While many ridicule her and brand her undeserving I have but one thing to say: I admire her.I admire her for not buckling under the pressure and simply giving up and handing me the microphone to go back to her position at the back with the rest of the semifinalists. I admire her for being as blatantly honest as possible. She wasnt pretending to be anything. Standing beside her on stage I could feel the sincerity she had to come up with a satisfactory answer despite the handicap she had in communicating effectively in english.
Did I feel sorry for her? Yes I did....Do I feel sorry for her now? NO...and I'll tell you why...I am so excited to see how God will pull her out of this.Here is this 17 year old who had simple dreams of being a pageant contestant. At the tender age of 17 she is now experiencing so much persecution, judgment and oppression that adults many years her senior would have difficulty facing. It's so easy for us to say "we would have done better given the chance" but do we know for sure? Do we know what it feels like to be in front of thousands, watched by millions worldwide probably with the pressure knowing if we do well it could be the answer to lift our family out of its current economic state? Do we know what it feels like to be booed endlessly way after the pageant is over and the crown has been given? Do we know what it feels like to be talked about not just behind our backs but right in front of us as people pass judgment left and right with a little snicker or two attached to it? At 17 Janina now knows the truth...life can be cruel...but here's the good news for Janina: No matter how cruel life turns out to be at the momentGOD IS GOOD PERIOD. One of my favorite verses can sum up what Janina has in store for hr in the very near future:Rom 8:28"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"Notice it says in ALL things. Not just in the positive or good or encouraging but in ALL things- the good the bad and the ugly. God has this unbelievable way of turning a losing proposition into a winning opportunity. God can turn what seems to be our darkest day when we can't see any hope anymore into the brightest moment in our lives when He reveals how great He truly is. It's when we believe and trust in God that he does unbelievable things in our lives.So Janina keep the faith and keep loving God and he will show you how good, pleasing and perfect His will is for you. One day I see you being an inspiration to those who have been measured and weighed yet come short in the eyes of man yet will be living proofthat in the eyes of GOD none of us come short and we are all favored because of His saving Grace. Train hard for the pageant, work on your skills and enhance your talents. I wish you luck on your journey. One day you will make God even more proud. Mabuhay ka Janina San Miguel. 
hirap sa atin minsan, nagkamali ng english pinagtatawanan eh bakit ang chinese o hapon kahit barok ang english ok lang. You knows that our english language is not our native tongues...right or left? 
