By Edwin G. Espejo
Photos by Cocoy Sexcion
2006
The Miss Gensan 2006 pageant night went well beyond its 8 p.m. scheduled start last September 4.
Like last year, rain – nay, heavy downpour – spoiled whatever pompous opening spiel the organizers had reserved for the enthused audience who braved the gusty winds and crackling thunders that greeted the penultimate event of the 2006 Tuna Festival.
The judges and ushers had to squeeze themselves into two tents that were cramped with desktop computers used in tabulating the results of the contests, tiptoeing their feet to avoid being wetted on the ground.
Up the stage, pageant night director Dino was frantically giving last minute instructions to the talent scouts, the contestants and pageant night crew even as the rain continued to pour.
It was clear it would take another hour or two before the pageant could even begin.
When the downpour turned into drizzle, the judges were still wondering if fair weather for the night will hold on until the pageant is over.
Luck and providence was however on the side of the organizers and the crowd who waited patiently despite the thunderstorms and cold breeze of the rain aftermath.
When the opening spiel segued into the parade of the beauties of the night, a loud roar of approval was heard from the crowd that had already swelled around the fenced area reserved for guests and the show’s battery of sound system and speakers.
By then it was already close to 10 o’clock in the evening.
As they say in Hollywood , the show must go on. And on it went.
Snafu
Invited as one of the judges, I was to face yet another storm of a different kind.
In the middle of the contest, we, the six of us judges, were surprised the emcees of the night announced the winners in the casual wear, straight jeans, swimwear and evening gown competitions.
The panel, which included Dr. Rose Acharon, wife of Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., was later told that those side events of the competition were done during the pre-pageant night.
Had the organizers failed to immediately explain the ‘non-fiasco’, they would have seen a walkout of the judges. Imagine how unfortunate it would have been.
Blame it to the rain, the organizers failed to explain this to the judges and the crowd.
It turned out that the ‘special awards’, as what the pageant committee later explained, did not have any bearing at all at the scores of the panel for the pageant night.
Well, patience is indeed a virtue.
All things being equal
This year’s Miss Gensan competition, I was told, attracted ten beauties – one of the biggest in years.
They came in different curvy shapes, skin hues, and regular and towering heights.
Crowd favorite was Contestant No. 4 with her pearly white complexion, killer smile and 5’5” frame.
Obviously, the kibitzers of each contestant came in droves and they lapped it out when their bets were called just to impress the judges.
Contestant No. 1 was elegant in her bearing and walked with poise of a seasoned tramp model. Her morena complexion was even made more pronounced by the subdued lightning.
At onset, it was clear it would be a toss between the two ladies.
When the scores were in and tabulated, lo and behold, a tie occurred, just as I predicted.
Since there were six of us and no one was appointed chair of the panel, we had to again huddle ourselves to break the tie since it would be awkward to crown two Miss Gensan in one pageant competition.
I told myself that all things considered and the contestants being all equally beautiful in their own right, wit and intelligence would hold the key to the winner.
This is not to disparage all the rest of the entries.
There are bright people as there are beautiful ladies.
In the end, it redounds to how quick one reacts to a given situation.
So here are the results of the 2006 Miss Gensan competition.
Adjudged Miss Gensan was Reann Hazel Acosta, a 19-year old college student of the Mindanao State University .
This winner loves to read and was also voted Miss MSU in 2005. She stands 5’4” and has a 34-24-35 vital statistics to die for.
Equally deserving as her first runner up was Lyka Ruiz who stands 5’5” tall and with a head turning 33 1/2-25-34 measurement. She said she likes to play lawn tennis, watch TV and read. She is also a college student at the Notre Dame of Dadiangas University .
Second runner up Aiza Amoroso (contestant No. 6) rounded up the top three. Aiza is a hotel and restaurant a management student at the Mindanao Polytechnic College and stands 5’7” and with a body measurement of 34-27-36.
Rounding up the cast of this year’s Miss Gensan entries were Eden Torrecampo, Daphne Grace Matunding, Ellen Evangelista, Julien Joy Kathrina Ilejay, Dianah Georlin, Maria Lou Pat and Sheena Alexandria Boayes.
Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr., led city officials in handing out the crown and sashes that were awarded to the winners.
Also gracing the pageant night were former senators Vicente Soto and Tessie Aquino-Oreta who were obviously already gearing up for next year’s election.
Orman Manansala, the event’s chief organizer said a more elaborate and well-prepared pageant will be in store for avid followers of the annual contest next year.
Well, in spite of the bad weather and brief confusion in the judging, the program went on smoothly.
