Ms. Philippines Precious Lara Quigaman doles out a smile in her Philippineapple-inspired national costume.
Philippine candidate Precious Lara Quigaman was crowned 2005 Miss International in Tokyo, Japan, Monday night, becoming the fourth Filipina to win the crown and the first Filipina to bag a major international beauty title in more than 25 years. Lara Quigaman becomes the fourth Filipino to be crowned Miss International after Gemma Cruz, Aurora Pijuan and Melanie Marquez (who, incidentally, was also Supermodel of the World second runner-up, and a Mrs. of the World contestant, if I'm not mistaken - truly beautiful woman, Mimilanie Marquez).
Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman, a freelance web designer and model, does us proud in this beauty pageant-crazy nation. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Manila Bulletin, and the Philippine Star devoted generous sections of the front page to crowing about Lara Quigaman's triumph, a surprise for most, as the dusky 5"6 charmer was not even considered a frontrunner, apparently.
Faux Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sent a letter of congratulations, where she's quoted as saying that Ms. Precious Lara Quigaman "...joins a long list of Filipinas who have brought our country honor and prestige, not only for their beauty, but also for their intelligence, charm and grace."
Oh, please. Precious Lara Quigaman Ms. International 2005 deserves all the honor for taking home that title, and she's uniting Filipinos like Pacquiao did a few weeks ago. Faux President Gloria's issuing that statement, however, absolutely soils the moment. Thanks to her cheap press release, Ms. Quigaman's victory is is tainted, stained, dirtied, sullied. GMA's move positively reeks.
There's a second list, though, a long list of Filipinas who have brought our country dishonor and infamy, not only for their preoccupation with their looks, but also for their cunning, sleaze, and disgrace. Thankfully, it's a list that most beauty queens don't fall under (unless y'all remember Sharmaine Gutierrez's involvement in the Metro Manila Filmfest scandal). Lady politicians, however, seem to be privy to making that list. In a way, I'm glad she did issue that release, because it serves to highlight the fact that we have a chance to edify things once that power-hungry Arroyo is no longer Philippine Chief Executive.
Long live people like Ms. International 2005 Precious Lara Quigaman!
Three related links:
Quigaman's Ms Philippines bio
Sun Star's Breaking News
Miss International Official Site
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