Bb Pilipinas World 2010 Czarina Gatbonton on the night she won!
If you think Czarina Gatbonton, our bet in this year’s Ms World has no beauty pageant controversy of her own, guess again! Just like Bb. Pilipinas Universe 2010 Ma. Venus Raj, Czarina almost lost a crown but in a most BIZARRE way…
According to Czarina’s mentor John dela Vega, it happened this way: A little over a year ago, Czarina Gatbonton joined the Ms Malolos 2009 beauty pageant which she ended up winning. However, when the reigning queen was about to crown her, the family of the 1st runner-up came up on stage and tried to physically take away the crown and sash. John says one brother tried to grab the mike and then all hell broke loose. Supporters of both camps joined the fray and the pageant ended in a raucous circus of people chasing and slapping each other.
The mess did not end there; it turned into a big legal issue and ended up in court.
Czarina Gatbonton's Q&A at La Bulaquena 2009
FROM WINNING MS MALOLOS TO LOSING LA BULAQUEÑA…
Czarina Gatbondon’s next beauty pageant, the La Bulaqueña (where I was a judge), thankfully had no violent action scenes. But it definitely had more drama! Although Czarina performed well enough and entered the Top 8, she did not shine enough to make it into the Top 5.
Overwhelmed by her loss, Czarina Gatbondton went to a corner backstage and cried. John dela Vega says it broke his heart to see her that way. He approached her and tried to remind her that losing was sometimes a blessing in disguise. Then unexpectly, John blurted out these words: “By hook or by crook, I will bring you to Bb. Pilipinas next year.” Words that he would never regret.
A FISHERMAN’S DAUGHTER…
John dela Vega says it is easy to ‘fall in love’ with Czarina Gatbonton’s personality. She is like sunshine on a rainy day – an apt description since she is the daughter of a fisherman. When the storms threaten to take away the catch, she comes in with a smile and saves the day. But how could Czarina Gatbondon be so happy growing up dirt-poor? It is a miracle to be sure.
Czarina Gatbonton brings a little sunshine to my blog...
A little background now. Czarina Gatbonton’s family lives on an isle in Bulacan (I never knew Bulacan had any isles but I’m taking John’s word for it) and she would take a banca everyday to attend classes at a public school in Malolos. Her mother, who worked as a teacher at a daycare center, would come along with her.
While Czarina Gatbonton is naturally morena (nutmeg-colored), the daily exposure to the sun made her even darker – a skintone adored by other cultures but unappreciated by Filipinos in general. John dela Vega adds that Czarina was often maligned for her ‘darkness’ and locals would say she had “dirty, ugly skin.” But she did have a couple of aces up her sleeve – a set of dazzling pearly-whites and a perfect smile that could take your breath away. And behind that smile, Czarina hid a dream of becoming a beauty queen.
Czarina Gatbonton's official Bb. Pilipinas 2010 photo
JOINING BB PILIPINAS 2010…
John dela Vega stuck to his word and brought Czarina Gatbonton to the initial screening of Bb. Pilipinas 2010. According to John, he knew Czarina’s chances of being chosen as one of the contestants jumped up when Madame Stella Araneta approached her to compliment her beautiful dark color. John says Stella rarely does things like that. Sure enough, Czarina was announced one of this year’s contenders for the Top 3 beauty titles in the land.
But what were her chances of winning?
Realistically, John and Czarina could only hope for Top 10. They both knew that mestizas usually had the edge in Filipino beauty pageants. Czarina Gatbonton also had limited experience on stage. Furthermore, they knew she wasn’t the best English speaker in town so John shifted tactics and began to train her to answer questions in Pilipino.
John says throughout the Bb. Pilipinas pageant, Czarina Gatbonton had one thing going for her – she was as natural as a child. You could never accuse her of being ‘plastik’ or fake. Although John’s training had polished her into a multifaceted gem, Czarina Gatbonton never left behind her humble beginnings as a fisherman’s daughter. That remains to be her core and I hope it stays that way.
Czarina Gatbonton wins special awards at the Bb. Pilipinas 2010!
DARK HORSE WINS !
While Czarina Gatbonton had won two one special awards in the Bb. Pilipinas 2010 – the Texter’s Choice and the Manila Bulletin’s Choice, she still had no expectations of entering the Top 5. But she still gave it her all during the Q&A and was the only candidate in her batch to answer in Pilipino.
I think the choice to speak in her native tongue gave her extra points even if she was awfully nervous and stilted. To paraphrase it, Czarina’s respone was – if she was given another chance to live, she would rather be a tree that sustains us all with life. Click here to find my post with a YouTube of her Q&A portion.
John dela Vega says after the pageant was over, some people put down Czarina Gatbonton for speaking in Pilipino. But he points out that candidates from Venezuela, the country with the most number of Ms Universe titles, often use translators. Obviously, it’s not about who speaks English the best, he says.
CZARINA RULES THE WORLD!
While most of us in the audience watching Bb. Pilipinas 2010 were pleasantly surprised, no one was more shocked than Czarina Gatbonton herself when the hosts announced her as the winner of the Bb. Pilipinas World 2010 title. The naturalness that John dela Vega talked about came on full-bloom when she stepped forward to acknowledge her win. Her huge sunny smile and glistening tears could not hide the truth – she did NOT expect to win.
blogging beauty queen with beauty queen maker John dela Vega
At the victory party, I remember seeing John sitting alone at a table outside the Araneta Gazebo. He looked slightly stunned and I couldn’t blame him. Czarina Gatbonton was his biggest victory since he started grooming beauty contestants in 2007. And what a win it was! Everything she wore in the pageant was borrowed and so was the transportation for her parents so they could watch. John even raised funds from private donors so she could have pocket-money. All his efforts were SO well worth it!
After congratulating him, I joined the party and finally came face to face with Czarina Gatbonton who carried a smile that broadcasted one message: “I can’t believe I’m here!!!”
Well, dear Czarina you are most definitely HERE and soon you will be off the to the Ms World 2010. Keep that natural charm, hang on to God’s promises for you and listen carefully to everything John says and you might just be the first Filipina to bring home the Ms World crown!
Czarina Gatbonton as a Sagala in the annual Bb. Pilipinas Sta. Cruzan at the Araneta Center in Cubao
Thanks to Felix Manuel, OPMB, Bb. Pilipinas Charities for some of the photos in this post!
Czarina Gatbonton is a natural Filipina beauty, Joyce.
HI Chester, I kinda edited your message, but mostly for your protection. This blog is public and anybody can read it. Just text me nalang sensitive information.
Stay safe Chester!
Joyce: Thanks so much for the background info on Czarina. She is, indeed, very beautiful. Your blog about her just makes me admire her more. I give Mrs. Araneta credit for recognizing her potential. I’m not exactly sure why Philippine candidates competing in international pageants do not speak their native tongue in the Q&A competition, especially if they’re more comfortable with it (which would make them more competitive). Is there an unwritten rule somewhere that Philippine candidates must speak English? Just curious. The Miss World 2010 pageant will be held in Vietnam, so having a Filipino interpreter around should not be that difficult. I wish Czarina much luck!
Well Glenn you have to admit that in the Philippines, if you are an English speaker and you speak the language well, it’s believed to be one of the hallmarks of being well-educated. And in a Beauty Pageant, you want to put your best foot forward and so everyone struggles to speak in English. Also, there’s the burden of answering an English question in English. But you are RIGHT! We should ENCOURAGE our girls to speak in Tagalog/Pilipino – it is a MOST beautiful language and I looooove listening to those who speak it well!
Having a Filipino/English interpreter won’t be difficult almost anywhere on this planet; the Filipino is GLOBAL!
Thanks, Joyce. Yes, you are right in saying that in the Philippines, fluency in English is a reasonable gauge of one’s education, since it continues to be the language of law and commerce over there. English should also be valued as part of the Philippines’ rich historical and cultural legacy and gives Filipinos a competitive edge over other non-English speaking nationalities, especially in the continuing internationalization of the world’s economy. And you’re also right in saying it shouldn’t be too difficult to have a Filipino interpreter anywhere in the world. The Philippine diaspora certainly has made sure of that!
Ooops. I just learned that Vietnam has backed out as the Ms World 2010 host country. But it’s still going to be in Asia (China or Korea, at least that’s the latest bit). Czarina will be among the expected 120 candidates this year.
Let Us All Hope that Czarina will do well in MISS WORLD. But Win Or Lose she has already accomplished so much and that is more important than any Crown.
You know Vic, that’s so true. Going out there and competing makes you a winner already. It’s when you stay home and hide from life that you lose
i enjoy this story miss joyce and loved czarina even more hope she get all the luck on her quest for miss world this year…..
by the way i watched you on the 700 club on qtv….nakakatuwa kayo miss joyce ibang iba personality nyo, kumpara pag nasa newswatch kayo he he he…
Ay naku Eman, my friends all complain that I’m too serious in RPN Newswatch. Eh kasi naman, serious news yun so I have to adjust diba? Si God naman kasi always puts me in the serious news and I don’t know why He’s given me that career path when I’m so bubbly and makulit. LOLOL! That’s a mystery to me up to this day! But I’m sure it will all be clear to me as the days go by
Thanks for dropping by my blog, I’m equally excited as you are for Czarina – let pray hard that she brings home the country’s first ever Ms World crown!
I am rooting for Czarina to make it to top 15 at this year’s Miss World. Some pageant aficionados are already counting her out, which I thought was unfair, but then that is their opinion.
If I were BPCI, I would play more on Czarina’s Cinderella – kinda rags to riches story . Coming from a family with simple means and living did not stop her from pursuing her dream to be a national beauty queen. This kind of story works out well at Miss World Pageant, who likes to dub itself as a pageant for beauties with a purpose. If Czarina’s BPCI handlers can draw from her story and market it as Czarina’s way of empowering herself, then she can be a good aspirant for one of theMiss World fast track awards , the ‘Beauty with a Purpose’, the winner of which is guaranteed a top 15 semifinalist spot.
To Czarina, keep up the good work . Strive and work hard on your beauty queen aspirations by not being contented to win in the national level and instead go all out winning that elusive Miss World crown for the Philippines.
To the people running BPCI. What can I say? You always had numerous hits and misses in the past and current. I do
not blame the frustrations of other Filipino pageant followers and their disdain for your antiquated ideas and actions. However, I remain optimistic and hopeful that the small improvements with the Bb. Pilipinas process will take you where you and all of us want to be and that is winning international beauty crowns again for the country. Just be consistent with the changes, best be more proactive and keep an open mind to all suggestions whether solicited or not.
Well said Lady G! I think Czarina should push it even further and start a campaign where she and her team of volunteers teach little girls from poor families how to read and write etc. and help them dream big dreams and reach them. I know ‘classroom training’ is important for beauty queen but if Czarina could devote two days a week to such a campaign, it will be the best training a beauty queen could ever have.
[...] Miss Queen Teen 2010. Check out her photo below – doesn’t she remind you of our current Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbonton? They look like [...]
[...] Miss Queen Teen 2010. Check out her photo below – doesn’t she remind you of our current Bb. Pilipinas World Czarina Gatbonton? They look like [...]
ganda talaga niya, ang babaeng malolenya….
Hi there, I’m sorry about how you feel. There is some truth to what you say but not all of our gay friends are harsh. In fact many of them are beauty queen-makers and I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for many gay people in the beauty pageant world. I am sorry but I can’t publish your comment because of the comment policies and guidelines for this site. But I just want you to know that you do have a valid sentiment. Thanks for sharing it!
i saw her kanina in eat bulaga with venus, in fairness gumaganda cya pero i doubt if she will make morleys cut because the miss world will be held in china this year. but promise i started to like her than krista kleiner. kawawa naman ung magagandang dilag natin this year, sana lang hindi apektado ung hostage crisis sa kagandahan nila.
Hi Joyce, in light of her send-off today to Miss World, might I have permission to post this feature on a pageant messageboard? Courtesy of you and ABQ of course..
Hello Darito, sorry just opened my blog today but you can ALWAYS repost/reprint my articles as long as ABQ is mentioned!!! Maraming Salamat!!!
BTW, I spoke to Czarina a couple days ago and will be writing another feature on her… sobrang busy lang talaga with my son in town for a short visit and a million other things to do. Sabi nga nila, a woman’s work is never done… sigh…
[...] rise to fame also happened in less than a year – after joining two Bulacan pageants in 2009 (and performing well in them) beauty queen trainer John dela Vega brought her to the initial screening of Bb. Pilipinas 2010. I [...]
[...] our girl Miss Philippines Czarina Gatbonton did not place, we salute her for a great job done, representing our nation among 114 other beauty [...]
hi,czarina ur so beautiful..ur d best.
[...] 1st Runner-up Janine Tugonon and 2nd Runner-up MJ Lastimosa. Also present were Czarina Gatbonton (Bb. Pilipinas World 2010) and Venus Raj, the Bicolana who made us all proud when she placed 4th runner-up in Miss Universe [...]
[...] 1st Runner-up Janine Tugonon and 2nd Runner-up MJ Lastimosa. Also present were Czarina Gatbonton (Bb. Pilipinas World 2010) and Venus Raj, the Bicolana who made us all proud when she placed 4th runner-up in Miss Universe [...]
She is definitely soo beautiful! Definitely Filipina! Wala talagang papantay sa ganda ng mga Pinay!