I was the first beauty queen to arrive at the Via Mare branch in Rockwell to meet up with my ‘court of beauty queens’. Yes, I was that excited to see all three of them!!! Bb. Pilipinas International 1985 Sabrina Artadi, Bb. Pilipinas Maja 1985 Izza Gonzales and Bb. Pilipinas Young 1985 Tina Alcala. I had no make-up on – a brave move since beauty queens are usually a bit competitive in the area of beauty. But, I wanted to be myself when I reconnected with them; not covered up in a layer of maquillage.
Still GORGEOUS!!! Bb. Pilipinas Maja 1985 Izza Gonzales, Bb. Pilipinas Universe 1985 Joyce Ann Burton and Bb. Pilipinas Young 1985 Tina Alcala...
It was the lovely Izza Gonzales who organized the meeting (through Facebook) after finding out that Tina Alcala was flying into town. Can you imagine? The last time we were all together was 25 years ago when I crowned my successor Violeta Naluz at the Bb. Pilipinas 1986 beauty pageant in Araneta Coliseum!
When Tina Alcala arrived with Izza Gonzales on her heels, we all hugged and kissed and started talking at the same time! First priority – admire each other, LOLOL! Tina was so slim – slimmer than when she won! And Izza has been able to maintain her svelte figure over the years. I was suddenly thankful that I had just lost 25 lbs in the past couple of months or else I would have looked like a whale beside the two of them.
Next on the plate – catching up on life and texting Sabrina Artadi to hurry up! Well, she never made it because she suddenly had a meeting to attend. This just means that we’ll have to set another meeting for all four of us (and our two runners-up Glenna Seighton and Rita Biazon) to be together.
So what’s up with everyone? Well, just check out my blog Adventures of a Beauty Queen and you’ll know what’s up with me…
Bb. Pilipinas Maja 1985 Izza Gonzales - today!
As for Izza Gonzales, she’s busy with her business – she supplies wedding gowns to clothing outlets. When she’s not busy with that, she’s taking care of her lawyer hubby or sweating it out in a Bikram Yoga room – something she does almost everyday! That’s why her figure hasn’t changed and her beauty still glows with youth. Believe it or not, Izza Gonzales is turning fifty this November 2011. And she is still modeling – her last project was a Billboard last Novemeber. WOW!
Bb. Pilipinas Young 1985 Tina Alcala - today!
Tina Alcala, meantime, is still the be-dimpled cutie that I met two decades and half ago! Although the baby fat is gone, the sparkle in her eye is not. She is happily re-married to a German who is now Dad to her two gorgeous daughters. They are currently based in Jakarta where the hubby works. Tina, who is taking a break from the life of a working girl, keeps herself busy by doing a lot of entertaining and partying with her friends in Indonesia!
Sabrina Artadi meantime has a food show called Sabrina’s Kitchen on Lifestyle Network! Just like Izza and Tina, she’s still drop-dead gorgeous! Aside from the food show, she designs loungewear (The Marrakesh Collection, search it on Facebook) and even sports her designs on her show! It’s really too bad Sabrina couldn’t make it to our little reunion…
…but as I said, this just means we’ll have to set another beauty queen get-together!
Bb Pilipinas 1985 Winners - L-R- 1st RU Glenna Sleighton, BP Young Tina Alcala, BP Universe Joyce Ann Burton, BP International Sabrina Artadi, BP Maja Izza Gonzales and 2nd RU Rita Biazon
WOW! Joyce I am so happy for this post….I have been following Bb. PIlipinas and pageants since 1985 when you all won. I still have the GLITTER magazine that featured your batch written by Joe Quirino. There’s also a full page ad in Manila Bulletin (was Bulletin Today) with your individual photos and the other PRC Awardees (Lux Lady Taina Manigque and Sunsilk Beauty Angienette Desuyo).
Tina is also my friend in FB. Still waiting for Izza Gonzales’ confirmation, hehehehe. I have a WOMAN TODAY issue that featured Izza alos in 1985.
I never thought this would happen, Pageant fans like my friend Tony Paat would certainly love to show you our collections. Also we are still debating on the gowns that you wore in the international competition (yup, that’s how important). Accordingly, Sabrina and yourself wore red gowns. We were wondering if Izza wore the blue and gold gown desigend by Renee Salud that won the Best in Gown for her. Izza also won Best National Costume in an ‘alleged’ Carnival Queen costume…all speculations that we hope to be confirmed after 25 years.
I am looking forward to you BQs meeting up again….and set the record straight after 25 years!
Stay pretty, y’all. We all love you so much.
Raymond, I will ask the girls your questions at our next REUNION! I have seen Tony Paat’s collection and I took photos of all his clippings. Sana you can also send me copies of your collection. Thanks to people like you, I can rebuild memories that I have lost over time!!!
Oh…m…geeee! My, you’re all still very gorgeous! So glad to see you all together after all these years! Thank you all for representing the Philippines with pride and honor! God bless!
Armin, thanks for always supporting our Filipina beauties! See you at the next pageant event!!!
Ay, how lovely to see all of you together after all these years! Well, not with Sabrina, but it’s still great to see the pic.
I was in college when you all won, and i remember how mesmerizing it was to see a taller Bb. Pilipinas-Universe than a Bb. Pilipinas International! Those days, it seemed to be a trend to have the tallest winner crowned as BPI
@Raymond Hernandez, I’m a good friend of Boholana Taina Manigque who was a semi-finalist and Lux Lady during the 1985 Binibini…Can you post her photos here? She would surely be delighted
[...] THE REUNION OF MY BB PILIPINAS BATCH 1985 – After 25 years of living our own lives, the winners of Bb. Pilipinas 1985 reunited for a [...]
the 1st RU Glenna Marie Sleighton would later be crowned as the 1986 Mutya ng Pilipinas- Asia Pacific
Glenna is supposed to join our next reunion!!!
Tina Alcala…stay sweet and humble as you have always been…
Your #1 fan and club president in SFO Ca.
MC