THE PAGEANT

Once again, Mr. Masumi Okada, who just recovered from a serious illness, hosted the pageant. The very lovely Miss Miho Oohashi of TV Tokyo co-hosted the event.

The judges make a dramatic entrance.

Here's the panel of judges for this year's Miss International Pageant:

1. Ryoko Yonekura - Actress *
2. Akihiro Nakatani - Author
3. Sanae Numata - Photographer *
4. Yuri Takano (Chief Judge) - Beauty Specialist *
5. Akiko Santo - Member of the House of Councilors *
6. Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno - International Socialite *
7. Mrs. Solmaz Unaydin - Ambassador Extraordinary of the Republic of Turkey to Japan *
8. Gnenom Simon - Wife of the Ethiopian Ambassador to Japan *
9. Kerstin Lindstrom - Wife of the Swedish Ambassador to Japan *
10. Toshio Terada - Chairman of Art Corporation CO., Ltd.
11. Noriko Ishido - Sun Director G-9, X-One Co., Ltd.*
12. Hirofumi Hashimoto - Exec. Director, International Cultural Association, Administrative
                                 Chairman of Miss International Beauty Pageant
13. Nichimu Inada - President, International Cultural Association
14. Yasokichi Tokuda - Well-known Japanese Potter
15. Taki Kato - President, TAKI Office Ltd. *
16. Ai Kanzaki - Flute Player *
17. Michie Nakamaru - Opera Singer *
18. Nora Marzuki - Wife of the Malaysian Ambassador to Japan *
19. Carla Marotta de Martiz - Wife of the Panamanian Ambassador to Japan *
20. Mikio Yamano - Chief Director, Yamano Clesty Academy *
21. Yukiko Nishimura - Chairman, Aria Co., Ltd *

Names with asterisk (*) indicate that the judge is female.

15 out of the 21 judges, including the chief judge, were women of different social backgrounds. Dewi Sukarno sat beside the chief judge and I noticed that both would always exchange notes during the duration of the competition.

The program started with an interview of Miss International 2004 Jeymmy Paolo Vargas of Colombia, simultaneously showing on the big screen video clippings of her victory parade in her hometown- to the delight of the audience. They never thought beauty pageants were considered a serious business in this Latin American state.


NATIONAL COSTUME

The candidates came out in alphabetical order wearing their colorful costumes, except for Misses New Zealand and UK, who wore anything but a national costume.

Miss Aruba was splendid in her coral reef-inspired costume, followed by a sultry & colorful Northern Australian number of Miss Australia. Next were the festival attire of Miss Bahamas and then the Native South American Indian costume of Miss Bolivia. The beautiful and striking Miss Brazil was modest with her less-elaborate carnival costume, followed by the half-Filipina Miss Canada who was wearing a Pocahontas-inspired Indian costume. Miss Canada received a lot cheers when she spoke in Japanese during her introduction.

Miss China was well applauded with her very simple native Chinese costume, she was followed by the beautiful Miss Colombia who donned a glittering silver number with multi-colored embroidery. Miss Cyprus was a goddess in her ancient Greek costume, followed by Miss Czech Republic who was also adorable in her native Eastern European maiden costume. Miss Dominican Republic exuded sexiness in her Caribbean attire while Miss Ecuador followed with a golden costume resembling the Sto. Nino. This was the first time that I noticed how pretty Miss DR would register on the big TV screen, while the latter had a thunderous applause and shouts from her fans and that, I thought, cost her a lot of points.


Miss El Salvador was elegant in her off-shoulder black salsa number while Miss Ethiopia was simply beautiful in a white costume- typical for those who live in a dessert. Miss Finland came with a blue number that reminded me of the national costumes worn by a Miss Russia in various beauty pageants. Miss France was attractive with her carnival attire that reminded me of GMA Supershow's "Belle Star dancers." Her costume was complimented with a white hat. Long-legged Miss France got my attention here for the first time!

Miss Germany was oddly austere in her costume that made me wonder which part of her country did she come from??? Miss Greece was the female version of Alexander the Great! Miss Honduras' majestic orangey carnival costume drew "uuuuuhhs" and "aaahhhs" from the audience. Miss Hong Kong asked the audience "Genki Desuka?" which means "How are you?" in Japanese. She wore a costume from whatever Chinese dynasty it was. She was a true charmer who got everyone's attention.


Miss India was very elegant in her traditional costume, while Israel looked like a princess during Solomon's time. Miss Japan was like a doll in her kimono. Coming next to her was Miss Kazakhstan who got huge applause from the audience. It was revealed that her costume was hand-made. She also quoted "Luck favors the Brave."

Another doll appeared in the person of Miss Korea. Miss Macao, the third Chinese delegate so far, was effortless in her sexy yet typical Chinese outfit. Miss Malaysia was indeed attractive in her pink number. At this point, the whole hype was true that the Japanese loved this girl. Miss Mongolia was captivating in her costume that was probably worn during Genghis Khan's time. Nepal's entry was commendable in her effort to represent her beautiful country, and Miss New Caledonia was oozing with sexiness in her Polynesian attire.

Miss New Zealand wore a sportswear featuring the All-Black Rugby team of NZ. Miss Nicaragua was very appealing in her silver carnival costume with white peacock feathers above her shoulders. Miss Norway was lovely in her green Scandinavian maiden costume, and Miss Panama stood tall in her clown-like number. Miss Paraguay was the queen of feathers, while Miss Peru exhibited her country's colorful culture through her Indian costume with a carnival touch.


Miss Philippines was well-poised in her pineapple costume, and despite her heavy headdress, she still managed to bow- a gesture of utmost importance among Japanese. Miss Poland was wearing a gear that had flowers all over it. She gave an impression that she's representing a tropical country. After seeing lots and lots of carnival costumes, there came Miss Puerto Rico with an ensemble that has full of character. It turned out as a refresher. This was followed by Miss Serbia and Montenegro who was captivating in an all-white number. Miss Singapore's hair was coiffed with a huge flower. She looked endearing in her red dress. Miss Slovakia was the brunette version of Miss Czech Republic.

Miss Spain proved once more that she's the audience favorite with her flamenco costume while Miss Sweden was striking in her native Swedish maiden number. Another Chinese delegate in the person of Miss Taiwan showed up with a traditional Chinese number, followed Miss Tanzania who was wearing a costume considered to be unique, striking and a true representation of her cultural heritage. She bagged the "Miss National Costume" award.


Miss Thailand was excellent in her costume that depicted a Thai mistress, while Miss Turkey got my attention in her sexy two-piece ensemble covered by a robe. Miss Ukraine was very cute on a dress adorned with flowers, while Miss UK gave an impression that she's a performing artist of Broadway. Miss USA was wearing a white gown with blue and red shawl for effects, and Miss Venezuela was pretty simple in her attire. Miss Venezuela, the early favorite, was playing safe all through the night and that was probably the reason why she did not earn the decisive points that she should've earned if she only tried a little harder.


Miss Tanzania won the National Costume Award, and the ladies went back on stage for the swimsuit parade.


SWIMSUIT

The contestants came by eights and here's how each group faired in my personal assessment.

Aruba to Colombia. Brazil and Colombia were the sure head-turners here! Both had striking long legs. Miss China was too demure in during her walk, but was just fine in general.

Cyprus to France. France stood out in this group, followed by El Salvador and Ethiopia. At this point, I never envisioned that the other two runners-up would eventually emerge from this group (Dominican Republic and Finland).

Germany to Kazakhstan. My personal favorites here were the Asians – HK, India and Japan. Miss Kazakhstan was wearing a G-string and that was quite a sight!

Korea to Nicaragua. Nobody struck me from this group, so let's just say that Miss Korea was the safest bet among them.


Norway to Serbia and Montenegro. Peru and Philippines stood out from this group. Miss Philippines had the most proportioned figure. When I was watching her moves, I couldn't help but compare her to Miss Universe '99 runner-up Miriam Quiambao. Precious was really outstanding in the swimsuit category in such a way that she could sweep the stage fair and square. You would hardly notice the other girls.

Singapore to Turkey. Sweden, Tanzania and Turkey were outstanding of the bunch. Sweden had a good athletic built, while Tanzania was unique with her "buri" swimsuit. Miss Turkey had the best body and carriage.

Ukraine to Venezuela. Only four girls in this group and the floor belonged to Venezuela. Miss USA made a mistake in her cue and the audience reacted with that blooper. Miss UK had nice muscle tone, making her the most physically fit among the contestants. It didn't surprise me how she won the Sports Competition during last year's Miss World Pageant.

In the swimsuit category, my top 15 were (alphabetical order): Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, HK, India, Japan, Peru, Philippines, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, UK and Venezuela. Top Five were: Brazil, Colombia, France, Philippines and Turkey

EVENING GOWN

Before the evening gown competition, there was a brief break and I had the chance to chat with Precious' mom. I told her how impressed I was with her daughter's well-proportioned body. I was not so vocal with my gut feeling that she could pull it all the way because I was always under the impression that it's bad luck. Of course, deep in my heart I wanted Miss Philippines to win. I just told Mrs. Quigaman that we should watch out for Miss Peru because she was starting to gain her momentum.

So, for the evening dress, the girls came out by twos, and they had to do this gesture:
1. Walk down from the riser until they reach the center stage
2. Look at each other
3. Hold hands
4. Raise them upwards
5. Look at the audience
6. Strike a pose
7. Walk in opposite directions



Anyway, in the evening gown competition, I made four categories based on my taste:

Four Stars: Most Striking and Outstanding (great gown, very poise)
Three Stars: Outstanding (great gown or very poised)
Two Stars: Played it Safe (good gown)
One Star: So-so (not so appealing)

Four Stars (alphabetical order)
Brazil – Colombia – France – Philippines
I can't deny how terribly attracted I was with Miss Brazil. Her light-blue number exhibits heavenly appeal and a timeless feel. She was absolutely flawless the whole night. Miss Colombia was truly elegant in her all-white number. France was an epitome of sophistication in her purple gown. She was like a moving mannequin. Miss Philippines was too perfect to be described. It was indeed her night, and it was obvious that the judges loved her.

Three Stars
China – Dominican Republic – Honduras – India – Israel
Japan – Macao – Sweden – Thailand – UK- Venezuela
This was the time I started to feel something about Miss Dominican Republic. She was very natural and unpretentious. Miss Macao had one of the best catwalks. Miss Thailand sported the best gown of the night. I always have this admiration for the gowns that Thai beauties wear in various beauty pageants. Venezuela wore a not-so-striking gown, but she's still undeniably pretty.

Two Stars
Bahamas – Cyprus - Czech Republic – El Salvador – Finland - Germany
Greece – Hong Kong – Kazakhstan – Mongolia - New Zealand - Norway
Panama – Peru – Puerto Rico - Slovakia - Serbia and Montenegro
Spain – Taiwan - Tanzania – Turkey – Ukraine
I am not saying that these girls were bad. It's just that, they were the ones who were in the safe side. In other words, luck and the varying taste of the judges could give them the points that they needed in order to enter the Top 12. Maybe it was for this and some other reasons why Miss Finland made it in the top 12 even when she was paired with the almost flawless Miss France.

One Star
Aruba – Australia – Bolivia – Canada – Ecuador – Korea – Malaysia – Nepal
New Caledonia – Nicaragua – Paraguay – Poland – Singapore – USA
Let me justify why I put Malaysia in the "One Star" category. She actually tripped during the evening gown competition so I assumed that it cost her a lot of points.

MISS FRIENDSHIP

After the evening gown came the announcement of Miss Friendship and it went to Miss Hong Kong. I noticed the number of times the emcees would mention that the girls had great camaraderie while staying in Japan.

Meanwhile, Miss HK was very emotional when she received her award, and she even asked the emcee if this was still a rehearsal. Miss Canada hugged her when she came back to her place.

THEME SONG

After the announcement of Miss Friendship, the contestants sang the theme song that even until now is playing on my mind. This was another opportunity for the judges to consider the ones with regal bearing as each one were carefully observed. It is at this point that I noticed how the cameraman started to focus more on Miss Philippines because she was often seen in the big screen.


After the theme song, the emcee tried to interview the girls about their experiences in Japan. After two unsuccessful tries with Misses China and Brazil (who both could not understand and speak English), he got lucky with Miss Bahamas. She said that the best thing that happened to her was eating sushi because she could not experience that back in her country. Miss Australia was also interviewed and she said that going to the temples and meditating inside these sacred places were the best things she ever experienced in Japan.


TOP 12

And so, the suspense was held a bit further and I started to tremble on my seat. Mr. Okada announced the Top 12 without mentioning, "it was in no particular order." So, here's the top 12 in order of announcement:
1. Venezuela (loud applause from audience)
2. Philippines (loud cheer from the audience)
3. Brazil
4. Japan (loud applause)
5. Dominican Republic
6. Colombia
7. Turkey
8. Finland
9. France
10. Ukraine
11. Peru
12. Serbia and Montenegro


SPEECH

Some of the speeches were done in Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. The only ones who spoke in English were Misses Finland, Philippines, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey.

Here's an excerpt of the candidates' speeches, some of them were consistent with what they wrote in the souvenir program.

The question was:

"What will you do if you become Miss International 2005?"

Brazil –  Ariane Colombo said that she wants to contribute to world peace by promoting its true meaning, and to make people understand each other beyond the difference in colors, religions and social classes. The very emotional Miss Brazil was almost crying when she delivered her speech.

Colombia - The very relaxed Diana Patricia Arbelαez said that she wanted to be involved in social work. She also wanted to help the needy and bring hope to them in order to build a better world.

Dominican Republic - Tall and dusky Yadira Geara Cury was very specific in her mission statement, mentioning that she will do goodwill activities that the Miss International Organization is promoting. She said that she would use the crown as an opportunity to influence people (in a positive way).

Finland - Susanna Laine started with a powerful intro about love, and she associated love with nature. She appeared smart, so she easily gained everyone's attention. She mentioned that love is the only thing that can help us find connection with each other. She also said that with love, we will also learn to value nature. In my own opinion, she nailed it right there especially that this year’s AICHI EXPO's main theme was about love of nature.

France – Speaking in French, Cynthia Tevere would like to use the title for humanitarian actions in order to help the sick and poor children all over the world.

Japan - Naomi Ishizaka was obviously nervous in her speech. The recent high school graduate said that if she won Miss International, she would try her best to promote international understanding by fostering respect to each other regardless of religion, race and language.

Peru – Vanessa Lσpez Vera Tudela was the “woman of the hour” as she was the only one who talked about the welfare of women, in case she would win the Miss International crown. The 22-year-old business administration student believes that the first step to world progress is to realize a world where both men and women can walk together and respect each other.

Philippines – The very fluent and spontaneous Precious Lara Quigaman spoke with full conviction, diverting her speech from what she submitted in the souvenir program. While in the program, she wrote something about terrorism and poverty, Lara improvised her speech and mentioned her desire to help children avail quality education. She concluded by convincing everyone that the children are our future. Her impromptu speech received a big applause from the audience.

Serbia and Montenegro – Sanja Miljanic simply wanted to promote Serbia and Montenegro. She was very sweet when she delivered her speech.

Turkey - Sebnem Asade had trouble with her English, but her effort was commendable. She wants to stop prejudice and discrimination, especially concerning religion.

Ukraine - Mariya Zhukova is very proud of her country and all she wants is to see how her country achieves political and financial stability. She mentions about her involvement in a project that raises awareness on global issues and disasters.

Venezuela – Andrea Gomez said that her experience in Japan made her want to study more about the country, and she wants to thank the Japanese for their goodness and hospitality. If she becomes Miss International, she would like to contribute in international relations, especially devoting her time in understanding Japanese culture.

After all the speeches were heard, the judges cast their votes and the emcee once again wanted to interview any English-speaking finalist. He picked Miss Dominican Republic who, despite delivering her speech in Spanish, admitted that she could actually speak English. She was asked about her chances and how she felt that she's in the Top 12. She said that she was confident with her speech, and she did her best so she was very happy and contented with her performance.

The emcee reached for Miss Philippines, probably he was so impressed with her speech that was delivered in flawless English. Miss Philippines said that she's happy about her inclusion in the top 12 and she thanked the judges for choosing her, with matching bow.


THE RESULT

To add a little amount of suspense, the non-finalists came back to the stage one by one, and the result was announced;

Second runner-up is MISS FINLAND!
The visibly surprised Miss Finland could not help but be shocked that she was chosen 3rd in a very competitive batch. I already felt that this year, the judges carefully considered the contestant’s wit and intelligence in choosing the winners.

First runner-up is MISS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
The very natural Miss DR was also surprised, and looked very happy that she placed 2nd. I knew that this is going to be a year where the most witty and intelligent girl would win Miss International.

And the new Miss International is MISS PHILIPPINES!
Shocked... surprised... the odds were beaten! Who says that at 168 cm, you could not win over the towering ladies of the Amazon? What happened to the myth that "short" ladies could not win Miss International? What happened to the myth that for as long as Dewi Sukarno would judge the Miss International Pageant, no Miss Philippines could enter the semifinals? What happened to the myth that mestizas should be sent to Miss International?


Miss Precious Lara Quigaman has proven that with faith, and with a family that strongly supports you, you could make a difference! That, I think is the most important lesson that I learned from watching this pageant. Congratulations Precious! And THANK YOU for making us proud as Filipinos.